Episode 7 - Exorcism & Possession in Film - Afterthoughts

What makes this film so scary to some; while others think the polar opposite? That is a tough call. Now I must declare immediately this will be a brief entry for me because I am not interested in going as deep as this topic can reach. Choosing to dive head first into religion, possession, demons, etc is signing up for a hefty piece of writing. Instead, I will just touch on what we do this for, the movies.

The Exorcist is the only movie that gets under my skin anymore. Most movies that do, I know what is coming because I have seen them so much or I am just desensitized to others. This is the only film that no matter how many times I see it, it still unnerves me. I attribute this to the quality of the film more than the subject matter. The story was wonderfully crafted by William Peter Blatty, directed by William Friedkin, and executed performances from Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and the young and courageous Linda Blair.  Lastly, like a short list of other horror films, this has flawless music in it. Starting with Tubular Bells, the viewer has a tone set of ominous and dark fear-filled drama, which it lives up to it (and more). 

While I am far from a religious person, I do get the impact of its power in this film. What really matters though are the driving parts of it: basic good and evil, redemption, courage, and conviction. Why this movie is so effective is that you care about the people in it to a certain degree. Horror fans historically are not treated to top notch acting in extremely serious and horrific settings. Not to discount many great films over the years, and The Exorcist isn't exclusive to this, but this is a unique thing in the genre. A mother and her daughter who have done nothing to warrant or invite this event; are subjected to this. The men of faith and what they are subjected to. The viewer has no choice but to join them and in the process feel sympathy for them. While some do not get the same impact that I do from this film; one cannot deny its importance. I still have to mentally prepare myself before I willingly put this movie on and for that I am so grateful. I doubt there will ever be another film, or at least not many, that will ever have this effect on me again. It is in a class of it's own for me.

Lastly, yes I understand many people are never "scared" by a movie. In my eyes that just means they are not willing to give themselves to the art. It is easy for anyone to not be scared by a movie that is on your television screen. Just seems unfortunate that some would rather have bragging rights instead of letting themselves fall into the movie they are devoting a few hours to; but i digress. I am here before you saying that this film terrifies me because it plays with emotions, conventions, archetypes, and religion at your expense. Many other films have been made on the same topic, a few excellent ones in fact. However, nothing has and nothing ever will come close to this terrifying and physically draining Horror classic.

Thanks for taking the time to listen to us and read this on top of that. We are flattered every single time you do. So thank you...
Until next time,
Beware of the moon
Professor