The Long Dark Marathon of the Soul 2015: The Exorcist (1973), directed by William Friedkin

The Trailer

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The Appropriate Tune: "Tubular Bells", by Mike Oldfield

     I’ve already spoken about how horror and science fiction could be considered ‘easy’ genres of film to do, because the standards for what constitute a good film in that case usually end up being how many buckets of blood can be thrown at a screaming woman. Not that there’s anything wrong with ‘easy’ films in a sense, it’s a good way for up-and-coming directors (Peter Jackson, David Cronenberg) to cut their teeth in the industry, but that convenience seems to come at the cost of quality control. Generally it seems that the cream of the crop is afforded the respect they deserve, your Alien/Aliens, your Blade Runners, etc. but other films that might be considered classics of horror are seemingly far from classics in the eyes of the cinema intelligentsia. Would the psychologically disturbing themes and iconography of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Halloween be more accepted in film circles if the deluge of bargain-bin crap that spawned from it didn’t exist? Maybe, maybe not.

     One of the most successful exceptions to this rule is 1973’s The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin (Sorcerer, The French Connection), Much like Richard Donner’s infamous The Omen, Friedkin took an obscure, goofy bit of Catholicism, in this case the incredibly shady practice of exorcism, and expand it into a movie. At the time it was incredibly unique, and definitely not a film that could have been shown before the 1970s, when directorial freedom and special effects started to become prevalent. . Showing a child in this grotesque position, bloody, pockmarked face, spouting obscenities, and making the protagonist a priest who in the beginning of the movie has lost,The Exorcist touches not only upon us the cynical realist attitude born of Vietnam/race riot/political assassination era America but also of an overall maturation of cinema and the mainstream audiences. We could explore themes and show stories that we were unable to in the past, whether by technology or social morays, and not only that but really lay the groundwork for what was to be arguably more than any other time in film history. Much as Jaws and Star Wars established the foundations of the blockbuster, The Exorcist showed what this new decade meant for the horror genre, and the new avenues for where that genre could push itself in the future, whether it was through special effects or cinematography or what have you. It’s a good movie as well as an influential one, and that’s often not the case.

     Much like The Omen, Exorcist is a slow burn. The movie is about 2 hours long, and Friedkin really uses that time to build us up to that moment. A little less ambiguous than The Omen, where the events could be chalked up to Damien’s satanic influence or freak accidents, which Richard Donner (and I) consider one of the strengths of that film. When the girl starts looking like a Garbage Pail Kid and punching out grown men it does strain suspension of disbelief a bit, especially when they seem to go through every single medical exam they can think of, because a brain lesion can totally give a 12 year old girl a man’s voice. However the characters are very strong, very ‘real’ in my opinion, and I think that the feeling of tension and helplessness that arises from seeing a loved one lose control of themselves, whether through demonic possession or not, is a universal one and comes through very well. Great drama, horror classic, if you haven’t seen it already, make it a priority this Halloween.