THE EXORCIST (1973)
Director
William Friedkin
Cast
- Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil – a famous actress and single mother
- Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil – Chris’s 12-year-old daughter
- Jason Miller as Father Damien Karras – a Jesuit priest and psychiatrist struggling with his faith
- Max von Sydow as Father Lankester Merrin – an aging Jesuit priest and archaeologist
- Lee J. Cobb as Lt. William Kinderman – the homicide detective investigating a mysterious death
Genre
Supernatural Horror, Psychological Thriller
THE EXORCIST (1973)
“William Friedkin”
I remember the first time someone described The Exorcist to me. It was a casual conversation, and the person just said – “if you have not seen this movie, you have not seen horror.” I laughed it off at the time. I thought to myself, how scary can a 1973 film really be? The effects are old, the techniques are dated, and we have come a long way since then. I was wrong. Very wrong. It was during a quiet weekend when I finally sat down to watch it. The house was dark, it was late at night, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. What followed was one of the most unsettling cinematic experiences I have ever had. And the fact that this film was made in 1973 makes it even more extraordinary.
Synopsis
The Exorcist tells the story of Chris MacNeil, a well-known actress working on a film in Georgetown, Washington D.C., who lives with her 12-year-old daughter Regan. Regan begins to show disturbing changes in behaviour – strange voices, violent outbursts, and unexplainable physical changes. After medical science fails to provide any answers, Chris turns to the Church in desperation. A young Jesuit priest, Father Damien Karras – himself battling a crisis of faith – is called in to investigate, and an experienced exorcist, Father Lankester Merrin, is summoned to help perform the ritual that could save Regan’s life.
Review
Regan MacNeil – Linda Blair
Let me be completely honest here. When I heard that the possessed character was a 12-year-old girl, I did not expect to feel any real fear. I was wrong again. Linda Blair’s performance as Regan is extraordinary, especially considering she was only 13 years old when the film was made. The transformation from an innocent, cheerful child to something utterly terrifying is so convincing that it is genuinely disturbing to watch. The voice changes, the physical contortions, the complete abandonment of innocence – Blair pulled it off in a way that very few actors, young or old, could have managed. I genuinely felt uncomfortable during several of her scenes, which is exactly what the director intended.
Father Damien Karras – Jason Miller
What makes The Exorcist stand apart from typical horror films is this character. Father Karras is not just a priest who comes in to perform a ritual. He is a man who has lost his faith. He is dealing with guilt over his mother’s death, questioning God, and wrestling with whether any of what the Church teaches is even real. When he is brought face to face with what is inside Regan, that conflict becomes the emotional core of the entire film. Jason Miller had never acted professionally before this movie, which makes his performance even more remarkable. His final act of sacrifice – inviting the demon into himself and throwing himself from the window to save Regan – hit me harder than I expected. It is not just a horror movie moment. It is a moment of genuine human redemption.
Father Lankester Merrin – Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow was only 40 years old when he played this role, yet under the heavy ageing make-up he is absolutely convincing as an elderly priest who has faced this evil before and carries the weight of that knowledge in every step he takes. There is something special about his character that I found fascinating. He does not panic. He does not doubt. He simply arrives and prepares himself for battle. The iconic image of Father Merrin standing outside Regan’s house under the lamplight, his silhouette against the misty night – that image alone tells you everything about who this man is.
“What Makes It More Than Just a Horror Film”
I think a lot of people go into The Exorcist expecting it to be purely about jump scares and supernatural shock moments. And yes, those elements are there in full force. But what really stayed with me long after the credits rolled was how much this film is about faith, doubt, and the human will to fight for something we love. Father Karras does not believe in demonic possession. He is a man of science as much as religion. And yet he stays. He fights. And in the end, he gives everything. Chris MacNeil is not a religious woman, yet she drops to her knees and begs for an exorcism because there is simply nothing else left. These are very human moments in the middle of something deeply terrifying, and that combination is what makes this film timeless. There is also the interesting fact that The Exorcist is based loosely on real events – a reported exorcism performed on a 14-year-old boy in Maryland in 1949. Knowing that somewhere in the background of this story there is a real case makes certain scenes feel even more unsettling.
Cinematography
As someone who is passionate about photography, I always pay attention to how a film is shot. The Exorcist uses darkness exceptionally well. Cinematographer Owen Roizman keeps many scenes deliberately underlit, which means the audience’s eyes are constantly trying to make sense of shadows. This creates a sense of unease even in scenes where nothing is technically happening yet.
The most iconic frame in the entire film is without question the shot of Father Merrin arriving at the house – a lone silhouette under a cone of streetlight, suitcase in hand, mist swirling around him, the light from Regan’s window glowing above. It is a perfect composition of leading lines, negative space, and atmosphere. That single frame communicates everything the film is about: one man standing against something much larger than himself.
The close-up shots during the exorcism sequences are also worth mentioning. Friedkin and Roizman do not shy away from putting the camera right into the action, which makes those scenes feel claustrophobic and suffocating in the best possible way. There is no escape for the audience, just as there is no easy escape for the characters.
The Demon Pazuzu & Possessed Regan – the cinematographer brilliantly uses dimming & brightening light to reveal Pazuzu implying Regan is under his control
The Iconic silhouette frame
Possessed Regan
Tense moment during the exorcism , the practical effects for a 1973 movie is really amazing
Behind the Scenes – A Few Things That Surprised Me
After watching the film I went and read quite a bit about how it was made, and some of it genuinely surprised me. Director William Friedkin had Regan’s bedroom refrigerated to below -20°C during filming, so the actors’ breath would be visible on camera. He would also randomly fire a gun on set to keep everyone on edge. Real pain, real shock, real discomfort – that was his method. And it shows in the performances. The scream Ellen Burstyn lets out when Regan slaps her across the room? That was real pain. A stuntman yanked her harness far harder than intended.
The famous voice of the demon Pazuzu was provided by actress Mercedes McCambridge, who reportedly swallowed raw eggs and drank whiskey to get that gravelly, distorted sound. The lengths people went to for this film are remarkable, and they all contributed to the final result feeling so real and so uncomfortable.
Conclusion
It is a moment of genuine human redemption
The Exorcist is not a comfortable film. It was not designed to be. And if you are expecting a modern style horror film with jump scares every few minutes, you might find the first half slow. But stick with it, because by the time the exorcism begins, you will understand exactly why this film has held its reputation for over 50 years.
What William Friedkin created in 1973 is something that goes well beyond the horror genre. It is a film about faith being tested at its absolute limit. It is about a mother’s love being the one thing that refuses to surrender even when everything else has broken down. And it is about one man’s final act of courage in the face of something he cannot fully explain or understand.
For direction, atmosphere, and performances, The Exorcist is a masterclass in horror filmmaking. It disturbed me, it moved me, and days after watching it I still found myself thinking about it. That, for me, is the mark of a truly great film.
Author: Aromal Anil
