31 Days of Halloween: Day Three

The Exorcist (1973 – Rated R for strong language, disturbing images and an ass-load of pea soup)

Summary (from IMDB):

A visiting actress in Washington, D.C., notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behavior and physical make-up of her 12-year-old daughter. Meanwhile, a young priest at nearby Georgetown University begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mother’s terminal sickness. And, book-ending the story, a frail, elderly priest recognizes the necessity for a show-down with an old demonic enemy.

RBWood’s Rating (Out of Five): 5 cans of pea soup

Billy Graham once claimed that Satan lived in the celliod of this classic horror flick.  If yesterday’s entry scared the crap out of me as a teenager, this movie scares the crap out of me at the ripe old age of 47.  And I love it.

Brilliantly paced, marvelously acted (from Max von Sydow’s hopeful Father Merrin and Ellen Burstyn’s traumatized mother to Linda Blair’s Regan) and with the attention to detail that only William Friedkin could bring (he directed The French Connection just before this movie–another favorite), The Exorcist is the demonic possession film that set the stage for all that follow. 

I cannot recommend this film highly enough for those of you who enjoy horror.  Although I do recommend you keep the lights on.

Tomorrow: I want me gold!

Peace