The Exorcist

1973 • 121 minutes

About this movie

Novelist William Peter Blatty based his best-seller on the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States. Blatty transformed the little boy in the 1949 incident into a little girl named Regan, played by 14-year-old Linda Blair. Suddenly prone to fits and bizarre behavior, Regan proves quite a handful for her actress-mother, Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn, although Blatty reportedly based the character on his next-door neighbor Shirley MacLaine). When Regan gets completely out of hand, Chris calls in young priest Father Karras (Jason Miller), who becomes convinced that the girl is possessed by the Devil and that they must call in an exorcist: namely, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). His foe proves to be no run-of-the-mill demon, and both the priest and the girl suffer numerous horrors during their struggles. The Exorcist received a theatrical rerelease in 2000, in a special edition that added 11 minutes of footage trimmed from the film's original release and digitally enhanced Chris Newman's Oscar-winning sound work.

Ratings and reviews

There is completly nothing scary about this movie-worst movie eever! cnt believe it actually got banned from cinemas it was scary back than, but isnt in todays life!

I watched this movie years ago and felt truly scared after viewing it and still to this day I'm frightened of Regan's face and her voice

A masterclass in film making. This 48 year old horror movie is still scaring the s**t out of people today. Its lost none of its power. Its an absolute masterpiece.