[Sofia]

Yes, it has a sentimental value for me. It’s my favorite movie and novel. I think the reasons why I love it must be different from everyone else:
I love stories that are about a loving relationship between a mother & daughter and those scenes in the movie/novel are my favorites. So it’s not the horror, even though I love that as well.
Another reason is because Shirley MacLaine and her daughter Stephanie (my idols) were the models for Chris and Regan MacNeil of the novel, so reading it is like I’m there witnessing what Shirley’s life was like.(the first chapter in particular)

I’m also interested in medicine and psychiatry, so I really like Blatty’s intent for the novel to keep it a mystery as to whether Regan was genuinely possessed or whether it was a case of mental illness that could be explained scientifically.

[Witch of Endor]

I’m not surprised that you missed the point of the film if you are not religious. The Exorcist is the most religiously literate horror film I know of. People raised Christian, especially Catholic will have a unique appreciation for it. I believe it should be classified as a religious film rather than horror.

[madaztec2]

To be honest the film holds a lot of fond memories, in that it scared the living crap out of me as a child. I am going to give the old man syndrome , in my day (lol) people just were not exposed to that much horror and gore in a movie.You have to remember that there were people fainting in the middle of the movie and that does not happen in todays scary movies.My children have seen the movie and they are not scared to see the film because in my opinion they have been exposed to far more things that i ever had at there age.The information that they are ingulfed in these days make the young generation much more callous than my generation.I think some of you can agree on that statement.
I also was raised in a Catholic house hold and i think that had a much more profound impact in my young life. I am still Catholic but i am not as involved in the church as i was in my youth , thus making my children less afraid of things.Being Catholic in those days meant you were just much more afraid of the supernatural than i would be today at that same age.

[Sofia]

“I believe it should be classified as a religious film rather than horror.”

I kind of agree. But Linda’s possessed face is SCARY! I couldn’t sleep for days after watching the movie for the first time. And Ellen Burstyn said they meant to do a scary movie, as well.

[madaztec2]

True, Sofia the face is scary they did a great job on picking that particular make up.

[Angry Student]

I’ll be honest, i’m not much of a fan of the Exorcist.

It’s not that its a bad film (it’s not), but i think i just don’t buy into the worldview of good vs evil, and im not a paticularly religious person, so much of the story was lost one me. Also, despite all the hype, it really didn’t seem that scary.

I was wondering if those of you who consider yourself fans could tell me what is you like about the film particularly? Is it the story? Is it the horror or gore? Is it the religious overtones? Does it have sentimental value for you?

I would be fascinated to hear your thoughts.

[sterngeoff]

‘Religious Film’ is possibly not as widely recognised a genre as ‘Horror Film’, though. In fact, I don’t think I’d ever heard of it before now! Which other ‘religious films’ are there? “Jesus Christ Superstar”? No, wait, that’s a musical. “The Thorn Birds”? No, that’s a kind of a romantic drama. Mmm. Maybe there’s no such genre as ‘religious films’. Is “The Elephant Man” a ‘medical film’, then?
No, “The Exorcist” is exactly the same type of film as “The Wizard Of Oz” and “Star Wars”: A fantasy film. The events it depicts are completely impossible and fantastical, have no basis in scientific fact and are the very reason that the premise of the film works at all. Billy Friedkin has shot “The Exorcist” using his claustrophobic, uncomfortably tight and intrusive style, which makes the audience’s ‘suspension of disbelief’ no effort at all. Through his lens, you get side by side with all of the characters in this drama. There’s so much noise, heat, light, shit, piss and vomit you can easily fall for it being real life. It truly is a brilliant film, but as I say, it’s a fantasy. It has as much to do with ‘religion’ as “The Full Monty” has to do with the steel industry. If anything, Friedkin overplays the visceral, all too painfully physical aspects within the tale to show them up more starkly against the flimsiness of the ‘gospels’, the ‘scriptures’ (themselves pure fairy-tales) which many of the main characters define themselves by. In the final reel, it’s not thoughtful reflection or an appeal to his better nature which defeats the baddie, he gets thrown out of a god damned window and down the god damned stairs. Hurrah! Just like in “Star Wars”.

“The Exorcist” is quite rightly regarded as one of the finest films ever made. With no disrespect to it’s writer, this is mainly due to it’s director.
However, it is so good, so spellbinding, that many people believe it to be many other things, when all it is is a fantasy film.

I get passes.

[Author]

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