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The Exorcist (1973)

Director: William Friedkin

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Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

Friedkin's film about the possession of a 12-year-old girl works as an essay in suspension of disbelief and on the level of titillatory exploitation. Although harrowing, its effects depend entirely on technical manipulation, and with Friedkin's pedestrian handling of background story and supporting characters, we're left more or less willing the film towards its climax. Sure enough, during the act of exorcism the girl obliges with a spectacular levitation. It would all be forgiveable, somehow, if the film was at all likely to alter anyone's perceptions one jot. But all The Exorcist does is take its audience for a ride, spewing it out the other end, shaken up but none the wiser.

Author: CPe

Time Out Film Guide


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User reviews of this film

  • kirk said...
    Posted on Mar 03 2008 19:15 I still rate it as one of the scariest films ever made- certainly and easily the most frightening of its era.It traumatised more people than any film I know. Brilliantly conceived and produced with an effective soundtrack
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