Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Kitty Winn

When a 12-year old girl is possessed by demons, a young priest takes it upon himself to selflessly save her at the behest of her famous movie-star mother.

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83% liked it

380,690 ratings

Critics

85% liked it

40 critics

R, 2 hrs. 1 min.

Directed by: William Friedkin

Release Date: December 26, 1973

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DVD Release Date: December 1, 1998

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Stats: 22,517 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (22,517)


  • September 18, 2009
    Fuck me (Jesus), this is the scariest film ever made. Brilliant!
  • July 22, 2009
    I find it more than a little amusing when some young horror fan writes that he didn't find The Exorcist the least bit shocking or scary. Of course moviegoers today don't have the same visceral reaction, they're callused. And why are they callused? Because of groundbreaking...( read more) films like The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Shock, horror and fright are emotions that can't be sustained without an ever-increasing amount of stimulus. Genre fans are like crack addicts, the dosage has to be continually increased in order to maintain the same high. It's a phenomenon most of us can relate to. Kids of my generation really didn't find Tod Browning's Dracula or James Whale's Frankenstein all that scary. We were building up an immunity of sorts. A resistance. A tolerance. The Exorcist was our new drug. It did what horror films were supposed to do, it served as a catalyst for that fantastic, exhilarating euphoria of being scared. So go ahead kids, watch your Hostel (wince!) and your Wolf Creek (cringe!). I'm happy with my head-spinning, pea-soup-spitting, bed-levitating, she-did-WHAT-with-a-crucifix!? classic.
    I find it more than a little amusing when some young horror fan writes that he didn't find The Exorcist the least bit shocking or scary. Of course moviegoers today don't have the same visceral reaction, they're callused. And why are they callused? Because of groundbreaking films like The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

    Shock, horror and fright are emotions that can't be sustained without an ever-increasing amount of stimulus. Genre fans are like crack addicts, the dosage has to be continually increased in order to maintain the same high. It's a phenomenon most of us can relate to. Kids of my generation really didn't find Tod Browning's Dracula or James Whale's Frankenstein all that scary. We were building up an immunity of sorts. A resistance. A tolerance. The Exorcist was our new drug. It did what horror films were supposed to do, it served as a catalyst for that fantastic, exhilarating euphoria of being scared.

    So go ahead kids, watch your Hostel (wince!) and your Wolf Creek (cringe!). I'm happy with my head-spinning, pea-soup-spitting, bed-levitating, she-did-WHAT-with-a-crucifix!? classic.
  • May 7, 2009
    Dated, sure, Linda Blair in the make up is still creepy as fuck, but the overall movie is just so-so.
  • May 1, 2009
    The Exorcist is the best horror film ever made and there is one reason for this,the subject matter is treated with dignity and respect,too many "horror films" are made today that just don't try,it's as if they give up half way through and fall into self parody and amusement.the E...( read more)xorcist is an exception and one of the very few good horror films around.the film works on a number of levels and is one of the few films I know of to do this i.e subliminal imagery,multiple storylines. a lot has been written about this film drawing mainly on sensationalism surrounding the films release that it would be hard for someone who has not seen the film to not have any preconceptions,but if you have not seen the film do try to keep an open mind because it will scare the hell out of you.this is also one of the rare cases where a film could arguably be better than the book it was adapted from.in my opinion the film could not have been made any better,the cast throughout are superb, the locations and production are second to none,all the characters are totally believable and there are points in the film where you think all this could really happen and it is for that reason the film is frightening and continues to frighten people to this day....a true shocker and one that has not lost any of its impact over the years.
  • February 22, 2009
    *reviewed
  • November 20, 2009
    The scarriest movie of all time. Do NOT watch this alone.
  • November 17, 2009
    scared me half to death
  • November 17, 2009
    I will always think this movie was great on the soul fact that Ellen Burstyn's screaming still scares me. It's a true staple of American horror and is an amazingly disturbing story. It's one of the times where acting, directing and writing all came together and made an impression...( read more) on the way we live. It comes at you from a religious aspect, something not many movies dare to even touch.
  • November 13, 2009
    The Exorcist is a 1973 U.S. horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl, and her mother?s desperate attempts to win back her daughter through an exorcism conduc...( read more)ted by two priests. The film features Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Lee J. Cobb, Jason Miller, and Mercedes McCambridge. Both the film and novel took inspiration from a documented exorcism in 1949, performed on a fourteen-year-old boy.
  • November 11, 2009
    Epic. I could not agree more with The Exorcist being the best horror movie ever made, but it is a little disturbing to think that the best horror movie ever made still does not creep me out. Am I that a twisted fuck? Linda Blair is absolutely awesome in this.

Critic Reviews


September 21, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

If movies are, among other things, opportunities for escapism, then The Exorcist is one of the most powerful ever made. full review

September 21, 2007
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

There's something elemental about The Exorcist. full review

View more The Exorcist reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • movieaddict15
    January 17, 2008
    this movie is defintely the scariest movie of all time.....i just seen this twice only and i don't want to watch it again..because it freaks me out..it scares me a lot!!!this movie will recognized forever as the most scariest movie of all time..."definitely two thumbs up"no other movie can bit this...
  • joen42
    October 26, 2007
    My dad had watched this movie before and he kept insisting that this is one movie I should never watch! Probably it scared the shit out of him then, All the more I yearn to watch it!!!
  • crAzySk8TerChiCk
    June 27, 2007
    my favorite movie i think that the exorcist look cool...if someone tells you that its scary they should just go watch finding nemo lol
  • jbrad175
    June 22, 2007
    very very funny, dont let old people tell you that its scary - its not.
    has some very funny lines in it - FUCK ME, your mother sucks cocks in hell.lol

    a great fun filled family comedy
  • lovemeforeverornotatall
    March 17, 2007
    hahahaa this movie is so funny but its brilliant
  • Auzin
    March 15, 2007
    My dad saw this 10 years ago and still won't talk about it, it scared him so much.
  • bmalone
    February 11, 2007
    Now this is what you call a horror movie. The movies these days are so crappy and not scary at all like "Black Christmas" WTF?? If u want to see a real horror movie then watch this (if u dare), you'll definitely will like.
    This deserves a spot on my "kick ass movie list" cuz its the scariest movie of all time!
  • luiggy142
    December 24, 2006
    is a to be a film of 1973 it have a lot of job, a very cool movie, reagan was wonderfull in the movie it is the most cool movie i have ever see i see it a lot of time, tnx to everybody that help to do this movie is a part of my life and a very big parto of cinema story
  • MiraBethy
    December 24, 2006
    i gotta say, after hearing so much hype and good stuff about this movie, it really wasnt THAT scary. once you get used to her face, its just whatever.
  • Spicecats
    October 4, 2006
    :oooooo
    ______________________________________________________________

    WOWIE!!!!!!!!1

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The Exorcist Trivia


  • What is the highest grossing R-rated horror film of all time?  Answer »
  • Stanley Kubrick turned down making a sequel to this movie and instead went on to make 'The Shining', what movie sequel did he turn down?  Answer »
  • Which horror movie in the 1970's upset audiences so badly that it was pulled from dozens of theatres after it's release?  Answer »
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