The Exorcist (1973)

85% of critics liked it
(47 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(380,690 ratings)

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… More 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. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 2 min.
Directed By: William Friedkin
Genres: Classics, Horror

In Theaters: Dec 26, 1973 Wide
On DVD: Dec 1, 1998
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
Some movies aren't just movies. They're closer to voodoo -- they channel currents larger and more powerful than themselves.
Jay Cocks, TIME Magazine
Friedkin and Blatty seem to care nothing for their characters as people, only as victims-props to be abused, hurled about the room, beaten and, in one case, brutally murdered.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
The Exorcist is not an unintelligently put-together film, which makes one all the more impatient with it.
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.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
There's something elemental about The Exorcist.
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
There is nothing dated about The Exorcist, which remains an effective excursion into demonic possession more than a quarter of a century after it was first unveiled to the public.
Eugene Novikov, Film Blather
There's something new to be discovered in every viewing of The Exorcist.
David Keyes, Cinemaphile.org
The Exorcist is likely just as disturbing today as it was 25 years ago.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
But, is it just me, or is Karras's the only story that's really compelling?
Scott Weinberg, FEARnet
It just never gets un-scary. That's the best part.
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media
Trendsetting shocker about a possessed child.
R. L. Shaffer, IGN DVD
An unforgettable horror film that doesn't just get under my skin - it stays there.
Rob Vaux, Sci-Fi Movie Page
Its power lies in the slow and gradual way it pulls us in, coupled with director William Friedkin's ability to render every aspect utterly plausible.
Beth Accomando, KPBS.org
The behind the scenes documentary is great and reveals how the use of practical, on set effects added to the success of the film.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
The Blu-ray transfers look and sound better than ever, and a good, scary movie remains a good, scary movie no matter what the edition. (Blu-ray Book)
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...the movie is right up there with the cinema's better chillers.
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
If it failed on all other levels (which it doesn't), The Exorcist would nevertheless be an excellent family horror story.
Steve Biodrowski, Cinefantastique
From the day of its first release in 1973, "The Exorcist: was the greatest horror film ever made, and it remains so to this day.
Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm
... a crude religious exploitation piece (although poor Linda Blair - required to urinate, swear and vomit on cue - is exploited more than anything else).
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The overall film has a well-developed sense of atmosphere that most films of today are missing.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Joe M

This is truly one of the most disturbing and frightening movies ever made, especially for a person of faith.
Tim S

I was fortunate enough to catch The Exorcist: Extended Director's Cut (formerly The Version You've Never Seen) on the big screen and I'm lucky to have the great blu-ray book edition which includes both versions of the film. I've never really seen it as a horror… More
I was fortunate enough to catch The Exorcist: Extended Director's Cut (formerly The Version You've Never Seen) on the big screen and I'm lucky to have the great blu-ray book edition which includes both versions of the film. I've never really seen it as a horror film, per se. It seems more like a character study or a thriller than an outright horror film. It's impeccably crafted and pretty much scared the shit out of anyone who saw it upon its first release. My mother won't even watch the film today, despite my pleas of it only being a movie. I'm not sure if it's William Friedkin's best film (I'd lean more toward The French Connection or Sorcerer for that), but it is a masterpiece, and holds up today just as much as did yesterday - regardless of which version you choose. By the way, I like both versions pretty equally if you want to know.
Melvin W

Regan: Captain Howdy, do you think my mom's pretty? Captain Howdy? Captain Howdy, that isn't very nice! "The Devil Inside" I'll admit that after seeing The Exorcist for the first time, I thought it was overrated. A lot of that came from my expectations. I… More
Regan: Captain Howdy, do you think my mom's pretty? Captain Howdy? Captain Howdy, that isn't very nice! "The Devil Inside" I'll admit that after seeing The Exorcist for the first time, I thought it was overrated. A lot of that came from my expectations. I thought it was going to be the scariest thing I had ever seen, and that I would be pissing myself while watching. Then I saw it, and I didn't find it at all scary. The first time I watched it I found it more funny than anything else. But going back and re-watching it a few years later, I see that I wasn't watching close enough and that I must have been to stupid to see the brilliance of this film. Upon another viewing, I didn't laugh(except for the crucifix penetration, but come on, who wouldn't laugh). I found it much more disturbing on a second viewing. Still not scary, but extremely disturbing. What I failed to realize the first time was just how great the setup is. We see Regan. She is a nice and well behaved 12 year old whose main objective in life, at this point, is to have a horse. She is innocent and sweet. That sets the possession up perfectly. Now we have a demon in Regan's body, yelling obscenities and telling old men to... well, you know. We are emotionally invested in Regan from the start. We watch as a demon tears her apart and we just want it to stop. Another thing I missed the first time, was just how well made it is. It isn't a standard, poorly acted and shot horror film. It is superbly shot and acted. I am a young to middle aged Ellen Burstyn fan(as she got older I stopped caring), and I can only thing of one performance from her I liked more; that being her role in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. She gives a powerful performance in a role where she has to capture fright and sorrow at an ultimate level. You don't even have to say anything for Max Von Sydow, except his name. The guy is a fucking legend. I also enjoyed Jason Miller as Karras and Linda Blair is really good as Regan. This movie has been labeled as the scariest film of all time and I can see why, even though I don't find it scary. Exorcism films just don't scare me. This is more than just a scary movie though. It is not only one of the most important horror films of all-time, but one of the most important films period. What it did for the horror genre speaks for itself. It is easily one of the most influential films ever made. Demon: Your mother's in here, Karras. Would you like to leave a message? I'll see that she gets it.
Jens S

One of the scariest movies of its time. Although the film is losing some of its dark magic after several views, it's still a classic, despite of a rather slow introduction of the characters and relatively few scare scenes. But the very unique and eerie atmosphere and Mike… More
One of the scariest movies of its time. Although the film is losing some of its dark magic after several views, it's still a classic, despite of a rather slow introduction of the characters and relatively few scare scenes. But the very unique and eerie atmosphere and Mike Oldfield's soundtrack make up for it and several of the scary scenes are unforgettable and iconic parts of pop culture by now.
Reid V

Still after all these years, this film is just as powerful as it has always been. Anachronistic in clothing and speech, but timeless in its exploration of demonic possession, crisis of faith, and the pursuit of God. Friedkin takes his time, setting up the mental state of father… More
Still after all these years, this film is just as powerful as it has always been. Anachronistic in clothing and speech, but timeless in its exploration of demonic possession, crisis of faith, and the pursuit of God. Friedkin takes his time, setting up the mental state of father Karras, the love between Reagan and her mother, and the fruitless attempts of doctors to classify Reagan's "mental illness." When the demon possession really sets in, the build up really pays off and Friedkin takes us on a ride that has us gripping the arm of our chair for the remainder of the film. It is an excellent and superbly crafted film and one that should not be missed by anyone who claims to be a horror fan.
Zach B

A few days ago, I was burning some time in my Latin 1A class by speaking to some kids about horror films they enjoy. The reason that this was brought up was due to me reading William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist. Withing five minutes the entire conversation turned around to what… More
A few days ago, I was burning some time in my Latin 1A class by speaking to some kids about horror films they enjoy. The reason that this was brought up was due to me reading William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist. Withing five minutes the entire conversation turned around to what made this film scary in the first place. Everyone had different answers ranging from the spider walk to the religious overtones, to even the scientific perspective of the entire film. Now, these are kids that find any film that is more then ten years old boring, and yet they are scared of this little horror film from 1973. With that entire conversation I had that lasted about ten to twenty minutes, it only proven one thing: The Exorcist is the prime example of a film that lives up to it's hype decades after it was released and can still scare and give kids nightmares. My first encounter of this film was when I started to hear about this film from television specials about horror films around Halloween. People have always said that this film is beyond terrifying, beyond suspenseful, and is still controversial. Well, I decided to give this film a watch a while back and I was not really scared of the film. Yeah, the pea soup vomit did make me jump, but nothing really nailed me back to my chair. A few years later and after reading the wonderful book by William Peter Blatty, I was mistaken. It must have been due to how young I was, but when you are older and you have something of a good knowledge of religion, then this film will scare you due to how well made, crafted, and acted this film is. There has been numerous films that deal with exorcisms, but few are as good as this film. But if one was to think about why this film is terrifying, it is mostly due to two factors: this story was based off of an exorcism that happened in the 1940s and the acting of Linda Blair. When I started doing research into the case that inspired this film, it did create a bit more of terror when watching it to know that, while the story was altered, that this actually did happen regardless. Now for the acting of Linda Blair. Oh, my God. It is heart breaking to watch this film and to think about all that this poor girl had been through just for this role. I mean, she had to disregard every moral she believed in, had to go through explainable pain for this performance, and do not get me started on how the press and people reacted to her did when this film came out (basically people thought she was pure evil). She went through hell and back for this role and she makes it... mind blowing. Rewatching this film, and this is true to if you have seen the film numerous times, you are still in shock that she did not win the Academy Award for best supporting Actress. This is a film unlike any other. That is all one can even say about this film. It is completely in a class all by itself. This film has been parodied, ripped on, destroyed by two prequels and one sequel (Legion was not all that bad), but it is still proven that this film is effective and for many years to come will still scare people.
Daniel L

One of my favorite horror films and one of the scariest of all time. The Exorcist features interesting characters and dialogue, disturbing special effects and truly frightening scenarios.
Brad W

The Exorcist deserves the title as greatest horror film ever, and although its not my favorite, its definently one of them. The plot is actually great and never dies down from trying to be a smart and creepy horror film that is the most famous horror film of all time.The cast is… More
The Exorcist deserves the title as greatest horror film ever, and although its not my favorite, its definently one of them. The plot is actually great and never dies down from trying to be a smart and creepy horror film that is the most famous horror film of all time.The cast is great, Linda Blair will always be the most remembered person from this movie, from the turning head or the crawling body, she is just perfect. I was scared out of my mind during this film, and I can honestly say The Exorcist is the essential film for all horror fans everywhere, and I loved it.
Carlos M

A true landmark in horror cinema that drives the characters into such genuine desperation and scares the hell out of many viewers even today. With a careful pace and an exquisite direction, Friedkin leads us through a remarkable work about evil and unrelenting pain, one that we accept… More
A true landmark in horror cinema that drives the characters into such genuine desperation and scares the hell out of many viewers even today. With a careful pace and an exquisite direction, Friedkin leads us through a remarkable work about evil and unrelenting pain, one that we accept without reservations and never doubt for a minute.
Eric A

This started it all! The original that created many phonies after it, many still to this day. Very engaging and scary to say the least, but what I find to be even more extraordinary, is the fact that it was made in 1973, a time when films like this simply weren't attempted.
Mike S

Scary beyond words! There's something so deeply disturbing about a 12-year old girl being possessed, that it never loses its fright value. This classic among classics still chills me to the very bone, and has made a permanent imprint on my retina. Never has a horror story felt so… More
Scary beyond words! There's something so deeply disturbing about a 12-year old girl being possessed, that it never loses its fright value. This classic among classics still chills me to the very bone, and has made a permanent imprint on my retina. Never has a horror story felt so real, and so profoundly discomforting as this one has. I know it's just a movie. I know it's all just actors and make-up effects. Yet still it continues to scare the living daylights out of me. And the fact that it's inspired by a true story, doesn't make it any less effective.
Lewis C

"Now, I want you to tell me that you know for a fact that there's nothing wrong with my daughter, except in her mind. You tell me for a fact that an exorcism wouldn't do any good. You tell me that!" Definitely one of the most well-crafted horror movies that… More
"Now, I want you to tell me that you know for a fact that there's nothing wrong with my daughter, except in her mind. You tell me for a fact that an exorcism wouldn't do any good. You tell me that!" Definitely one of the most well-crafted horror movies that I've seen. Lots of time is given to developing the characters and atmosphere, which leads to a pretty fantastic payoff in the end. There's a clear sense of expert care taken with every aspect of the movie; there are no slapdash efforts or cut corners, from the script to the acting to the music. This story of young girl who may be possessed by a demonic entity is full of shocking imagery, but never once feels exploitative. The themes of doubt, faith, and sacrifice are clear, but not the least bit heavy-handed. The practical special effects are still impressive today, so I can only imagine the impact they had back in 1973. Frightening, disturbing, and ultimately, even a bit uplifting. The Exorcist is one of those classic movies that's still just as good today, and that every horror buff should see.
Thomas B

A benchmark in terms of direction, acting and just plain scariness. Full review later.
Pierluigi P

What else can I say, an eternal cult classic. one of the most chilling and horrifying film experiences ever. definitely not for the faint-hearted.
Matt G

Quite possibly the greatest film ever. It's not really scary to me, it's just really entertaining. Grade: A
Martin S

Definitely lived up to the hype. Still works great to this day almost 40 years later. Great makeup...unlike what some of you people out there say. Great acting. Maybe not the "Scariest movie of all the times" but at least one of the best in that genre.
AJ V

A classic horror film, if you like horror movies and haven't seen this movie yet, please do yourself a favor and go rent it! This movie is amazing, the special effects and acting are in sync and both are fantastic. It may be hard to watch, but it's worth seeing at least… More
A classic horror film, if you like horror movies and haven't seen this movie yet, please do yourself a favor and go rent it! This movie is amazing, the special effects and acting are in sync and both are fantastic. It may be hard to watch, but it's worth seeing at least once, I mean, at least you can learn how to exercise a demon.
danny d

all things considered, this film rivals psycho as the king of all horror movies. the entire film was expertly crafted by friedkin, and the performers were all excellent in their roles. the cast blended legends like cobb and von sydow with far less known actors at the time, and the… More
all things considered, this film rivals psycho as the king of all horror movies. the entire film was expertly crafted by friedkin, and the performers were all excellent in their roles. the cast blended legends like cobb and von sydow with far less known actors at the time, and the cinematography and design of the film was masterful.
Steven C

"The Exorcist" is a true American horror classic. One of, if not, the best example of the horror genre in American, nothing released since has really come close to topping it. Restrained, true, acting; disturbing visuals, an unsettling atmosphere and a story that is both… More
"The Exorcist" is a true American horror classic. One of, if not, the best example of the horror genre in American, nothing released since has really come close to topping it. Restrained, true, acting; disturbing visuals, an unsettling atmosphere and a story that is both truly scary and emotionally compelling and resonant; "The Exorcist" seems as modern now as it did when it was released in 1973.
Jeremy S

Is it just me or is the Exorcist not as scary as its made out to be? Yes it is a great movie, it has it's horrifying moments i.e. the descending the staircase, but at times it teters close to the edge of the ridiculous. Great horror film yes, one of the scariest films of all… More
Is it just me or is the Exorcist not as scary as its made out to be? Yes it is a great movie, it has it's horrifying moments i.e. the descending the staircase, but at times it teters close to the edge of the ridiculous. Great horror film yes, one of the scariest films of all time, not really. One critic aptly described the Exorcist as Religious pornography and I agree, as great as it is. Realistic psychological thrillers are always more scary than the supernatural ghosts and demons. I guess it call comes down to what you believe.