The Exorcist

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

R, 2 hr. 2 min.
Directed By
William Friedkin
Genres
Classics, Horror
In Theaters
Dec 26, 1973 Wide
On DVD
Dec 1, 1998
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.

Read all 20 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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