She wasn't just talking in a British accent. She was speaking in the voice of Burke. That was it's way of telling the mother that they have killed him.
I think the 1:22 time frame from Chris running up the stairs towards the commotion to it ending with Chris on the ground, screaming, face covered with Reagan's blood is the most terrifying scene in film history.
correct in the book he says outher things to ''she should be in a mad house'' the demon also sayys in his demons normol voice Demon Pazuizu i will not let her sleep you care nothing for the piglet in the book they keep giving her Librium and Lagato that the demon first does not let work then lets it work to try and overdose her and after the old preist Merin dies screams You lost the piglet will die
Wow, you understood a lot of what was happening unlike some other reactors. Damien's sacrifice is one of the most powerful moments in cinema for me and it seems to go over the heads of some younger viewers.
@@akitaadventures Plus, the general Catholic attitude towards suicide meant he knew was risking a lot by leaping to his likely death, but did it anyway.
I recently saw it in theaters and the first time, I felt like it was so abrupt and anticlimatic. I went to see it again a week later. I get it. The implication of what would happen if he sacrificed himself, possibly dooming himself for all eternity to protect a child... it's beautiful and brave. He was preparing himself for that moment and didn't even realize it.
WilloamDimitriyevich correct i love watching different reactions to it this was a good one i prefer people watching it by them selvs rather then a group
British accent she had was burke dennings ,the director who got his head twisted around by the demon and pushed out the window. The demon duplicated his voice. Also the fact there was no music added to the creepiness. No CGI. Great acting. The only film in cinema history that was this creepy ,and could also have been best picture of the year.
@@JasonHauser125 I love watching reactions to the exorcist. I find most weren't aware of burkes voice, or that the demon demonstrated what she did to burkes neck, the head turned 180 degrees around. They're all usually too traumatized by the beginning of the crucifix scene, to recognize it was the movie directors voice. My question is what the hell was that drunk doing in her room?
@@Artificialintelligentle My understanding is that the nanny left to get medicine and she asked Burke to look after Regan. So, he's drunk and went to her room to check on her. She killed him.
My brother and I thought that for a few years until we saw "Paper Moon" '73. That little girl absolutely stole that film from her father. Who was at the time a major star. To see it is to believe it!😉
@@jannathompson2262 I will be the 1st to admit they were close, which was a major argument at the time. However, in terms of craft, range and the nuances required to portray their characters, Tatum absolutely holds her own on her own. But don't for one second think we're not on the same page, ...we are! The only difference is you like their performances... ...while I loved them.😘 Thanks!👊🏾
If you are wondering what's the deal between Father Merrin and Pazuzu, then just know this was round 2. In prequels it is explained that first time they met was in 1949 colonial Kenya where a faithless father Merrin (who had PTSD from witnessing Nazi atrocities in Poland) was tasked to head an archeological expedition to dig up an out of era church after previous team leader went missing. Turns out that was where Pazuzu was banished for centuries until dig unleashed him. Merrin regained his faith and in a brutal exorcism defeated Pazuzu but lost his love interest and friends and was unable to prevent a massacre. He was waiting for the Pazuzu to return.
In ancient Mesopotamia, the demon Pazuzu was the king of the demons of the wind, brother of Humbaba and son of the god Hanbi. He also represented the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms and drought. Pazuzu is often depicted as a combination of diverse animal and human parts. He has the body of a man, the head of a lion or dog, talons of an eagle, two pairs of wings, a scorpion's tail and a serpentine penis. He has his right hand up and left hand down. Pazuzu was invoked in apotropaic amulets (the charm we see falling & which Regan has). These combat the powers of his rival, the malicious goddess Lamashtu, who was believed to cause harm to mother and child during childbirth. Although Pazuzu is, himself, considered to be an evil spirit, he drives and frightens away other evil spirits, therefore protecting humans against plagues and misfortunes. So technically when Pazuzu appears in Regan’s bedroom, he was protecting her.
This was told in one movie with two different cuts. Don't watch either of them, they both SUCK. The first OP of this thread probably told it better than Paul Schraeder and Rennie Harlan combined.
@@d.a.w.975 In what way did the book make it clear that it was Pazuzu? The possessed Regan's behaviour doesn't correspond very well with how Pazuzu was described. It does however fit the description of Lamashtu pretty well, a dark spirit/deity who was Pazuzu's arch-nemesis and who unlike him enjoyed torturing mothers. I also find it interesting that the "demon face" was portrayed by an actress. Pazuzu was described as male, while Lamashtu was female. As for what's claimed in the infamous "The Exorcist II: Heretic", the story was not written by Blatty and shouldn't be taken as canon. I think it's clear that Blatty did his research, so why would he ignore the lore surrounding Pazuzu? And what was the point of including the line "Evil against Evil" in both the book and the film if it had absolutely no relevance?
@@davidanderson1639 Trying to find something that indicates that this is the case. I always just viewed Pazuzu as an aspect of the devil or evil incarnate hence why Merrin tells Karras there is only one. I'm really not sure, because all the questions and answers revolve around the same idea, why did the demon possess Regan and who was it's real intended victim (Merrin with his previous encounter with the demon, Karras with existential crisis etc) and why would the author pic Pazuzu. haven't read the book, but all answers revolving around that make it seem like his intent with using this particular demon wasn't tied to protection at all. As said though, I only have the first movie to work with as it's the only thing in the series I've seen. Is there any cool sources you could point me to about this? It's definitely good food for thought.
This is probably the most emotionally powerful horror movie ever made. As an atheist, I usually find possession movies cheesy, but this one always gets to me because of its psychological cruelty and powerful themes of grief, loss, and guilt. Horror moves in the 70s really went for the jugular. Btw the exorcism scenes were filmed in a large industrial refrigerator so the actors would exhale real fog.
Agreed. I'm an atheist as well and I also typically find these kinds of movies don't work for me, such as the Conjuring franchise, in which basically it all comes down to some Catholic ceremony that magically saves the day. Here, it's not the exorcism ritual or shouting "The power of Christ compels you!" that saves Regan, but Father Karras's willingness to die for her sake, after the guilt he suffered over his mother's death. Like any good film, it comes down to having good characters.
@@Corn_Pone_Flicksare you sure you're not agnostic? I mean how do you know their is no God? Even if everything started from a single exploding particle, that particle couldn't have just magically poofed into existence from nothing. That would be more ridiculous than believing there's a God. You'd essentially have to believe in magic. 😂
Yeah, it leans on the universal themes, the same things that religion does in the first place, so it's very effective even for those of us who aren't religious. Fifty years or so on and it's still once of the best horror movies ever.
@tessmage_tessera: Actually, where you're a believer or not, it does end. For all of us, with that last breath, the last heartbeat. At that moment, the individual debate is over.
36:33 I believe Father Karras successfully exorcised Pazuzu(the Mesopotamian demon Father Merrin fought before). He asked Pazuzu to leave Regan and possess him, and as the transfer happened, Karras had just enough will to sacrifice himself to send Pazuzu back to Hell. At least, that’s my understanding.
Yeah, I’ve always taken that to be the intention as well. My own feeling is that when Reagan snatches Karras’ St Christopher medallion, she gains extra protection while Karras loses it, so he is able to take in the demon himself. His renewed faith gives him the strength to resist long enough to cast himself out of the window in an act of self-sacrifice, taking Pazuzu with him. Then he receives Last Rites at the foot of the stairs, meaning he died with a clean soul, so in effect he won and the demon lost.
Watch Exorcist III. I mean, you should do that in general because Brad Dourif nails his role something fierce, but it would also tell you where the demon went.
36:19 Notice how Father Dyers hand is shaking ? That's genuine. Just beforehand the director William Friedkin asked the actor William O'Malley, "Do you trust me ?". He replied that he did and then Friedkin slapped him hard across the face and yelled action. The shot he got was the one you see, genuine shock reflected in his tremor. O'Malley was a real priest as well as doing some acting and was technical advisor on the movie.Regan may not remember what happened but subconsciously associates the clerical collar with an act of good and that's why she feels affection to Father Dyer and kisses him.
The "Exorcist Theme" is originally called "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield. That tune made him famous before it even featured in this movie. Mike Oldfield recorded this at home on a simple tape recorder, playing every instrument track by himself. A lot of similar albums followed, they are often intersting to listen to.
Mike Oldfield kept changing and re-recording the album through the decades, as new music formats and sound editing technologies were developed. Like George Lucas and the always changing Special Editions of STAR WARS, Oldfield will never achieve what he hears inside his head. 😂
@@thoso1973 and Just like Lucas, the revisions he made didn’t really help the song. I remember having the CD in the 80’s and now listening to it on Tidal, there’s certain chords and instruments missing.
The Exorcist is a great slow-burn. You are given plenty of time to fully understand and absorb each character while the situation slowly degrades into sheer creepiness and desperation. The mother tries absolutely every possible option before going down the exorcism route - and her plight feels realistic... because it is. Being sent to Joe Soap, who sends you to Joe Bloggs, who sends you back to Joe Soap, while you're stuck in the middle desperately trying to help a loved one. It's a simple tale with limited jumpscares and a very raw and real feel to it, despite the supernatural shenanigans. Great performances, great characters, great effects, great score, all gracefully pieced together.
What's so terrifying about this movie aside from the visuals, is that this was the possession of a child, an innocent soul. Spiritual warfare in it's most haunting form.
Ehh, it's a pretty goofy thing to see. The theatrical cut is the way to go. There's more tension and mystery, better pacing, and the subliminal scary faces and other changes don't really add anything worthwhile. The only good thing about it was the scene where the priests take a break and reflect.
Not even close to the first head turning scene. The spiderwalk is comical in comparison. In fact, it was left out of the original because the director thought the audience would laugh at it.
Personally, I hate the way Friedkin photoshops Pazuzu all over the place in the Special Edition. The *best* addition is the beginning of Kinderman and Dyer's friendship at the end of the film...
11:32 "I don't have to worry about jump scares." As she was about to enter the world of scares, jump and otherwise. I really respect you for experiencing this movie. When it came out people used vomit bags, passed out, and tried to have it banned. If you want a more horrible experience, try the book lol.
I recently read the book myself and absolutely loved it. It gave far more details and was really disturbing to read. I definitely recommend that people read this book if they enjoyed how utterly disturbing the movie is. It definitely shows how closely they worked with the writer to establish such a close resemblance to the original story
William Friedkin made documentaries and The Exorcist needed a real street guy who could give the movie a stark realism. It’s also a very personal story about faith that hit a lot of people who were confronted with issues of good and evil, a potential afterlife, heaven and hell and so on. The Exorcist works on deeper levels, that’s why it still hits people and has stood the test of time
Regan is speaking at one point with a British accent. You wondered why. It was Burke’s voice. Merrin died of a heart attack. Those were nitroglycerin pills he was taking for angina. Also, he was not the only one to perform a successful exorcism. They happen often. For an exorcism to occur, Vatican approval is not required. The Bishop of each diocese is entrusted with that duty. In fact, the Bishop is the Exorcist for his diocese but they appoint a designee who gets actual training for the task.
People rewatch The Exorcist year after year not because they will ever experience a real exorcism, but they will experience the death of one or both of their parents. The Karras side of the story is what people relate to and why they'll watch the Exorcist over and over again like "The Seventh Seal". The exorcism is just a metaphor for the guilt that Karras, and most people, experience from the death of a parent. That makes The Exorcist more than just a horror movie, it's also one of the few outstanding existential films in the history of cinema.
That's one angle. Others will watch because they relate to having a sick child and not knowing what to do, what's wrong, how to fix it. That helplessness.
During the scenes when the Demon is speaking through Regan, actress Linda Blair's voice was dubbed over by veteran actress Mercedes McCambridge, who spoke her lines of dialogue in a sound booth while chain smoking cigarettes to make her voice sound more raspy. The scenes where the face of the Demon, Pazuzu, is revealed were performed by actress Eileen Dietz, who was also Linda Blair's double during the vomiting scene.
This is the standard, the archetype for almost every possession movie since. Even with today's technology, few modern movies can compare to this classic. You may not be able to comprehend how traumatizing this was when it came out 50 years ago.
In William Peter Blatty's original novel Merrin explains that the demon is able to read your mind and impersonate people you know, using your own thoughts and feelings to torment you, so its not actually the person who its pretending to be. The movie kind of addresses this when Merrin tells Karras "there is only one" personality inside of Regan.
The guy at 15:16 is Paul Bateson is an actual radiologic technologist which is why he was used in the film. But that's not why he's famous. After the movie he was convicted of murder and confessed to multiple killings though he was never charged with those. He spent twenty years in prison and was released in 2003 and purpotedly died in 2012.
"BEDS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!!" 🤣🤣🤣 Best line in a reaction video! Great video, you seemed really vested in the characters and plot and that's refreshing to see.
This movie opened on the day after Christmas 1973. Now keep in mind that back then with no Internet, nobody knew anything about new movies other than what you saw on previews in the theater. The Saturday after it opened I took a date to see this. All I knew about it is that it was a horror movie. I was counting on some good jump scares because, well, 19 year old boys like having their 18 year old dates bury their faces in their shoulders. Well that didn't work because at the point in the movie when Reagan's bed started jumping around, my date made us leave. I had to go see it a week later by myself to see the rest of the movie. Oh well. You may have heard wild stories about people throwing up, passing out, crying. Yep, absolutely true. People weren't ready for this.
So interesting fact: director William Friedkin actually came from a documentary film background. That's why The Exorcist has such a reality based feel about it.
@@Bluesit32 at the time...no she cursed up a storm with him 🤬😡😠😤 But in recent years she has actually stated "my friend Billy Friedkin IS a maniac....but i love him".
I love everything you said about the realism. Starting in the mid-late 60s (The Graduate, Bonnie And Clyde, Midnight Cowboy, Rosemary's Baby, etc) going into the early 80s, realism, naturalism.....that was what was ushered in, not just in horror movies, but in ALL movies. And I love how you appreciate that, because I certainly do, it's like another practical effect as far as I'm concerned. And it bent "genres", people weren't so focused on specific styles, a lot of the greatest 70s movies would be described as "comedy-drama"s, like Paper Moon or American Graffiti or Carnal Knowledge or All That Jazz or Annie Hall....indescribable, singular films. The best horror movies of the 60s, 70s and 80s for me are from directors who only did one or two horror movies, like William Friedkin and The Excorcist or Kubrick and "The Shining". I hope you do "Rosemary's Baby" one day, I think you'd do a FANTASTIC reaction to that one!
I got to see The Exorcist in the cinema when it was reissued in the late 90s; it was absolutely stunning on the big screen. The juxtaposition of very bright, loud scenes & dark, quiet scenes in one of the things that helps add to the terrifying nature of this film. Personally I actually prefer the extended directors cut, as it adds a little bit more to the film. Fun Fact: In ancient Mesopotamia, the demon Pazuzu was the king of the demons of the wind, brother of Humbaba and son of the god Hanbi. He also represented the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms and drought. Pazuzu is often depicted as a combination of diverse animal and human parts. He has the body of a man, the head of a lion or dog, talons of an eagle, two pairs of wings, a scorpion's tail and a serpentine penis. He has his right hand up and left hand down. Pazuzu was invoked in apotropaic amulets (the charm we see falling & which Regan has). These combat the powers of his rival, the malicious goddess Lamashtu, who was believed to cause harm to mother and child during childbirth. Although Pazuzu is, himself, considered to be an evil spirit, he drives and frightens away other evil spirits, therefore protecting humans against plagues and misfortunes. So technically when Pazuzu appears in Regan’s bedroom, he was protecting her. Also Regarding Ouija Boards The Ouija board, in fact, came straight out of the American 19th century obsession with spiritualism, the belief that the dead are able to communicate with the living. Spiritualism, which had been around for years in Europe, hit America hard in 1848 with the sudden prominence of the Fox sisters of upstate New York; the Foxes claimed to receive messages from spirits who rapped on the walls in answer to questions, recreating this feat of channeling in parlors across the state. Aided by the stories about the celebrity sisters and other spiritualists in the new national press, spiritualism reached millions of adherents at its peak in the second half of the 19th century. Spiritualism worked for Americans: it was compatible with Christian dogma, meaning one could hold a séance on Saturday night and have no qualms about going to church the next day. It was an acceptable, even wholesome activity to contact spirits at séances, through automatic writing, or table turning parties, in which participants would place their hands on a small table and watch it begin shake and rattle, while they all declared that they weren’t moving it. The movement also offered solace in an era when the average lifespan was less than 50: Women died in childbirth; children died of disease; and men died in war. Even Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of the venerable president, conducted séances in the White House after their 11-year-old son died of a fever in 1862; during the Civil War, spiritualism gained adherents in droves, people desperate to connect with loved ones who’d gone away to war and never come home. Over the years the popularity of Ouija boards fluctuated, but following the success of The Exorcist, the fabric of popular culture surrounding them was forever changed & we’re left with what is nothing more than an irrational fear of a board game. Fun Fact: several of the Priests were actually practicing Priests. They were initially hired as technical advisers, but were then cast into the roles. They accepted these under the condition that the concept of possession was treated with the utmost seriousness. The parts of Father Dyer & Tom, President of Georgetown University were portrayed by Father William O’Malley (Dyer) & Father Thomas Bermingham (Tom). Also, when you see Ellen Burstyn, who portrayed Regan’s mother, fall & grab her back…..that reaction was genuine, due to the stage hands pulling her over with such force. Oh & another thing; one of the radiographers (Paul Bateson) was a real life serial killer!!
I dont like the directors cut. Superimposed images that we dont need, that spider walk which is too early in the movie and too unnecessary to the plot. The inane chit chat between Merrin /Chris, Merrin/Karras. Also about the Ouja boards, they mean nothing to me as Im an athiest, but my mother told me a creepy story about how she and her friend messed with one in the 1960s when they both lived and worked in England. Her friend had a seizure in the middle of their game, which scared the life out of her. She wasnt faking, as her eyes rolled back in her head and she nearly bit through her tongue. At the hospital, they found nothing wrong with her, and she had no history of them. She never had another, it was a compete one off.
@@d.a.w.975 they were in a face off. Merrin had defeated Pazuzu once before when he was younger. He was waiting for Pazuzu's return. Its in the prequel.
I always thought that when it came to Pazuzu psychologically tormenting Damien, it used his knowledge about his mother and the guilt he felt of not being there when she died against him to make him fall into despair. I think that's pretty much how demons like Pazuzu work in these movies when it comes to getting you where it hurts psychologically. They could look into your mind and could see your secrets, your sins, your fears, your desires, your doubts and your guilt and use it all against you.
I like how you actually empathize with the characters and the story. Other reaction channels kind of just make fun but you put a lot of thought into this one. This is one of my favorite scary movies. The horror isn't in the obvious. It's psychological in the obscure and occult. The horror isn't in what's being shown literally its how it it tests your faith, atleast that's my conclusion. Probably what it was meant to do back when this first came out.
The case of the German girl you were talking about (named Anneliese Michel) near the start of the video is the inspiration for the movies "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (2005), and the German film "Requiem" (2006). This movie, from 1973, was an adaptation of a novel by the same name from '71, which drew inspiration from a 1949 exorcism in Maryland.
The medical procedure Regan goes through is an older version of a spinal tap (though even today it’s terribly uncomfortable and painful). They’re injecting colored fluid into her spinal cord into her brain through her neck so that her x-rays can be read.
26:49 That is so unsettling. The demon can remove the straps whenever he wants and he could kill anyone easily but that is not his game. It's all a psychological torture (except for Burke, the demon killed him to torture Regan´s mother and Karl) and the demon can hit in the core of you as a human being and destroy you because he knows everything about you. He lost to Merrin in his previous encounter because Merrin was strong and the demon couldn´t corrupt him so Pazuzu want his rematch altough he fears Merrin and he says it outloud "Fear the priest" when he talks backwards.
I love that you appreciate the power of older horror movies..they are more restrained and don't have that digitally shot sheen to them. The Exorcist 3 is a hugely underrated movie..intelligently written with one of the all time great jump scares.
davidmoodie and the possesed man sings with a Choir voice wich is what Ragan does in the book whilst her face is scared and straped to the bed on a drip wich pazuzo does not let work untul later and says the piglet will die you have given it to mich largatoil
At the moment, the only real sequel worth watching in this franchise is The Exorcist III (which is a direct sequel to the original) and the short-lived tv series deserves some love too
The Exorcist III was suposed to be the real sequel. Firstly it would be named just "Legion" and would not supose to have the final exocism at all. Unfortunally the producer step in the movie and ordered this addiction. But appart frrom that was a real massterpiece, and absolutely nothing related to the horror that uses disgust and forces to be shocking like the first exorcist.
@@llothar68 really? LOL! I confess that not only I found the introduction of "Pazuzu" worthy of pity, but also I felt ashamed for James Earl Jones. LOL!
Absolutely love your analysis after your reaction. You became emotional at the end like I did. Karras’s sacrifice is powerful. When a horror movie can do that, you know it’s immersive. Subscribed. The Exorcist is so much more than just a horror film. It is not only a horror film but rather a film that depicted horrific events. It is uneasy suspense with a buildup that emotionally explodes. Its great story telling with incredible raw performances by all. It's horror/drama that is serious, relentless, and powerful. It's about doubt, faith, guilt, sacrifice, desperation, love, redemption, heartbreaking loss and science versus the human condition. A mother who has no religious beliefs, desperately seeks help from a guilt ridden priest who has lost his faith. The movie won the Oscar for best screenplay for good reasons.
Hey, Vicky! My dad saw this in a theater when he was in his 30s and my mom said he came out white as a sheet! He refuses to watch it again. Lol. The demon likely gained entry to Regan via the ouija board and the Iraq prologue establishes Merrin as a former combatant of Pazuzu who recognizes the harbingers of his return. The priest faces the statue squaring off for a second confrontation and possessed Regan bellows his name when he enters the Georgetown residence. Father Merrin is played by legendary Swedish actor Max von Sydow who regularly starred in Ingmar Bergman films. There is a famous image of him as a medieval knight returned from the Crusades playing chess with a black-robed, white-faced Death on a stony beach in Sweden from Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" in 1957. There is a prequel to "The Exorcist" about Father Merrin's first encounter with the demon Pazuzu starring Stellan Skarsgard as a young Merrin in East Africa called "The Exorcist: The Beginning" from 2004 directed by Renny Harlin with some really terrifying scares that had people moaning with fear in the audience! Another really good movie about demonic possession is "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" directed by Scott Derrickson in 2005. The William Peter Blatty book William Friedkin adapted for this movie is based on a real incident in Missouri in 1949. A lot of freaky and spooky things happened during the film's production including a set fire, the deaths of nine people involved in the film, a back injury from a botched stunt suffered by Ellen Burstyn and a bit player who actually murdered someone for real six years later. The famous shot of Father Merrin standing in a shaft of light piercing the gloom outside the MacNeil residence is based on Rene Magritte's series of paintings called "Empire of Light". The green goop was split pea soup and the projectile vomit that splats in Karras' face was actually supposed to hit his chest! His shock is totally real! Linda Blair's incredible performance left such an indelible impression, she could never escape being associated with the role. Mercedes McCambridge, a veteran character actress from the '40's-'80's who lent support to many of Hollywood's leading ladies, was the voice of Pazuzu. She achieved the desired effect by gorging on raw eggs, chain-smoking and binge drinking before reading her lines! The Director's Cut features the famous "spider-walk" scene where a contortionist stand-in for Blair scuttles downstairs bent-over backwards like a spider! Karras' faith is renewed by this undeniably supernatural experience and the shock of Merrin's death forces him to be the vanguard of that faith. Only then is he able to expel Pazuzu from Regan by offering himself as a tasty alternative. Pazuzu opts for the priest's soul over the child's as the greater prize but is thwarted from seizing full control by the priest's newfound belief long enough for Karras to leap to his death thereby denying Pazuzu a host. When Regan kisses Father Dyer's cheek, it indicates to the audience she has been freed of the demon's grip. She has no conscious recollection of what occurred but seeing Dyer's collar stirs a subconscious compulsion to express gratitude. Some devout Christians feel this movie glorifies evil but it is actually a powerful example of the renewal of faith! Jason Miller, who played Father Damien Karras, is Jason Patric's dad.
Karras's faith was restored when Chris asked if her daughter was going to die. He immediately said no and went back to save the girl. He had no doubts.
This is disturbing in ways other horror movies aren't because it more accurately portrays evil. Evil isn't a scary killer who jumps out of the shadows at you. True evil demoralizes you, degrades you, fills you with doubt and self loathing, inflames your pride, wallows in filth. This is what the demon does to those around the girl it possesses. It doesn't go on a killing spree (although it did kill Burke). Instead it gets in the heads of people and insinuates those feelings in them. Most of the time, in real life, evil is just that little unacknowledged voice that does these things to us, subtly inviting us to stray from anything to do with the sacred or virtue or beauty. Most of the time that voice is so slight that we just assume it's our own thoughts. But sometimes, very, very rarely, it comes roaring out at us.
The thing that scared me the most about this movie wasn’t the effects, the language or the scares. It was the way she looked. To this day, I can’t even see a pic of that face.
You're absolutely right, horror is based in jump-scares. This film is magnificent because it is based in the atmosphere. It has, like The Shining, some jump-scares here and there but made with the music, the sound, the montage. But it builds this uncomfortable feeling that is the base of the fear it creates.
Saw this movie in the theaters when it first came out. As good as it still holds up today, you can't imagine just how much of a gut punch it was to us, then! It was (And still is) the only movie where I literally saw people vomit/ing, and fleeing the theater (At certain scenes, and we know what they were!). It was really visceral, esp. if you're religious (And I grew up under the Catholic Theology).
You only watched the "edited" version... the full version shows "The spider-walk" of her coming down the stairs UPSIDE DOWN and INVERTED out of NOWHERE! You hear faint thumps of her footsteps as she speeds down the hallway and BOOM! THERE SHE IS... that alone is pretty traumatizing because of how "Unnatural" it is the first time you see it.
23:32 When Regan's head first spins, she has a British accent because it's Burke's voice that says "Do you know what she did?" implying that this is exactly what she did to him before pushing him out the window. Burke was found "at the bottom of the steps with his head turned completely around, facing backwards."
What we’ve learned from this reaction: Cotton Eye Joe is the only universally acceptable country song 😁 23:22 the demon speaks with a British accent because it’s supposed to be Burke, the British guy whose head got turned backwards. It’s why Regan’s neck turns all the way back as well - the demon is taunting Chris because she’s just realised that Regan might’ve killed Burke. I hope that Vicky watches the extended director’s cut at some point, as it does add a bit of depth to what happened and throws in a bit more spookiness. The changes are quite restrained, too, which is good… but I still prefer the ending of the theatrical cut, in spite of the writer not being happy with it. 1968 to 1977 was an amazing decade in film-making and I hope that plenty of modern filmmakers are watching these reaction channels, because how these young ‘uns respond really demonstrates just how good movies were back then, and how artificial newer ones can feel by comparison.
I'd rather have my fingernails pulled out with pliers than have to listen to CEJ even once all the way through. Then again, the same goes for almost all country music.
Fun Facts: The opening of this movie is shot in an ancient city of Nothern Iraq now in ruins called, "Hatra". The Exorcist was released in 1973 six years before Saddam Hussein came to power under a one-party dictatorship known as The Baath party.
Great Reaction VKunia! And Happy Friday The 13th. You couldn’t have picked a better movie to release on TH-cam! I remember reading this book my freshman year in high school then going to watch it at a theater in Brownwood Tx. We drank as much beer as we could because we knew what we were in for! 70’s movies were a different level like you said they raised the bar quite a bit! Glad you were able to throw a little humor in there! The other movie that blew me away was Carrie! That’s another classic horror!🙏🏻
Fun fact, Max von Sydow, who played Father Merrin, was 43-years-old when this was filmed. His face and hair underwent extensive make-up to make him look like he was in his 70s. Jason Miller, who played Father Karras, was 33.
Great video! You were maybe thinking of Anna Lisa Michelle? She was the German girl famously possessed , but the story of The Exorcist was actually based loosely on a boy they called Roland Doe (not his real name) from Maryland, the exorcism taking place in St. Louis If you ever get a chance to read Blattys' novel The Exorcist, do it. Its much more in depth than the movie. Thanks for sharing your reaction with us!😀👍
I've played with Ouija boards numerous times. They're mass-produced pieces of varnished cardboard manufactured by Parker Brothers. The funny thing about them is that when a group of skeptics play with them, they do absolutely nothing. The planchette only moves when the players move it. In any case, great film. We watch it every Easter.
I really got a kick out of your question “I wonder what the ‘70s and ‘80s were like?”. 😂The answer is not very different from now in many ways, apart from the fashions and the absence of the internet and smart phones. The TV you watched was an actual piece of furniture and you had to get up and turn dials to change channels. One dial had your VHF channels-the biggies like ABC, CBS, and NBC. The other dial had your UHF channels; broadcasts on these were few and far between, and often came from dinky little local TV stations. Back then, TV stations stopped broadcasting around midnight. They’d wrap up the day by playing the national anthem, then they went off the air and all you got was static-or the “test pattern” with a continuous beep! They came back on the air about 5 or 6 AM.
Fun fact: this movie is what actually created the zeitgeist fear of the ouija board. Before this, it was just a fun home party game, like twister or pictionary.
I don’t think so, Quija boards have had reputations for decades. My sister had one when she was a teenager (before the movie came out) and she kept it hidden from my mom. This was the late 60’s / very early 70’s.
@@JakkFrost1 No, Lu is correct and you are flat out 100% wrong. The use of this board became more widespread during the counterculture revolution of the 1960's when the youth began exploring spirituality, whereas before it was used by Spiritualists and Mediums. The use of this board is what led to the 1949 case involving a Maryland boy upon which the novel and the film are loosely based on.
I e never seen your channel or content, but this is one of the best reactions to this masterpiece I’ve ever seen. A lot of people do not even remember Burke’s name and put together how she killed him and other details. Also, the fact that it made you emotional when Pazuzu (that’s actually the demon’s name) was imitating Damian’s mom, really impressed me. That is exactly how you are intended to feel. Some people just don’t get there.
If you want to continue this series, I suggest only watching Exorcist III. It is very suspenseful and creepy. The rest aren't nearly is good. As for life in the 70's & 80's, that's when I grew up. I graduated high school in 1985.
I saw the movie in the theaters when it came out. I guess I was around 14 at the time. We had no problem getting into the theater even though it was rated R. I will say that you handled the movie quite well. I think your tendency to make jokes made you brave. I like watching first time reactions and many that I have seen of this movie were not handled nearly as well as you did. Great reaction.
Tha Exorcist is not only a horror movie. Absolutely everyone after watching it has a fear deep inside, a fear cause by the unknown, a fear that remains in our primitive brains from long long ages ago, when the humans faced the devil itself, who showed up in different shapes.
If every "horror" movie were as good as this film, there would be no horror genre, just great films. It's a bit shocking, yes, but brilliantly executed cinema.
Great reaction. When this played, it shocked audiences so much some walked out. Some even fainted. And if I'm not mistaken, in the middle of the intense scenes I saw you crossing yourself to feel better.
This movie came out in the 70’s. People weren’t used to seeing something so vulgar depraved back then. Nowadays we’ve become desensitized to it but back then it was extremely difficult to not be jolted by it.
Nowadays they don't even dare to go this far. Have you seen any possession movie that has dared go this far since 1973? The Exorcist is still unparallelled in that sense.
There’s so much to talk about this……. Trivia: the noises that possessed Regan makes was done by an actress called Mercedes McCambridge, who dubbed Linda Blair as the demon; she ate raw eggs and chainsmoked for a long time during production, and the weirdest sounds, on different keys would come out of her mouth all at once. In fact, when Linda Blair was nominated for the Oscar, Mercedes got really mad because she wasn’t credited. Also, during the crucifix scene, Ellen Burstyn (Chris) actually hit her back hard on the floor, and to this day at 88, she still has back pain; her facial expression is 100% real, the scream was dubbed over. The exorcist himself, Merrin (played by Max Von Sydow) was actually 44, and the makeup artist made him look even 40 years older…. The thing about this movie is that up until the crucifix scene, purposefully written for shock, as the author of the book and scriptwriter of the movie said, us viewers know that Regan is possessed, but the characters don’t; they’re given every possible logic solution to why Regan is acting the way she is, and it begins tiring all the characters as finding help becomes ever more useless, and then, when it hits them that she is possessed, it not only mind blows all the characters, it also mind blows the viewers….. this movie is a cinematic MASTERPIECE
Since you asked, the 80s were phenomenal. The music, cartoons, TV shows, sports, movies, everything was flawless. It was the greatest era in all history.
"The Power of Christ compels you!" Fun Fact: According to William Friedkin, the subliminal shots of the white faced demon are actually rejected from makeup tests for Regan's (Linda Blair) possessed appearance. Too Real Fact: Upon its initial theatrical release, the film affected many audiences so strongly that at many theaters, paramedics were called to treat people who fainted and others who went into hysterics. And Scene Fact: The scene where Regan (Linda Blair) projectile vomits at Father Karras only required one take. The vomit was intended to hit Jason Miller in the chest, but the plastic tubing misfired, hitting him in the face. His reaction of shock and disgust while wiping away the vomit is genuine, and Miller admitted in an interview that he was very angered by this mistake.
The scariest part of this movie is that it was at least loosely based on a real story. William Peter Blatty's novel "The Exorcist" was inspired by the actual 1949 exorcism of a young boy from Cottage City, Maryland, and the horrifying 1634 Loudun exorcisms. Apparently, Blatty heard about the Maryland case while he was a student at Georgetown University, which is why the story is based there.
I find it depressing how people seem to prefer believing it was a real demonic possession as opposed to mental illness Belief is one thing, but preferring that to common sense is frightening
23:34 I think the British accent is supposed to be Burke Dennings' voice! Hence her turning her head around 180° (like Burke's body was found) and "do you know what she did? Your cunting daughter?" The implication being that she did in fact snap Burke's neck.
Between the intelligence, the quick wit, the amazing voice, and the sexiness- you're the most enjoyable reactor. I love your recent partnerships with other reactors too. Even when I haven't seen the movies you're reacting to- within the 1st few seconds of the video, you come up with a hilarious line that makes me keep watching... "What is this, The Mummy?" ROTF already!! :) I saw The Exorcist about 190232 years ago- but I'll still watch the rest of this reaction because it's YOU! :) I can't wait til you get back to Breaking Bad. TOOOOO LOOONG of a break. Bad. Very Bad. :)
@@Mildredpotka I bet that ugly face on your contactless profile is better looking than the one you have in real life. IF you do have anybody you consider a friend, I'm sure they talk very badly about you when you're not around.
She had a British accent when she turned her head backwards because she was talking in the voice of Burke, the person whose head she turned backward and threw out the window. Hence the "Do you know what she did...? Comment.
You got it. The subtlety and fear was real, not CGI. To get beyond the real and justified fear, read it this way. They sacrificed themselves to save a child that we had got to know, but they never knew - they only knew the demon. Karras went into it faithless, but it took faith to stay the course. Regan’s mom was an atheist…but she made the leap of faith to call in Karras. The book by Blatty makes this all clear. So in some ways this is a kind of religious film posing as horror. During the Mass scene, notice how Karras says ‘The mystery of faith’ and it jumps to ‘An excellent day for an exorcism’. On some technical issues. A local bishop can in fact authorise an exorcism without getting Vatican permission. The rite they use in the movie at the beginning of the exorcism before things go wild is the actual Catholic rite of exorcism that is still used though slightly differently worded. The psychological attacks on both of them is documented in exorcism cases. Vee, you rightly noted that only priests of deep faith are allowed to do exorcisms. Karras scepticism is an integral part of deciding whether an exorcism should be used. Most ‘possession’ cases are in fact various forms of mental disorder. Father Merrin is based loosely on the Jesuit priest-palaeontologist Teilhard de Chardin. Karras might be a composite of two or three American Jesuits who were psychiatrists. (One was for a number of years Head of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and chair of its Medical Ethics Committee). In the late 1960s Jesuits worked in Iraq until they were expelled by Saddam Hussein. And by the way both Tom (the older priest who is Karras superior) and Dyer (his piano-playing, Chivas stealing friend who gives him last rites) were both played by Jesuit priests. And the university in the movie is a mix of Georgetown and Fordham Universities.
1. The tablets are for his heart. 2. He was drinking tea (chai) 3. I'm in my 70's and went opening week to the theater. There were ambulances parked outside, the religious community was flipping out, vomiting, fainting, running out of the theater.... Frankly I giggled throughout the film. My fascination was with the special effects. No CGI, no AI, everything was a physical action! 4. The bedroom was actually a refrigerated room,the only way they could get the "breath" on film.
Linda Blair deserve greatness. Not only did she did she do all her own acting except a few key science, but all the effects were practical with no CGI. Regan Motörhead the words but someone else’s voice was recorded over.
"I DEMAND Brendan Fraser - where is he??" That got me laughing. Super film this, I first saw it when I was 14, gave me nightmares initially, but I learned to deal with it. The actor who played Father Karras was terrific, and Max von Sydow slays every role he plays.
Hi Vkunia, Thanks for reacting to one of , if not the scariest movie ever made, in my opinion. A lot of movies now as you said go straight for the scary jump scares. The older movies are slower, but build up the tension and story. This one hits in a different way than most and feels to me like it uses it's elements of storytelling to hit on some of our base fears. Obviously this is just my opinion, but a great watch i think everyone should see this movie at least once. OH... also, I will never play with Ouija board!
Rosemary's Baby and Night of the Living Dead in 1968 were arguably the beginings of the era. As for Germany, the exorcism of Annelise Michelle was a true story that inspired the movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose, but is not related to this movie. The Exorcist was inspired by an actual exorcism that took place in Maryland in the 1940s. Pazuzu is an actual demon/god from Mesopotamian mythology and yes, he is packing a snake.
It's funny Vee's reaction to the Ouija board. It is this movie which changed the attitude towards them as evil and demonic. "Talking" boards were used in spirituality and by mediums but were considered harmless. The Ouija board was patented and produced as a game. There were some myths floating around that it was involved in a couple of murders but that was about it, then along came the Exorcist. This movie changed a population's entire attitude
The "Exorcism of Emily Rose" movie is also insanely good. There is one scene in there that, to me, is one of the most terrifying acting in movie fucking history.
To answer questions. Merrin knew what was going to happen when he saw the artifact, and the statue. The demon is the same one he had successfully removed in his earlier exorcism. The only one killed by the demon was Burke. Twisting the head backwards is a Black Mass traditional thing. Merrin was taking Nitroglycerin pills for his heart. He died from a heart attack. In the book, this really pissed the demon off. Kerras took the demon, gained momentary control, then jumped, taking the demon with him. If the Host body dies, the demon MUST have another willing body to immediately jump into, he didn't, or it returns to Abbadon. In the third movie, we learn that is what happened. The absolute last thing he would have done was kill Regan, because that would have sent him away, as said. There are 4 (5) movies in the series. This one was very good, as you saw. 2 was actually not really good at all, but it gives a whole lot of background. Like the name of the demon, and why Regan was the target. 3 ties up the loose ends of this movie. It is basically the stories of Kinderman, and Dwyer. A very good movie indeed. It has what is possibly the best jump scares ever. There are also 4-5. Prequels of the original exorcism done by Merrin. For some reason they filmed it twice, same story, same actors, just a bit different telling. Again, they are also pretty good, and either one is a good watch.
This and Amityville are the two movies that traumatized me as a kid. Mainly because I was eight years old and my punk teenage brother forced me to watch it..Gave me nightmares for weeks. 😮
38:06 - the movie was loosely based on an incident in 1949, except the actual incident involved a boy rather than a girl, both of the priests survived, and the boy's head didn't rotate 180 degrees, although people did describe objects moving through the air and one of the priests said he saw a brightly glowing figure in between sessions.
The mother, Ellen Burnstyn gave the greatest performance in the history of movies, in my opinion. You can see and feel her pain, sorrow, desperation, grief, and her helplessness and fear for her little girl, WOW. You have the most genuine, down to Earth reactions on TH-cam, love watching them.
All done with actors..that's the child actress running down the stairs using cables, that's a famous voice actress's actual voice, that's a machine projectile vomiting, and another woman also playing the demon for the tougher scenes. They superimposed images, turned her room into a freezer, all types of rigging to have bed shake and body convulse and levitate, lacerations with holy water..everything, all kinds of tricks. They came up with all kinds of ways to make this work, touched all bases with this film..it's remarkable. The horror genre is a pretty cheap genre and this film's quality is really unmatched. No doubt the scariest film ever made. Watching this alone makes you feel as if you might conjure something up.
I grew up in the 1970s. Great music and great films - you're watching one of them. You left the house to play with your friends and your parents just said "be back before dark," even though they knew the serial killers went after their victims during the day. There were no cell phones for our parents to hover over us and verify that we were still alive and not in a garbage dumpster somewhere waiting to be tomorrow's local headlines. But we connected with people. We had to, not because we had a virtual surrogate. And we learned shit from experience because we had to, not because we could call up a TH-cam video to tell us what to do. Our knowledge was fashioned by the grit of life. We lived raw and unfiltered. I wouldn't have chosen to be born in any other time. Great review video by the way. I always enjoy seeing people react to this movie, which incidentally I saw when I was eight years old because my parents couldn't find a babysitter and took me with them to see the movie in a drive-in theater.
Great reaction, I saw this film with my father in 1973. There was no internet, there was nothing like even Ghost Adventures on TV and possession was not main stream like it is today in any film making and most films did horrible job trying to depict them. During the part where she was treated in hospital many people were gasping and crying but, when the first real encounter occurred where she was being thrown on the bed the film had to be interrupted due to a person fainting. At the crucifix scene is where we had to leave. I was 7 years old and I did not sleep for months after that and when I did sleep I had horrible nightmares. Since then after a lifetime of being numbed by TV, internet and movies I can now watch it but, every time it still gives me as you put it a sense of dread that you don't get from most other movies. Great reaction.
That "wild transition" is because you needed to watch the re-release from 2000. Regan spider-walked down the staircase contorted and drooled blood. The timeline makes no sense without it. That scene was removed originally because the wires were too visible. They used CGI to hide them in 2000.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 88 | คู่เอก "ป้อมเพชร vs อัสลามจอน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZqTVVbMgbo/mqdefault.jpg)
She wasn't just talking in a British accent. She was speaking in the voice of Burke. That was it's way of telling the mother that they have killed him.
I think the 1:22 time frame from Chris running up the stairs towards the commotion to it ending with Chris on the ground, screaming, face covered with Reagan's blood is the most terrifying scene in film history.
Burke went up there to molest her.
@@Oneanddone14I agree!
correct in the book he says outher things to ''she should be in a mad house'' the demon also sayys in his demons normol voice Demon Pazuizu i will not let her sleep you care nothing for the piglet in the book they keep giving her Librium and Lagato that the demon first does not let work then lets it work to try and overdose her and after the old preist Merin dies screams You lost the piglet will die
Wow, you understood a lot of what was happening unlike some other reactors. Damien's sacrifice is one of the most powerful moments in cinema for me and it seems to go over the heads of some younger viewers.
It's even more powerful when you realize that Damien never even met Reagan. He only met the demon. He sacrificed himself for the idea of Reagan.
@@akitaadventures Plus, the general Catholic attitude towards suicide meant he knew was risking a lot by leaping to his likely death, but did it anyway.
so underrated
I recently saw it in theaters and the first time, I felt like it was so abrupt and anticlimatic. I went to see it again a week later. I get it. The implication of what would happen if he sacrificed himself, possibly dooming himself for all eternity to protect a child... it's beautiful and brave. He was preparing himself for that moment and didn't even realize it.
WilloamDimitriyevich correct i love watching different reactions to it this was a good one i prefer people watching it by them selvs rather then a group
British accent she had was burke dennings ,the director who got his head twisted around by the demon and pushed out the window. The demon duplicated his voice.
Also the fact there was no music added to the creepiness. No CGI. Great acting. The only film in cinema history that was this creepy ,and could also have been best picture of the year.
Thanks, I never made the connection that she was using Burke's voice!
Well, it's not like the lack of CGI was a choice; it didn't exist yet.
@@todd8398 It is easy to miss. It is also why the head twists around, which is how he died.
@@JasonHauser125 I love watching reactions to the exorcist. I find most weren't aware of burkes voice, or that the demon demonstrated what she did to burkes neck, the head turned 180 degrees around. They're all usually too traumatized by the beginning of the crucifix scene, to recognize it was the movie directors voice. My question is what the hell was that drunk doing in her room?
@@Artificialintelligentle My understanding is that the nanny left to get medicine and she asked Burke to look after Regan. So, he's drunk and went to her room to check on her. She killed him.
A lot of people tend to ignore that it's the young actress who plays the demon. Her performance is sensational. She deserved an Oscar.
My brother and I thought that for a few years until we saw "Paper Moon" '73.
That little girl absolutely stole that film from her father. Who was at the time a major star. To see it is to believe it!😉
@@Zarkarian64 I like both performances;)
@@jannathompson2262 I will be the 1st to admit they were close, which was a major argument at the time. However, in terms of craft, range and the nuances required to portray their characters, Tatum absolutely holds her own on her own.
But don't for one second think we're not on the same page, ...we are! The only difference is you like their performances...
...while I loved them.😘 Thanks!👊🏾
@@Zarkarian64 Fair enough...I loved both too;)
the voice of the Demon was an old lady
If you are wondering what's the deal between Father Merrin and Pazuzu, then just know this was round 2.
In prequels it is explained that first time they met was in 1949 colonial Kenya where a faithless father Merrin (who had PTSD from witnessing Nazi atrocities in Poland) was tasked to head an archeological expedition to dig up an out of era church after previous team leader went missing.
Turns out that was where Pazuzu was banished for centuries until dig unleashed him. Merrin regained his faith and in a brutal exorcism defeated Pazuzu but lost his love interest and friends and was unable to prevent a massacre. He was waiting for the Pazuzu to return.
In ancient Mesopotamia, the demon Pazuzu was the king of the demons of the wind, brother of Humbaba and son of the god Hanbi. He also represented the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms and drought.
Pazuzu is often depicted as a combination of diverse animal and human parts. He has the body of a man, the head of a lion or dog, talons of an eagle, two pairs of wings, a scorpion's tail and a serpentine penis. He has his right hand up and left hand down.
Pazuzu was invoked in apotropaic amulets (the charm we see falling & which Regan has). These combat the powers of his rival, the malicious goddess Lamashtu, who was believed to cause harm to mother and child during childbirth. Although Pazuzu is, himself, considered to be an evil spirit, he drives and frightens away other evil spirits, therefore protecting humans against plagues and misfortunes. So technically when Pazuzu appears in Regan’s bedroom, he was protecting her.
Spoiler alert!
This was told in one movie with two different cuts. Don't watch either of them, they both SUCK. The first OP of this thread probably told it better than Paul Schraeder and Rennie Harlan combined.
@@d.a.w.975 In what way did the book make it clear that it was Pazuzu? The possessed Regan's behaviour doesn't correspond very well with how Pazuzu was described. It does however fit the description of Lamashtu pretty well, a dark spirit/deity who was Pazuzu's arch-nemesis and who unlike him enjoyed torturing mothers. I also find it interesting that the "demon face" was portrayed by an actress. Pazuzu was described as male, while Lamashtu was female. As for what's claimed in the infamous "The Exorcist II: Heretic", the story was not written by Blatty and shouldn't be taken as canon. I think it's clear that Blatty did his research, so why would he ignore the lore surrounding Pazuzu? And what was the point of including the line "Evil against Evil" in both the book and the film if it had absolutely no relevance?
@@davidanderson1639 Trying to find something that indicates that this is the case. I always just viewed Pazuzu as an aspect of the devil or evil incarnate hence why Merrin tells Karras there is only one. I'm really not sure, because all the questions and answers revolve around the same idea, why did the demon possess Regan and who was it's real intended victim (Merrin with his previous encounter with the demon, Karras with existential crisis etc) and why would the author pic Pazuzu. haven't read the book, but all answers revolving around that make it seem like his intent with using this particular demon wasn't tied to protection at all. As said though, I only have the first movie to work with as it's the only thing in the series I've seen.
Is there any cool sources you could point me to about this? It's definitely good food for thought.
This is probably the most emotionally powerful horror movie ever made. As an atheist, I usually find possession movies cheesy, but this one always gets to me because of its psychological cruelty and powerful themes of grief, loss, and guilt. Horror moves in the 70s really went for the jugular.
Btw the exorcism scenes were filmed in a large industrial refrigerator so the actors would exhale real fog.
Agreed. I'm an atheist as well and I also typically find these kinds of movies don't work for me, such as the Conjuring franchise, in which basically it all comes down to some Catholic ceremony that magically saves the day. Here, it's not the exorcism ritual or shouting "The power of Christ compels you!" that saves Regan, but Father Karras's willingness to die for her sake, after the guilt he suffered over his mother's death. Like any good film, it comes down to having good characters.
@@Corn_Pone_Flicksare you sure you're not agnostic? I mean how do you know their is no God? Even if everything started from a single exploding particle, that particle couldn't have just magically poofed into existence from nothing. That would be more ridiculous than believing there's a God. You'd essentially have to believe in magic. 😂
Yeah, it leans on the universal themes, the same things that religion does in the first place, so it's very effective even for those of us who aren't religious. Fifty years or so on and it's still once of the best horror movies ever.
@tessmage_tessera: Actually, where you're a believer or not, it does end. For all of us, with that last breath, the last heartbeat. At that moment, the individual debate is over.
@@keith9716agnosticism and atheism are not mutually exclusive terms.. Atheism is not a belief, but a lack of one.
36:33 I believe Father Karras successfully exorcised Pazuzu(the Mesopotamian demon Father Merrin fought before). He asked Pazuzu to leave Regan and possess him, and as the transfer happened, Karras had just enough will to sacrifice himself to send Pazuzu back to Hell. At least, that’s my understanding.
Yeah, I’ve always taken that to be the intention as well. My own feeling is that when Reagan snatches Karras’ St Christopher medallion, she gains extra protection while Karras loses it, so he is able to take in the demon himself. His renewed faith gives him the strength to resist long enough to cast himself out of the window in an act of self-sacrifice, taking Pazuzu with him. Then he receives Last Rites at the foot of the stairs, meaning he died with a clean soul, so in effect he won and the demon lost.
Actually the demon is not sent back to where it came from, it's free now.
@@marcuszaja6589 Unless it went into Vicky after she used the ouija board… 😬
If you watch Exorcist III the you know where the demon went next.
Watch Exorcist III. I mean, you should do that in general because Brad Dourif nails his role something fierce, but it would also tell you where the demon went.
36:19 Notice how Father Dyers hand is shaking ? That's genuine. Just beforehand the director William Friedkin asked the actor William O'Malley, "Do you trust me ?". He replied that he did and then Friedkin slapped him hard across the face and yelled action. The shot he got was the one you see, genuine shock reflected in his tremor. O'Malley was a real priest as well as doing some acting and was technical advisor on the movie.Regan may not remember what happened but subconsciously associates the clerical collar with an act of good and that's why she feels affection to Father Dyer and kisses him.
dabe he was a more aggressive director then Stanly Kubrick
Didn't Friedkin also pull the harness on Ellen Burstyn so hard that it damaged her back?
@@timothywait9457Yeah, but Kubrick was more demanding. The guy demanded the tables be green in a black and white movie.
The "Exorcist Theme" is originally called "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield. That tune made him famous before it even featured in this movie.
Mike Oldfield recorded this at home on a simple tape recorder, playing every instrument track by himself. A lot of similar albums followed, they are often intersting to listen to.
It was the very first release from Richard Bransons fledgling 'Virgin Records' bearing the catalogue number V2001 in1973
Great music by a brilliant musician. So amazing to think Oldfield wrote this at such a young age.
I remember loving Tubular Bells as a kid. After it got associated with this movie, it killed the enjoyment for me.
Mike Oldfield kept changing and re-recording the album through the decades, as new music formats and sound editing technologies were developed. Like George Lucas and the always changing Special Editions of STAR WARS, Oldfield will never achieve what he hears inside his head. 😂
@@thoso1973 and Just like Lucas, the revisions he made didn’t really help the song. I remember having the CD in the 80’s and now listening to it on Tidal, there’s certain chords and instruments missing.
The Exorcist is a great slow-burn. You are given plenty of time to fully understand and absorb each character while the situation slowly degrades into sheer creepiness and desperation. The mother tries absolutely every possible option before going down the exorcism route - and her plight feels realistic... because it is. Being sent to Joe Soap, who sends you to Joe Bloggs, who sends you back to Joe Soap, while you're stuck in the middle desperately trying to help a loved one. It's a simple tale with limited jumpscares and a very raw and real feel to it, despite the supernatural shenanigans. Great performances, great characters, great effects, great score, all gracefully pieced together.
Rest in peace, Max von Sydow (who played Father Merrin) and William Friedkin (the director of this film).
And William Peter Blatty who wrote the book and screenplay.
And the guy who built the freezer in Regan’s room.
@@everyonelovesmajima And my axe!
@@LeChaunce"What are we waiting for?"
*Gimil axe Reagan in the head*
Gimil the Exorcist.
Also RIP Jason Miller (the actor of Father Damien Karris)
What's so terrifying about this movie aside from the visuals, is that this was the possession of a child, an innocent soul. Spiritual warfare in it's most haunting form.
I'm so sad when reactors don't see the (restored) spider-walk scene. That is truly the scariest part of the movie.
The look of absolute terror on the mother's face before you see it (and only hear the walking) is so haunting to me.
Ehh, it's a pretty goofy thing to see. The theatrical cut is the way to go. There's more tension and mystery, better pacing, and the subliminal scary faces and other changes don't really add anything worthwhile. The only good thing about it was the scene where the priests take a break and reflect.
Not even close to the first head turning scene. The spiderwalk is comical in comparison. In fact, it was left out of the original because the director thought the audience would laugh at it.
Agree
Personally, I hate the way Friedkin photoshops Pazuzu all over the place in the Special Edition. The *best* addition is the beginning of Kinderman and Dyer's friendship at the end of the film...
11:32 "I don't have to worry about jump scares." As she was about to enter the world of scares, jump and otherwise. I really respect you for experiencing this movie. When it came out people used vomit bags, passed out, and tried to have it banned. If you want a more horrible experience, try the book lol.
I recently read the book myself and absolutely loved it. It gave far more details and was really disturbing to read. I definitely recommend that people read this book if they enjoyed how utterly disturbing the movie is. It definitely shows how closely they worked with the writer to establish such a close resemblance to the original story
what jump scares?
sakuram correct although the detective story went on a bit a good dark book however
William Friedkin made documentaries and The Exorcist needed a real street guy who could give the movie a stark realism. It’s also a very personal story about faith that hit a lot of people who were confronted with issues of good and evil, a potential afterlife, heaven and hell and so on. The Exorcist works on deeper levels, that’s why it still hits people and has stood the test of time
The fact that Bill filmed documentaries made this a masterpiece.
Regan is speaking at one point with a British accent. You wondered why. It was Burke’s voice.
Merrin died of a heart attack. Those were nitroglycerin pills he was taking for angina. Also, he was not the only one to perform a successful exorcism. They happen often.
For an exorcism to occur, Vatican approval is not required. The Bishop of each diocese is entrusted with that duty. In fact, the Bishop is the Exorcist for his diocese but they appoint a designee who gets actual training for the task.
People rewatch The Exorcist year after year not because they will ever experience a real exorcism, but they will experience the death of one or both of their parents. The Karras side of the story is what people relate to and why they'll watch the Exorcist over and over again like "The Seventh Seal". The exorcism is just a metaphor for the guilt that Karras, and most people, experience from the death of a parent. That makes The Exorcist more than just a horror movie, it's also one of the few outstanding existential films in the history of cinema.
That's one angle. Others will watch because they relate to having a sick child and not knowing what to do, what's wrong, how to fix it. That helplessness.
During the scenes when the Demon is speaking through Regan, actress Linda Blair's voice was dubbed over by veteran actress Mercedes McCambridge, who spoke her lines of dialogue in a sound booth while chain smoking cigarettes to make her voice sound more raspy. The scenes where the face of the Demon, Pazuzu, is revealed were performed by actress Eileen Dietz, who was also Linda Blair's double during the vomiting scene.
Beetlejuice: "I've seen the Exorcist 167 times & gets even FUNNIER every time I see it!!" xDDD
This is the standard, the archetype for almost every possession movie since. Even with today's technology, few modern movies can compare to this classic. You may not be able to comprehend how traumatizing this was when it came out 50 years ago.
In William Peter Blatty's original novel Merrin explains that the demon is able to read your mind and impersonate people you know, using your own thoughts and feelings to torment you, so its not actually the person who its pretending to be. The movie kind of addresses this when Merrin tells Karras "there is only one" personality inside of Regan.
The guy at 15:16 is Paul Bateson is an actual radiologic technologist which is why he was used in the film. But that's not why he's famous. After the movie he was convicted of murder and confessed to multiple killings though he was never charged with those. He spent twenty years in prison and was released in 2003 and purpotedly died in 2012.
"BEDS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!!" 🤣🤣🤣 Best line in a reaction video! Great video, you seemed really vested in the characters and plot and that's refreshing to see.
This movie opened on the day after Christmas 1973. Now keep in mind that back then with no Internet, nobody knew anything about new movies other than what you saw on previews in the theater.
The Saturday after it opened I took a date to see this. All I knew about it is that it was a horror movie. I was counting on some good jump scares because, well, 19 year old boys like having their 18 year old dates bury their faces in their shoulders.
Well that didn't work because at the point in the movie when Reagan's bed started jumping around, my date made us leave. I had to go see it a week later by myself to see the rest of the movie. Oh well.
You may have heard wild stories about people throwing up, passing out, crying. Yep, absolutely true. People weren't ready for this.
So interesting fact: director William Friedkin actually came from a documentary film background. That's why The Exorcist has such a reality based feel about it.
He was also a real jerk, as I understand it.
@@Bluesit32 yeah but look at the performance he got outta his actors...and in the end all the actors adored and respected him for it.
@@DraylianKaiju I feel like Ellen Burstyn with her damaged spine wasn't so keen on him afterward.
@@Bluesit32 at the time...no she cursed up a storm with him 🤬😡😠😤 But in recent years she has actually stated "my friend Billy Friedkin IS a maniac....but i love him".
I love everything you said about the realism. Starting in the mid-late 60s (The Graduate, Bonnie And Clyde, Midnight Cowboy, Rosemary's Baby, etc) going into the early 80s, realism, naturalism.....that was what was ushered in, not just in horror movies, but in ALL movies. And I love how you appreciate that, because I certainly do, it's like another practical effect as far as I'm concerned. And it bent "genres", people weren't so focused on specific styles, a lot of the greatest 70s movies would be described as "comedy-drama"s, like Paper Moon or American Graffiti or Carnal Knowledge or All That Jazz or Annie Hall....indescribable, singular films. The best horror movies of the 60s, 70s and 80s for me are from directors who only did one or two horror movies, like William Friedkin and The Excorcist or Kubrick and "The Shining". I hope you do "Rosemary's Baby" one day, I think you'd do a FANTASTIC reaction to that one!
I got to see The Exorcist in the cinema when it was reissued in the late 90s; it was absolutely stunning on the big screen. The juxtaposition of very bright, loud scenes & dark, quiet scenes in one of the things that helps add to the terrifying nature of this film.
Personally I actually prefer the extended directors cut, as it adds a little bit more to the film.
Fun Fact:
In ancient Mesopotamia, the demon Pazuzu was the king of the demons of the wind, brother of Humbaba and son of the god Hanbi. He also represented the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms and drought.
Pazuzu is often depicted as a combination of diverse animal and human parts. He has the body of a man, the head of a lion or dog, talons of an eagle, two pairs of wings, a scorpion's tail and a serpentine penis. He has his right hand up and left hand down.
Pazuzu was invoked in apotropaic amulets (the charm we see falling & which Regan has). These combat the powers of his rival, the malicious goddess Lamashtu, who was believed to cause harm to mother and child during childbirth. Although Pazuzu is, himself, considered to be an evil spirit, he drives and frightens away other evil spirits, therefore protecting humans against plagues and misfortunes. So technically when Pazuzu appears in Regan’s bedroom, he was protecting her.
Also Regarding Ouija Boards
The Ouija board, in fact, came straight out of the American 19th century obsession with spiritualism, the belief that the dead are able to communicate with the living. Spiritualism, which had been around for years in Europe, hit America hard in 1848 with the sudden prominence of the Fox sisters of upstate New York; the Foxes claimed to receive messages from spirits who rapped on the walls in answer to questions, recreating this feat of channeling in parlors across the state. Aided by the stories about the celebrity sisters and other spiritualists in the new national press, spiritualism reached millions of adherents at its peak in the second half of the 19th century. Spiritualism worked for Americans: it was compatible with Christian dogma, meaning one could hold a séance on Saturday night and have no qualms about going to church the next day. It was an acceptable, even wholesome activity to contact spirits at séances, through automatic writing, or table turning parties, in which participants would place their hands on a small table and watch it begin shake and rattle, while they all declared that they weren’t moving it. The movement also offered solace in an era when the average lifespan was less than 50: Women died in childbirth; children died of disease; and men died in war. Even Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of the venerable president, conducted séances in the White House after their 11-year-old son died of a fever in 1862; during the Civil War, spiritualism gained adherents in droves, people desperate to connect with loved ones who’d gone away to war and never come home.
Over the years the popularity of Ouija boards fluctuated, but following the success of The Exorcist, the fabric of popular culture surrounding them was forever changed & we’re left with what is nothing more than an irrational fear of a board game.
Fun Fact: several of the Priests were actually practicing Priests. They were initially hired as technical advisers, but were then cast into the roles. They accepted these under the condition that the concept of possession was treated with the utmost seriousness. The parts of Father Dyer & Tom, President of Georgetown University were portrayed by Father William O’Malley (Dyer) & Father Thomas Bermingham (Tom).
Also, when you see Ellen Burstyn, who portrayed Regan’s mother, fall & grab her back…..that reaction was genuine, due to the stage hands pulling her over with such force.
Oh & another thing; one of the radiographers (Paul Bateson) was a real life serial killer!!
Thank you for the wild and illuminating facts-it never occurred to me that Pazuzu might actually be protecting Regan.
These are some great facts. Thanks man, curious to know more about Pazuzu now
I dont like the directors cut. Superimposed images that we dont need, that spider walk which is too early in the movie and too unnecessary to the plot. The inane chit chat between Merrin /Chris, Merrin/Karras. Also about the Ouja boards, they mean nothing to me as Im an athiest, but my mother told me a creepy story about how she and her friend messed with one in the 1960s when they both lived and worked in England. Her friend had a seizure in the middle of their game, which scared the life out of her. She wasnt faking, as her eyes rolled back in her head and she nearly bit through her tongue. At the hospital, they found nothing wrong with her, and she had no history of them. She never had another, it was a compete one off.
@@BarryHart-xo1oy thats utter bullshit
@@d.a.w.975 they were in a face off. Merrin had defeated Pazuzu once before when he was younger. He was waiting for Pazuzu's return. Its in the prequel.
I always thought that when it came to Pazuzu psychologically tormenting Damien, it used his knowledge about his mother and the guilt he felt of not being there when she died against him to make him fall into despair.
I think that's pretty much how demons like Pazuzu work in these movies when it comes to getting you where it hurts psychologically. They could look into your mind and could see your secrets, your sins, your fears, your desires, your doubts and your guilt and use it all against you.
I like how you actually empathize with the characters and the story. Other reaction channels kind of just make fun but you put a lot of thought into this one. This is one of my favorite scary movies. The horror isn't in the obvious. It's psychological in the obscure and occult. The horror isn't in what's being shown literally its how it it tests your faith, atleast that's my conclusion. Probably what it was meant to do back when this first came out.
the exorcist is the masterpiece that gets the most disrespect unfortunately
@@yamuthaho agreed
meitvi_slvg correct she knows its not just a horror film i would suggest she watchers the Shinings and the Omen and The Conjuring
metvi_slvg i am not religious so it does not scare me but a Christian who belives in Demons would find it very disturbing
The case of the German girl you were talking about (named Anneliese Michel) near the start of the video is the inspiration for the movies "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (2005), and the German film "Requiem" (2006). This movie, from 1973, was an adaptation of a novel by the same name from '71, which drew inspiration from a 1949 exorcism in Maryland.
Except they weren't demonic possessions
@@SamuelBlack84
Were you there?
@Elsupermayan8870 No, but I believe in logic and the rules of the universe
A belief in demons is no different from believing in the Easter Bunny
@@SamuelBlack84
What makes you so sure?
@@Elsupermayan8870 I could ask you the same thing
I don't think I have ever seen anyone freak out as much as you reacting to the Exorcist. Good Job! 😂😂😂
The medical procedure Regan goes through is an older version of a spinal tap (though even today it’s terribly uncomfortable and painful). They’re injecting colored fluid into her spinal cord into her brain through her neck so that her x-rays can be read.
actually an angiogram - contrast dye into artery then xray - no spinal cord involvment
26:49 That is so unsettling. The demon can remove the straps whenever he wants and he could kill anyone easily but that is not his game. It's all a psychological torture (except for Burke, the demon killed him to torture Regan´s mother and Karl) and the demon can hit in the core of you as a human being and destroy you because he knows everything about you. He lost to Merrin in his previous encounter because Merrin was strong and the demon couldn´t corrupt him so Pazuzu want his rematch altough he fears Merrin and he says it outloud "Fear the priest" when he talks backwards.
That's far too vulgar a display of power, Karras.
I love that you appreciate the power of older horror movies..they are more restrained and don't have that digitally shot sheen to them. The Exorcist 3 is a hugely underrated movie..intelligently written with one of the all time great jump scares.
Yup, skip number 2 and jump right to 3.
@@kentonkruger8333 Jump scares never bother me.... except that one. I'm still traumatized.
It's not underrated...everyone who's seen it loves Exorcist III. Ask any Exorcist fan. It's just less famous.
ANY movie with Brad Dourif is great.
davidmoodie and the possesed man sings with a Choir voice wich is what Ragan does in the book whilst her face is scared and straped to the bed on a drip wich pazuzo does not let work untul later and says the piglet will die you have given it to mich largatoil
At the moment, the only real sequel worth watching in this franchise is The Exorcist III (which is a direct sequel to the original) and the short-lived tv series deserves some love too
The Exorcist III was suposed to be the real sequel. Firstly it would be named just "Legion" and would not supose to have the final exocism at all. Unfortunally the producer step in the movie and ordered this addiction. But appart frrom that was a real massterpiece, and absolutely nothing related to the horror that uses disgust and forces to be shocking like the first exorcist.
I am a strange person. I even liked Part 2 because it was unexpected different, just like Halloween 3
@@llothar68 really? LOL! I confess that not only I found the introduction of "Pazuzu" worthy of pity, but also I felt ashamed for James Earl Jones. LOL!
Part 2 is better than Believer @@llothar68
Yes, The Exorcist III is underrated!
Absolutely love your analysis after your reaction. You became emotional at the end like I did. Karras’s sacrifice is powerful. When a horror movie can do that, you know it’s immersive. Subscribed. The Exorcist is so much more than just a horror film. It is not only a horror film but rather a film that depicted horrific events. It is uneasy suspense with a buildup that emotionally explodes. Its great story telling with incredible raw performances by all. It's horror/drama that is serious, relentless, and powerful. It's about doubt, faith, guilt, sacrifice, desperation, love, redemption, heartbreaking loss and science versus the human condition.
A mother who has no religious beliefs, desperately seeks help from a guilt ridden priest who has lost his faith. The movie won the Oscar for best screenplay for good reasons.
Hey, Vicky! My dad saw this in a theater when he was in his 30s and my mom said he came out white as a sheet! He refuses to watch it again. Lol.
The demon likely gained entry to Regan via the ouija board and the Iraq prologue establishes Merrin as a former combatant of Pazuzu who recognizes the harbingers of his return. The priest faces the statue squaring off for a second confrontation and possessed Regan bellows his name when he enters the Georgetown residence.
Father Merrin is played by legendary Swedish actor Max von Sydow who regularly starred in Ingmar Bergman films. There is a famous image of him as a medieval knight returned from the Crusades playing chess with a black-robed, white-faced Death on a stony beach in Sweden from Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" in 1957. There is a prequel to "The Exorcist" about Father Merrin's first encounter with the demon Pazuzu starring Stellan Skarsgard as a young Merrin in East Africa called "The Exorcist: The Beginning" from 2004 directed by Renny Harlin with some really terrifying scares that had people moaning with fear in the audience!
Another really good movie about demonic possession is "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" directed by Scott Derrickson in 2005.
The William Peter Blatty book William Friedkin adapted for this movie is based on a real incident in Missouri in 1949. A lot of freaky and spooky things happened during the film's production including a set fire, the deaths of nine people involved in the film, a back injury from a botched stunt suffered by Ellen Burstyn and a bit player who actually murdered someone for real six years later.
The famous shot of Father Merrin standing in a shaft of light piercing the gloom outside the MacNeil residence is based on Rene Magritte's series of paintings called "Empire of Light".
The green goop was split pea soup and the projectile vomit that splats in Karras' face was actually supposed to hit his chest! His shock is totally real!
Linda Blair's incredible performance left such an indelible impression, she could never escape being associated with the role.
Mercedes McCambridge, a veteran character actress from the '40's-'80's who lent support to many of Hollywood's leading ladies, was the voice of Pazuzu. She achieved the desired effect by gorging on raw eggs, chain-smoking and binge drinking before reading her lines!
The Director's Cut features the famous "spider-walk" scene where a contortionist stand-in for Blair scuttles downstairs bent-over backwards like a spider!
Karras' faith is renewed by this undeniably supernatural experience and the shock of Merrin's death forces him to be the vanguard of that faith. Only then is he able to expel Pazuzu from Regan by offering himself as a tasty alternative. Pazuzu opts for the priest's soul over the child's as the greater prize but is thwarted from seizing full control by the priest's newfound belief long enough for Karras to leap to his death thereby denying Pazuzu a host. When Regan kisses Father Dyer's cheek, it indicates to the audience she has been freed of the demon's grip. She has no conscious recollection of what occurred but seeing Dyer's collar stirs a subconscious compulsion to express gratitude. Some devout Christians feel this movie glorifies evil but it is actually a powerful example of the renewal of faith!
Jason Miller, who played Father Damien Karras, is Jason Patric's dad.
Karras's faith was restored when Chris asked if her daughter was going to die. He immediately said no and went back to save the girl. He had no doubts.
This is disturbing in ways other horror movies aren't because it more accurately portrays evil. Evil isn't a scary killer who jumps out of the shadows at you. True evil demoralizes you, degrades you, fills you with doubt and self loathing, inflames your pride, wallows in filth. This is what the demon does to those around the girl it possesses. It doesn't go on a killing spree (although it did kill Burke). Instead it gets in the heads of people and insinuates those feelings in them.
Most of the time, in real life, evil is just that little unacknowledged voice that does these things to us, subtly inviting us to stray from anything to do with the sacred or virtue or beauty. Most of the time that voice is so slight that we just assume it's our own thoughts. But sometimes, very, very rarely, it comes roaring out at us.
The thing that scared me the most about this movie wasn’t the effects, the language or the scares. It was the way she looked. To this day, I can’t even see a pic of that face.
Dick Smith's merit. He made a huge scar in our minds with that f... face! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
And yet you’re here. Tsss
This was the first horror film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. Happy Friday The 13th
It took me years to realize when she asks her mother, “Do you know what she did…?” that she was speaking in Burt Dennings voice.
This movie is the perfect example of making a lot out of a little. Everything was done with practical effects, and it comes across so effectively.
You're absolutely right, horror is based in jump-scares. This film is magnificent because it is based in the atmosphere. It has, like The Shining, some jump-scares here and there but made with the music, the sound, the montage. But it builds this uncomfortable feeling that is the base of the fear it creates.
Saw this movie in the theaters when it first came out. As good as it still holds up today, you can't imagine just how much of a gut punch it was to us, then! It was (And still is) the only movie where I literally saw people vomit/ing, and fleeing the theater (At certain scenes, and we know what they were!).
It was really visceral, esp. if you're religious (And I grew up under the Catholic Theology).
I'm coming for you tonight.💀
You only watched the "edited" version... the full version shows "The spider-walk" of her coming down the stairs UPSIDE DOWN and INVERTED out of NOWHERE! You hear faint thumps of her footsteps as she speeds down the hallway and BOOM! THERE SHE IS... that alone is pretty traumatizing because of how "Unnatural" it is the first time you see it.
You mean theatrical version.
Well, that and the fact her mouth is oozing blood.
The Exorcist deals with humanity’s deepest fears about the unknown, and it makes you feel like you’re completely helpless to escape from it.
I'm really happy that medical diagnostics have come a long way since the 70s.
The staff aren't serial killers anymore
Hopefully
@@SamuelBlack84 Look up "Lucy Letby"...
Gee, is that why there's a bunch of deranged people parading in the streets waving rainbow flags believing they were born in the wrong body?
23:32 When Regan's head first spins, she has a British accent because it's Burke's voice that says "Do you know what she did?" implying that this is exactly what she did to him before pushing him out the window.
Burke was found "at the bottom of the steps with his head turned completely around, facing backwards."
What we’ve learned from this reaction: Cotton Eye Joe is the only universally acceptable country song 😁
23:22 the demon speaks with a British accent because it’s supposed to be Burke, the British guy whose head got turned backwards. It’s why Regan’s neck turns all the way back as well - the demon is taunting Chris because she’s just realised that Regan might’ve killed Burke.
I hope that Vicky watches the extended director’s cut at some point, as it does add a bit of depth to what happened and throws in a bit more spookiness. The changes are quite restrained, too, which is good… but I still prefer the ending of the theatrical cut, in spite of the writer not being happy with it.
1968 to 1977 was an amazing decade in film-making and I hope that plenty of modern filmmakers are watching these reaction channels, because how these young ‘uns respond really demonstrates just how good movies were back then, and how artificial newer ones can feel by comparison.
I'd rather have my fingernails pulled out with pliers than have to listen to CEJ even once all the way through. Then again, the same goes for almost all country music.
why does nobody get this?! the burke thing? its SO obvious and a HUGE part of the story !!!
Fun Facts: The opening of this movie is shot in an ancient city of Nothern Iraq now in ruins called, "Hatra". The Exorcist was released in 1973 six years before Saddam Hussein came to power under a one-party dictatorship known as The Baath party.
Great Reaction VKunia! And Happy Friday The 13th. You couldn’t have picked a better movie to release on TH-cam! I remember reading this book my freshman year in high school then going to watch it at a theater in Brownwood Tx. We drank as much beer as we could because we knew what we were in for!
70’s movies were a different level like you said they raised the bar quite a bit! Glad you were able to throw a little humor in there! The other movie that blew me away was Carrie! That’s another classic horror!🙏🏻
Fun fact, Max von Sydow, who played Father Merrin, was 43-years-old when this was filmed. His face and hair underwent extensive make-up to make him look like he was in his 70s. Jason Miller, who played Father Karras, was 33.
Great video! You were maybe thinking of Anna Lisa Michelle? She was the German girl famously possessed , but the story of The Exorcist was actually based loosely on a boy they called Roland Doe (not his real name) from Maryland, the exorcism taking place in St. Louis If you ever get a chance to read Blattys' novel The Exorcist, do it. Its much more in depth than the movie. Thanks for sharing your reaction with us!😀👍
I've played with Ouija boards numerous times. They're mass-produced pieces of varnished cardboard manufactured by Parker Brothers. The funny thing about them is that when a group of skeptics play with them, they do absolutely nothing. The planchette only moves when the players move it. In any case, great film. We watch it every Easter.
Awesome reaction, one of the scariest movies ever and also just so well made. Great acting, direction, and writing.
I really got a kick out of your question “I wonder what the ‘70s and ‘80s were like?”. 😂The answer is not very different from now in many ways, apart from the fashions and the absence of the internet and smart phones. The TV you watched was an actual piece of furniture and you had to get up and turn dials to change channels. One dial had your VHF channels-the biggies like ABC, CBS, and NBC. The other dial had your UHF channels; broadcasts on these were few and far between, and often came from dinky little local TV stations. Back then, TV stations stopped broadcasting around midnight. They’d wrap up the day by playing the national anthem, then they went off the air and all you got was static-or the “test pattern” with a continuous beep! They came back on the air about 5 or 6 AM.
Fun fact: this movie is what actually created the zeitgeist fear of the ouija board. Before this, it was just a fun home party game, like twister or pictionary.
I don’t think so, Quija boards have had reputations for decades. My sister had one when she was a teenager (before the movie came out) and she kept it hidden from my mom. This was the late 60’s / very early 70’s.
@@Lulusvideos1 there was some religious pushback against the game, for obvious reasons, but this movie incited actual fear about it.
@@JakkFrost1
No, Lu is correct and you are flat out 100% wrong.
The use of this board became more widespread during the counterculture revolution of the 1960's when the youth began exploring spirituality, whereas before it was used by Spiritualists and Mediums.
The use of this board is what led to the 1949 case involving a Maryland boy upon which the novel and the film are loosely based on.
@@Elsupermayan8870 you haven't refuted anything I said.
@@JakkFrost1
Then read my comment again until it sinks in.
I e never seen your channel or content, but this is one of the best reactions to this masterpiece I’ve ever seen.
A lot of people do not even remember Burke’s name and put together how she killed him and other details. Also, the fact that it made you emotional when Pazuzu (that’s actually the demon’s name) was imitating Damian’s mom, really impressed me. That is exactly how you are intended to feel. Some people just don’t get there.
If you want to continue this series, I suggest only watching Exorcist III. It is very suspenseful and creepy. The rest aren't nearly is good. As for life in the 70's & 80's, that's when I grew up. I graduated high school in 1985.
23:29 The demon immitating Burk's voice.
I saw the movie in the theaters when it came out. I guess I was around 14 at the time. We had no problem getting into the theater even though it was rated R. I will say that you handled the movie quite well. I think your tendency to make jokes made you brave. I like watching first time reactions and many that I have seen of this movie were not handled nearly as well as you did. Great reaction.
Tha Exorcist is not only a horror movie. Absolutely everyone after watching it has a fear deep inside, a fear cause by the unknown, a fear that remains in our primitive brains from long long ages ago, when the humans faced the devil itself, who showed up in different shapes.
If every "horror" movie were as good as this film, there would be no horror genre, just great films. It's a bit shocking, yes, but brilliantly executed cinema.
I liked how you said "don't guilt trip him he followed his faith". Father Karras's uncle didn't seem to care much about his own sister.
Great reaction. When this played, it shocked audiences so much some walked out. Some even fainted. And if I'm not mistaken, in the middle of the intense scenes I saw you crossing yourself to feel better.
You've really been put through the ringer with these horror movies. Glad you enjoy the classics.
This movie came out in the 70’s. People weren’t used to seeing something so vulgar depraved back then. Nowadays we’ve become desensitized to it but back then it was extremely difficult to not be jolted by it.
Nowadays they don't even dare to go this far. Have you seen any possession movie that has dared go this far since 1973?
The Exorcist is still unparallelled in that sense.
@@murrayroodbaard207 correct the masterbation rape with the blood on her vagina
23:35 that was the voice of Burke Dennings, the director of the in-universe movie and the drunk at the party, the man Regan killed.
Girl, you had me in stitches with this one. One of your best reactions ever. Love the channel and can't wait for more Breaking Bad reactions
There’s so much to talk about this…….
Trivia: the noises that possessed Regan makes was done by an actress called Mercedes McCambridge, who dubbed Linda Blair as the demon; she ate raw eggs and chainsmoked for a long time during production, and the weirdest sounds, on different keys would come out of her mouth all at once. In fact, when Linda Blair was nominated for the Oscar, Mercedes got really mad because she wasn’t credited. Also, during the crucifix scene, Ellen Burstyn (Chris) actually hit her back hard on the floor, and to this day at 88, she still has back pain; her facial expression is 100% real, the scream was dubbed over. The exorcist himself, Merrin (played by Max Von Sydow) was actually 44, and the makeup artist made him look even 40 years older….
The thing about this movie is that up until the crucifix scene, purposefully written for shock, as the author of the book and scriptwriter of the movie said, us viewers know that Regan is possessed, but the characters don’t; they’re given every possible logic solution to why Regan is acting the way she is, and it begins tiring all the characters as finding help becomes ever more useless, and then, when it hits them that she is possessed, it not only mind blows all the characters, it also mind blows the viewers….. this movie is a cinematic MASTERPIECE
Since you asked, the 80s were phenomenal. The music, cartoons, TV shows, sports, movies, everything was flawless. It was the greatest era in all history.
and playing out in the street
The 70s too!
@@edwardchoo7981 Preach, Edward!
@@timothywait9457 It was utter magic
Girls were better looking. Beautiful with no blue hair piercings or tattoos. Just beautiful natural Beauties like you Polish Princess.🌷🌹❤️💗💖💝💘🍾🥂
This movie was the first to use many elements that are very common or even clichés in horror movies today.
"The Power of Christ compels you!"
Fun Fact: According to William Friedkin, the subliminal shots of the white faced demon are actually rejected from makeup tests for Regan's (Linda Blair) possessed appearance.
Too Real Fact: Upon its initial theatrical release, the film affected many audiences so strongly that at many theaters, paramedics were called to treat people who fainted and others who went into hysterics.
And Scene Fact: The scene where Regan (Linda Blair) projectile vomits at Father Karras only required one take. The vomit was intended to hit Jason Miller in the chest, but the plastic tubing misfired, hitting him in the face. His reaction of shock and disgust while wiping away the vomit is genuine, and Miller admitted in an interview that he was very angered by this mistake.
Captain Cowboy of the Ojah Ojah board knows you personally and spiritually because you played with a Ojah Ojah board before 😱 LOL
The scariest part of this movie is that it was at least loosely based on a real story. William Peter Blatty's novel "The Exorcist" was inspired by the actual 1949 exorcism of a young boy from Cottage City, Maryland, and the horrifying 1634 Loudun exorcisms. Apparently, Blatty heard about the Maryland case while he was a student at Georgetown University, which is why the story is based there.
I find it depressing how people seem to prefer believing it was a real demonic possession as opposed to mental illness
Belief is one thing, but preferring that to common sense is frightening
23:34 I think the British accent is supposed to be Burke Dennings' voice! Hence her turning her head around 180° (like Burke's body was found) and "do you know what she did? Your cunting daughter?" The implication being that she did in fact snap Burke's neck.
Between the intelligence, the quick wit, the amazing voice, and the sexiness- you're the most enjoyable reactor. I love your recent partnerships with other reactors too. Even when I haven't seen the movies you're reacting to- within the 1st few seconds of the video, you come up with a hilarious line that makes me keep watching... "What is this, The Mummy?" ROTF already!! :) I saw The Exorcist about 190232 years ago- but I'll still watch the rest of this reaction because it's YOU! :) I can't wait til you get back to Breaking Bad. TOOOOO LOOONG of a break. Bad. Very Bad. :)
Get some friends
@@Mildredpotka I bet that ugly face on your contactless profile is better looking than the one you have in real life. IF you do have anybody you consider a friend, I'm sure they talk very badly about you when you're not around.
Ahhh the Exorcist, the ultimate family feelgood film! Perfect for Christmas day.
She had a British accent when she turned her head backwards because she was talking in the voice of Burke, the person whose head she turned backward and threw out the window. Hence the "Do you know what she did...? Comment.
You are two people in life; the person you were before watching this, and the person you become afterwards.
You got it. The subtlety and fear was real, not CGI. To get beyond the real and justified fear, read it this way. They sacrificed themselves to save a child that we had got to know, but they never knew - they only knew the demon. Karras went into it faithless, but it took faith to stay the course. Regan’s mom was an atheist…but she made the leap of faith to call in Karras. The book by Blatty makes this all clear. So in some ways this is a kind of religious film posing as horror. During the Mass scene, notice how Karras says ‘The mystery of faith’ and it jumps to ‘An excellent day for an exorcism’.
On some technical issues. A local bishop can in fact authorise an exorcism without getting Vatican permission. The rite they use in the movie at the beginning of the exorcism before things go wild is the actual Catholic rite of exorcism that is still used though slightly differently worded. The psychological attacks on both of them is documented in exorcism cases. Vee, you rightly noted that only priests of deep faith are allowed to do exorcisms. Karras scepticism is an integral part of deciding whether an exorcism should be used. Most ‘possession’ cases are in fact various forms of mental disorder.
Father Merrin is based loosely on the Jesuit priest-palaeontologist Teilhard de Chardin. Karras might be a composite of two or three American Jesuits who were psychiatrists. (One was for a number of years Head of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital and chair of its Medical Ethics Committee). In the late 1960s Jesuits worked in Iraq until they were expelled by Saddam Hussein.
And by the way both Tom (the older priest who is Karras superior) and Dyer (his piano-playing, Chivas stealing friend who gives him last rites) were both played by Jesuit priests. And the university in the movie is a mix of Georgetown and Fordham Universities.
1. The tablets are for his heart.
2. He was drinking tea (chai)
3. I'm in my 70's and went opening week to the theater.
There were ambulances parked outside, the religious community was flipping out, vomiting, fainting, running out of the theater.... Frankly I giggled throughout the film. My fascination was with the special effects. No CGI, no AI, everything was a physical action!
4. The bedroom was actually a refrigerated room,the only way they could get the "breath" on film.
Linda Blair deserve greatness. Not only did she did she do all her own acting except a few key science, but all the effects were practical with no CGI. Regan Motörhead the words but someone else’s voice was recorded over.
"I DEMAND Brendan Fraser - where is he??" That got me laughing. Super film this, I first saw it when I was 14, gave me nightmares initially, but I learned to deal with it. The actor who played Father Karras was terrific, and Max von Sydow slays every role he plays.
Hi Vkunia, Thanks for reacting to one of , if not the scariest movie ever made, in my opinion. A lot of movies now as you said go straight for the scary jump scares. The older movies are slower, but build up the tension and story. This one hits in a different way than most and feels to me like it uses it's elements of storytelling to hit on some of our base fears. Obviously this is just my opinion, but a great watch i think everyone should see this movie at least once. OH... also, I will never play with Ouija board!
Rosemary's Baby and Night of the Living Dead in 1968 were arguably the beginings of the era. As for Germany, the exorcism of Annelise Michelle was a true story that inspired the movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose, but is not related to this movie. The Exorcist was inspired by an actual exorcism that took place in Maryland in the 1940s. Pazuzu is an actual demon/god from Mesopotamian mythology and yes, he is packing a snake.
It's funny Vee's reaction to the Ouija board. It is this movie which changed the attitude towards them as evil and demonic. "Talking" boards were used in spirituality and by mediums but were considered harmless. The Ouija board was patented and produced as a game. There were some myths floating around that it was involved in a couple of murders but that was about it, then along came the Exorcist. This movie changed a population's entire attitude
The "Exorcism of Emily Rose" movie is also insanely good. There is one scene in there that, to me, is one of the most terrifying acting in movie fucking history.
To answer questions. Merrin knew what was going to happen when he saw the artifact, and the statue. The demon is the same one he had successfully removed in his earlier exorcism. The only one killed by the demon was Burke. Twisting the head backwards is a Black Mass traditional thing. Merrin was taking Nitroglycerin pills for his heart. He died from a heart attack. In the book, this really pissed the demon off. Kerras took the demon, gained momentary control, then jumped, taking the demon with him. If the Host body dies, the demon MUST have another willing body to immediately jump into, he didn't, or it returns to Abbadon. In the third movie, we learn that is what happened. The absolute last thing he would have done was kill Regan, because that would have sent him away, as said. There are 4 (5) movies in the series. This one was very good, as you saw. 2 was actually not really good at all, but it gives a whole lot of background. Like the name of the demon, and why Regan was the target. 3 ties up the loose ends of this movie. It is basically the stories of Kinderman, and Dwyer. A very good movie indeed. It has what is possibly the best jump scares ever. There are also 4-5. Prequels of the original exorcism done by Merrin. For some reason they filmed it twice, same story, same actors, just a bit different telling. Again, they are also pretty good, and either one is a good watch.
Linda Blair did an amazing job as Reagan. She deserved a much bigger acting career.
This and Amityville are the two movies that traumatized me as a kid. Mainly because I was eight years old and my punk teenage brother forced me to watch it..Gave me nightmares for weeks. 😮
38:06 - the movie was loosely based on an incident in 1949, except the actual incident involved a boy rather than a girl, both of the priests survived, and the boy's head didn't rotate 180 degrees, although people did describe objects moving through the air and one of the priests said he saw a brightly glowing figure in between sessions.
Priest: "So you must know my mother's maiden name"
Demon: "it's RAALLLLLLPHHHHH"
"Demons don't really care about cheese" and "The Virgin Mary got wrecked!" are, by far, the best two lines of this reaction.
The mother, Ellen Burnstyn gave the greatest performance in the history of movies, in my opinion. You can see and feel her pain, sorrow, desperation, grief, and her helplessness and fear for her little girl, WOW. You have the most genuine, down to Earth reactions on TH-cam, love watching them.
"Who do you call?!"...
Me:"... Ghostbusters!" 😂
All done with actors..that's the child actress running down the stairs using cables, that's a famous voice actress's actual voice, that's a machine projectile vomiting, and another woman also playing the demon for the tougher scenes. They superimposed images, turned her room into a freezer, all types of rigging to have bed shake and body convulse and levitate, lacerations with holy water..everything, all kinds of tricks. They came up with all kinds of ways to make this work, touched all bases with this film..it's remarkable. The horror genre is a pretty cheap genre and this film's quality is really unmatched. No doubt the scariest film ever made. Watching this alone makes you feel as if you might conjure something up.
I grew up in the 1970s. Great music and great films - you're watching one of them. You left the house to play with your friends and your parents just said "be back before dark," even though they knew the serial killers went after their victims during the day. There were no cell phones for our parents to hover over us and verify that we were still alive and not in a garbage dumpster somewhere waiting to be tomorrow's local headlines. But we connected with people. We had to, not because we had a virtual surrogate. And we learned shit from experience because we had to, not because we could call up a TH-cam video to tell us what to do. Our knowledge was fashioned by the grit of life. We lived raw and unfiltered. I wouldn't have chosen to be born in any other time. Great review video by the way. I always enjoy seeing people react to this movie, which incidentally I saw when I was eight years old because my parents couldn't find a babysitter and took me with them to see the movie in a drive-in theater.
Great reaction, I saw this film with my father in 1973. There was no internet, there was nothing like even Ghost Adventures on TV and possession was not main stream like it is today in any film making and most films did horrible job trying to depict them. During the part where she was treated in hospital many people were gasping and crying but, when the first real encounter occurred where she was being thrown on the bed the film had to be interrupted due to a person fainting. At the crucifix scene is where we had to leave. I was 7 years old and I did not sleep for months after that and when I did sleep I had horrible nightmares. Since then after a lifetime of being numbed by TV, internet and movies I can now watch it but, every time it still gives me as you put it a sense of dread that you don't get from most other movies. Great reaction.
That "wild transition" is because you needed to watch the re-release from 2000. Regan spider-walked down the staircase contorted and drooled blood. The timeline makes no sense without it. That scene was removed originally because the wires were too visible. They used CGI to hide them in 2000.