The whole point of the beginning part in Iraq is, as they mention later, Father Merrin had dealt with this demon before and he had a premonition he was about to face it again. The demon didn't kill Merrin. He suffered heart failure. The overall story is really about Father Karras. Throughout the story he's struggling with his guilt from his mom and his own crisis of faith. But even as he investigates it, he's still not totally convinced about what he's dealing with. Yet, in the end he performs the ultimate act of love by sacrificing his own life to save someone he never met. You have to remember, he never met Reagan, only the demon. William Peter Blatty, who wrote the novel and screenplay, said the whole point of the "crucifix masterbation" scene was not to shock the audience, but in terms of the story, what would be the worst thing he could think of that would finally convince this atheist/agnostic mother that her child really is possessed and she needs an exorcism.
"You have to remember, he never met Reagan, only the demon." Excellent point. I missed that! He never did meet Reagan. Very true, and somehow sad also.
Yeah, merrin was an old man and just died mid-exorcism which, in the book, the demon was actually pissed off at, because his soul had ascended to heaven and so was beyond his torment.
From a Catholic point of view father Karras and his suicide would see him sent to hell unfortunately but he died to save the child almost like a self sacrifice of another figure in the religion id imagine
Do you SEE WHY this is still considered the most horrifying movie ever made over 40 years later? It's a masterpiece in every single way, from acting to sound design to special effects to cinematography. Your reaction was quite accurate; horrified at the growing tension. The director knew how to wring the terror out of the audience. I can't imagine seeing this in a theater in the 1970s. The horror would have been unbearable.
@@charles1203 My mom was 14 and used to sneak into movies 😂 she snuck into this film and she said she watched the whole thing with her hoodie over her legs to her chest and her hood up. People were freaking the fuck out and that made it worse for her. She is 62 now and hasn’t rewatched it to this day. She absolutely refuses to.
@@ThatDangerousWolf I saw it when they rereleased it with the new footage and damn, I slept with the Bible open to psalm 91: Security Under God’s Protection and I’d sleep with the prayer channel on. Today, I’m a Protestant and ghost hunter. Something like this I’d say fallen angel, you walked out on God who still loves you. I don’t fear you because Jesus loves me. I’d actually touch its head and say, Jesus loves you and forgives you.
@@ThatDangerousWolf My wife also will not watch it again, and I can't even do some of the dialog, like "Why you do this to me Deme?" etc. She will hit me. 😋 I think for my wife AND anyone else the one that seems to freak out everyone is the crab walk down the stairs. You would think the cross masturbation scene or many other freaky things, but it's that scene that scares the fuk out of everyone!
Father Damien wasn't " thrown " out the window at the end. The devil went into him when the girl pulled the Christian medallion necklace off him...which left him less protected. He said to it, " Come into me!! Take me!! ". The devil, of course wanting more than anything to inhabit, defile, insult and defy God by taking over a loyal, devoted, Christian priest, jumped at the opportunity. Father Damien became possessed and the devil inside him made him reach for the girl to strangle her to death ( a holy priest, a servant of God murdering a little girl of course was something the devil would love to cause to happen.) But Fr. Damien fought against that compelling force and through will power stopped himself from reaching to the girl's neck and instead, flung HIMSELF out the window to kill the Demon altogether. He sacrificed himself for the girl and for everybody.
Which is *very much NOT* how exorcisms work. For one thing, you can't kill a demon, they're incorporeal. You certainly don't solve anything by driving the demon into another person. His death would've accomplished nothing, the demon would have just gone back to the child.
In the exorcist 3 we find out that the priest ,even though pronounced dead, still housed the demon "Pazuzu" ...which kept his life force "alive" to use in the Gemini Killings that gets investigated by the detective, played by George C Scott. Exorcist 3 is creepy scary without the foulness of the original Exorcist film ❤ 😱 🏆 🎥
Just to be clear, when Fr. Karras told the detective "The Dominicans, go pick on them", he was referring to a religious order in the Catholic Church commonly known as the Dominicans (because their founder was St. Dominic), their official name being "Order of Preachers." He wasn't saying go pick on people from the Dominican Republic.
Ah that clears that up a bit 😅 I did originally think he meant a religious order the first time I watched it, but with more modern PC culture it did occur to me that he might have meant it in a racist way.
Even these days, people think they are ready for this movie but they really have no idea just how disturbing and clever this movie is. It will remain like this forever. I am a little jealous seeing you go through this for the 1st time lol. Say your prayers before you sleep tonight and ask the angels to protect you in the dark.
It is certainly scary for sure, but not nearly as much as I had built it up to be by the time I finally watched it. Somewhat similar for The Shining. That being said I saw The Thing and Prince of Darkness in my early teens, so it takes a lot to really rattle me 😅
@@mnomadvfx I do remember in the 70's watching a zombie movie from a french director. That one sure left a dent . And the soundtrack was great from that zombie movie.
My opinion on the end is that Karras regained his faith in this experience. At the end the demon went into him in order to use him to kill the girl. Karras, powered with his newly regained faith, fought off the demon just long enough to jump out the window, thereby saving the girl. The other priest takes his confession, so the suicide doesn't doom him. The demon does not die with him, the demon can't be 'killed' per se. This demon has possessed people before and will possess people in the future. This demon has also fought with Merrin before, that's why it called out his name when he arrived at the home. Edit: The movie shows Merrin old and frail, taking meds. I think he died from the strain. Even in Iraq, where he saw the omens of the demon's upcoming reappearance somewhere in the world, he looked like his death was imminent.
🎬Yes, you nailed it "flibber123". Merrin and the demon are old foes. No different than Obi-Wan & Vader. The dig he was at was merely a mission to learn more about his adversary. That's why when Karras tried to give him the particulars of the case about Regan having multiple personalities, Merrin makes it clear to him, "There is only one". 🎬Also, the beginning of the movie, for those who didn't understand ...was an omen. When Merrin stood across from the relic, the dogs fighting, he knew what time it was. As much as the demon expected him, he had known he was to be summoned. Like old adversaries, they knew they were to meet again. 🎬The were only two things unknown to the both of them... ...When and Where? 📽BTW, that famous poster of Merrin standing outside of the house, for me always represented "High Noon".
In light of this response, I would say that you should watch 3. The 2nd one is meh at best. 3 has to do with Karras asking to be taken, and the repercussions of that request.
First time I watched this was when I was 12. I'm now 36 and it still always leaves a huge emotional impact on me everytime I watch it. I feel drained after words due to the physiological effects it has. Definitely the scariest movie of all time for me due to it's lack of CGI and raw nature.
The upside-down crab walk does it every time. This film was banned in Ireland by the Catholic Church when it was released, and was only first screened in public in Ireland in 1998 on its 25th anniversary. By that time I think most people were less shockable by horror.
Which is funny, given I remember my catholic grandmother showed us this movie to make sure we never played with ouija boards. We thought it was a documentary for the longest time lmao
The reason this has lasted so long as the BEST film of its kind is down to the acting, the writing, and the fact it’s just so realistic and stark. No whiz bang CGI and excessive film score to distract. It’s like a documentary. Fun fact, Ellen Burstyn is a Sufi Priestess. And given everything she went through making this film, Linda Blair has grown up just fine, she’s a lovely person. I love your reactions, they’re just the best!❤️
Watching the directors cut, great choice. Still considered the scariest movie ever made almost 50 years later. All great practical effects. People were literally passing out, throwing up or just getting up and walking out of the theater because they couldn't handle watching it. You should check out the TH-cam video The Exorcist and the cultural impact on society. It's about 30 minutes long but a very good look at the impact this movie had. I myself never saw this movie until 20 years after it came out basically because of the stigma behind it. I highly recommend 1973's The Legend of Hell House. It's the Mt Everest of haunted houses. Great reaction!😁👍👍
I'm old enough to remember when this came out in the theaters and people were vomiting and walking out in fear. I was too young to see it, and did not want to. I eventually saw the tv edited version as a teenager and it still was frightening. It's partly the slow burn build up (like the theme music, Tubular Bells) that erupts into horror and fear that gets to you. I did see the unedited version in my 30's and yes, it was still horrifying and disturbing. I also recall theaters were giving out barf bags in case people needed them.
@@catherinelw9365 Hey, I was only 9, so I was much too young to see it. I was 16 when I saw Alien on HBO in 1980 and I was scared to go out at night for weeks. LOL.
I was 17 years old when this film came out and I was the film critic for my high school paper. I brought along my little notebook to take down notes only to find out I was so captivated by this movie I didn't write a word. I didn't have to. This movie does not want you to forget every detail. I was at the premiere of this movie at my hometown theater and, let me tell you, audience members were screaming, crying, vomiting, fainting in their seats and in the aisles....it DID have quite an impact on the people who watched it. What is truly interesting after taking a look at it as many times as I have seen it ( I've watched this movie nearly 40 times and it never gets old) I have been impressed more and more that the special effects were all raw. There was no such thing as CGI and there was no use in having a blue screen or sodium vapor background. Everything was done with the basic tools of filmmaking that go back to the beginning of film. If you want top-tier SFX count on Warner Bros to pull it off. The TV show "Supernatural" always pushed the envelope in all 15 seasons to give out the most eye-capturing SFX ever. If you want another unnerving creapass movie, watch "The Amityville Horror" from 1979. (The original is always the best).
Just imagine sitting in a dark crowded theater in 1973 with people screaming, throwing up, passing out and running out of the theater. That's what my mother experienced. She never watched it again.
It's also odd that so many assume that Only Older Audiences are shocked even after we've seen THEIR faces react with all the same horror. And in addition, the original audiences saw this in a massed theatre, with hundreds maybe 2000 in attendance - all jumping, flinching, screaming at the same time. And they did this for a couple of years as it was brought back as 2nd Run's. Not surprisingly, though, it was NOT the centerpiece of horror film festivals - NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, yes, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, yes. But EXORCIST? No. "Just too scary, too disturbing." And really - The Scenes are obvious from 1973 to 2023 to 2073, I bet.
My favorite part in the film, is when Merrin starts the exorcism. He is calmly starting the ritual, is spat upon and isn't fazed in the slightest. He just continues the exorcism as he cleans his glasses/face. It's the small things like that I seem to gravitate towards and remember most.
Merrin is an OG and he is not fazed and knows the demon will stop at nothing. However, when he and Karris are thrown to the floor and the girl is posing on the bed with the statue of Pazuzu behind her, I can't help but think Merrin is thinking, "well, that's something you don't see every day."
@@raineyj560 I was ready for her to say like Urkel, "Did I do that"? (I know it was most likely a heart attack but in a way the demon brought that about).
Linda Blair was 14 yrs old when she got the role to play Regan in The Exorcist . She won the Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. She always wanted a Horse and After the movie the Director got her one
Fun Fact: the vomit projectile was pea soup. That’s commonly known…. But what’s NOT commonly known is that I had a date with a young woman whose uncle owned the diner that sold the production company that very same pea soup. I feel so connected.
My absolute favorite horror movie! It’s just layers of perfect acting, writing, music, filmmaking. I always think about when Father Merrin comes to the house for the exorcism and the demon yells *MERRIN* because the demon had been waiting for him to come the entire time. It’s just an added bonus that my name is Maren :)
I think the abrupt transitions in this film were a deliberate choice in the editing room to help reinforce the idea of contrasts. Contrasting quiet with loud mirrors the contrast between the innocence of Reagan and the evil of Pazzuzzu (the demon). It is choices like this, that make The Exorcist, not just a good horror film, but just a great film overall. Yes, it's terrifying, but over the years, I've come to love it as a character study of Father Karras. It's kind of beautiful in that sense. Man gets faith, becomes priest, loses faith, meets a demon, saves an innocent, dies redeemed, if in just a small way. Beautiful film from that perspective. But it is icky.
The demon was voiced by Mercedes McCambridge, a fine actor in her own right; she won Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in All the King's Men (1949).
Just to put your mind at ease Sam, the 12 year old girl in the movie (Linda Blair) had no emotional scars from doing this movie and unlike many other child stars lives a normal life today. She hurt her back during the bouncing on the bed scene, but otherwise fine. The director spoke with her about the scenes and made sure she was okay. Also, the scenes with the crucifix were acted by a 21 year old stunt double.
I've seen a few interviews with Linda Blair over the years and she got major damage to her back from the up and down segment as she was strapped to a mechanism that jolted her up and down. They should've had the stunt woman do that for her also being as she was still a growing kid. I felt awful for what she had to go through in making the movie.
Can you imagine the phone call to the stunt double? "Yeah, so we are in need of somebody to convincingly stab themselves in the vagina several times in quick succession with a crucifix. Can we count on you?" ".... Pardon?" "Can you stab yourself in the vagi..." "YEAH um... I'll let'cha know..."
At the beginning of the film, Father Merrin uncovers the head of a little figurine of the demon Pazuzu, whom he recognized because he had previously exorcised the demon several years before. So then he has a premonition later that another battle with Pazuzu is coming, with the clock randomly stopping and him almost getting ran over by the carriage. So to confirm his suspicions he goes to some old ruins where there is an old statue of Pazuzu and knows for certain when he sees the dogs fighting each other (the dogs of war have been unleashed). The dissolve to Georgetown right after is to show you where this battle between good and evil is going to take place.
Yeah but I’ve always been kind of confused about the sentence in the film Evil vs Evil, was this film about good vs evil or was it about two different demons fighting over the soul of a little girl!!!
@@davidfollowerofjesuschrist5510In the ancient religion that gave pazuzu its name, the demon was used to frighten other evil spirits. It was supposed to be so powerful that other evil spirits were scared by it.
Max Von Sydow wore prosthetics, to make him look older, but since a lot of people don't know that, I like to wig them out by telling them to compare how he looked here, in 1973, playing the exorcist, and in 1993, playing the devil himself in Needful Things, looking 20 years younger suddenly, 20 years later. lol
This came out when I was 9 when a friend, his older brother and I snuck into the theater to see this and I didn't sleep very well for years after this. I met Linda Blair ( the girl) a few years and told her some of my traumatic childhood experiences because of her. She's really sweet and very aware of her and the films impact on countless individuals and pop culture. And yea, I got an autographed photo her as Demon Regan.
To think that after so many years..that this movie still moves people to the state of shock and fear. And to think this is all done with just practical effects..no computer post production effects. And the sound score still gives me chills..those 'damn bells" in the end credits....creepy as hell. This movie in all it's incarnations.from Director cut to the theatrical cut is just...EPIC. Your reaction to this movie is just priceless...I would have loved to have been in the darkened cinema with you on it's first showing back in the day. As I recall..back in 1973 was 30 years old...and I was afraid to walk to my apartment that night at the 10:00 pm showing back in Michigan. What a classic!!
Sam, you got the end perfectly. Karras, with every ounce of strength he had, took the demon into himself, then managed to recover his "self" and sacrifice his life to destroy the demon and save Regan. It was his ultimate redemption. It started when Chris asked him if Regan was going to die. He said "no" and went immediately upstairs.
It was very fun watching you process this classic flick. Few horror films have set standards in horror that still hold up today, like this film. Thank you
Some time passed after visiting his mother in the hospital. He took her home from the hospital where she was found dead. A bit difficult to piece it together with the way the story is told, but that's the jist of it. The demon possessing Regan is called "Pazuzu", known to be the "right hand to Satan". I edited to add that I LOVED your reactions to this film. You remind me soooo much of my family! I first saw this film as a child (I'm 47) and it scared the living hell out of me!! It's definitely a movie that I return to every now and again. Defo earned a sub!
you have to understand, when it's with a Demon, there is no running away, it latches onto you, follows you wherever you go. with Ghosts you can leave and you're in the clear, and Demons are not limited to a single location, this isnt about a haunting, the Demon named Pazuzu went after that family because they were vulnerable, not because it wanted the house, Demons want souls and that's all they want.
@@Mr.Ekshin lol and when the demon's done with the kid, chances are you're next, it latches itself onto it's victims in a way that there is no running away, you have to fight.
You talk about this as if I demonic possession is a real thing. It’s not. But having said that, the movie is terrifying in its depiction of such fiction.
Running away? There's a reason religious people believe the creator of the universe is the only thing standing between you and it's possession. I think for people to fully contemplate and believe in Satan and demons, you have to realize their evil and VULGARITY is something they actually toned down, taken down a notch to be even sensed by humans. The vulgarity and evil they allow us to see is just the "G" rated version of their true nature. Stabbing the hoohah, puking green slime are just parlor tricks to them. To be clear, I'm not religious. For those who are, the belief, fear and danger of evil, Satan, demonic possession etc. is isn't just something you can be safe from with a vaccine, locked door or even your mother's arms. Like the statue in Iran symbolizes, it's been feared since the day humans realized they were themselves.
As Damien was struggling with her and demanded that instead of her to take him she tore off his main protection of the St. Christopher medallion and it started to shift into him. He realized this as it started to move aggressively towards her and he used everything he had to fight it from doing so but also to keep himself from becoming fully possessed and threw himself out the window. He wasn't tossed out by her as she was released by then.
Your looks to the camera are priceless... perfectly timed 'What the hell is this?' As for disturbing, agreed, so many things to say about the content but best park it here! Great reaction though, summed up in three letters WTF 😂
24:28 The scene where Linda Blair throws up on the priest actually went wrong. She was meant to throw up on his chest. The shock and anger he displays are genuine. Rather than reshoot the scene, the director decided to keep it.
Back in the day everyone in school was reading the book, and wondering how the movie would be. My Dad finally took us to see it, and it's one thing to read the printed word and quite another to see it on the screen, and hear that voice. If you think it was intense now, imagine it back then, for someone about Regan's age. It was mind blowing.
The scene at the very end, where she hugs the other priest is her moment of realization. She recognizes it as a symbol of who saved her from possession.
Some random facts about the movie- That scream from when the mom got tossed back was real, due to a malfunction in her harness she got pulled back to quickly and landed on her tailbone and actually got a spinal injury. The medical scenes where filmed with actual medical personnel and one of them was a murderer, The filming got delayed because the set burned down
My Catholic mom saw this movie in college and to this day talks about how out of her mind terrified she was! Such an iconic movie, no one has done it quite like The Exorcist did it imo
I agree. I've seen every TH-cam reaction to this movie and Sam's reaction is the only one that made me misty eyed watching. I felt she really understood and got it. Take her reaction to it and travel back 50 years, wiping out every horror movie we've seen and been conditioned to up to this point. She nailed it.
From what I can see, being possessed by that demon made Reagan feel at times like she was being burned alive. That is why she would often scream in pain. If this was real I would feel horrible!
Absolutely loving your reaction to this. I’d forgotten how up front….and vulgar…the dialogue from Reagen while she’s possessed is. Definitely one of the most intense movies of the past 50-60 years. Just imagine how to move going audience back then reacted and thought of it…
Yes, Mercedes McCambridge voiced the demon/devil so Blair didn't have to. This became a minor controversy when Blair was nominated for an Oscar, I think.
I've seen this movie for the first time in theatre, in 1977, when I was 9, thanks to my clever mother, who brought me to watch this movie at the age of nine. Now, when I'm 53, I've been watcing this movie for some 40-50 times (I'm a movie collector for a 35 years now). Best horror movie ever, besides Poltergeist, The omen, Amityville 2: The possesion, and in newest era, Event Horizon, The others, Ghost ship and 30 days of night, to mention only few... Greetings from Croatia!
I think when Damian took the demon inside of him, he knew he could only control it for so long. If he allowed the demon to have control of him, the demon would have tried killing Regan. So in the brief moment Damian had control over it, he threw himself out the window in order to kill the demon's host: that is, himself.
He wasn't controlling it, he was only controlling himself / his own body. Arguably a very silly manuver altogether IMHO despite how epic it plays out as, because Dimitri had no guarantee what so ever that the demon could not simply repossess Reagan the moment his body became useless to it.
@@mnomadvfx eh when Jesus performs an exorcism on Legion (“we are many”) he sends them into a heard of pigs, which then are drowned, ending their threat. So he probably had that in the back of his mind.
Your reaction was hysterical. I sympathized with you.... Picture it- Christmas 1973 drive 60 miles in the snow to find a theatre that wasn't sold out. 280 people screaming together, then later being all alone and I was so afraid for weeks....Great Reaction!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!! You ARE the OG because even though there are a lot of reactions to The Exorcist, I know you REALLY didn't want to watch it, but you did anyway which takes a lot of courage, so that makes you the OG to me. This is my favorite horror movie because it's so terrifying. When I just want to be scared, this is what I watch. I LOVED your reaction!!!!! I wish I had money to spare because you'd be my first donation. I don't presume that you did this for me, but I thank you anyway!!
I'm always curious about any movie out there, so it's more like, hell, this is the time to watch it, so let's do it, rather than NOPE. But holy hell this was crazy. I'm glad you enjoyed my reaction!! I appreciate ya
You're so adorable, Sam!! Glad ya made it through this movie in one sitting!! (It took me 2 sittings to watch the whole thing, LOL) as I first stopped it when she first became possessed in front of her mother and the doctors, specifically when her eyes became pure white and she did that yell/growl. And regarding the ending, I'm pretty sure Karras threw himself out the window with the demon inside of him, to stop the demon from jumping back into Regan, so his death was pretty much self-sacrifice. Glad you reacted to it!! It's one of the best horror films ever made!!
You've already seen Max Von Sydow, who plays Merrin, as the Tracker in What Dreams May Come. As you might gather from when that film was made, he was actually much younger than this role was intended for, being 43 during filming (Jason Miller, playing the supposedly much younger Karras, was just ten years younger), but even at the start of his career in the 1950s he gave an impression of being a good deal older than he really was. And he continued working right up to his death just last year at age 90, which means in his more recent roles like in Game of Thrones and The Force Awakens he finally looked his real age.
Some of the most awesome things in this movie is the horror strikes at the subconscious. The acting is tremendous. Linda Blair’s glares are terrifying. And the subliminal messages, one of them is the bedroom curtains blowing from the inside out. A great masterpiece and to this day is the greatest horror movie in movie history.
In my opinion this is the most brilliant movie ever made, especially for that time in the early 70s. Everything about this is an absolute masterpiece. I’ve seen it more times than I can count, it is my absolute favorite horror movie! Your reaction was hilarious, very entertaining!
There will never be another movie like this. Many have tried but have never topped it. Linda Blair didn't win an Oscar for this, but totally deserved one.
It is absolutely a shame Linda Blair didn't win an Oscar for her role. I mean she was only what 12 or 13. Just amazing. The behind the scenes footage her on the Tube are really interesting to watch too.
Of course a great performance by Linda Blair. However she didn't do any of the demon voices and had multiple stunt doubles and puppets for the most memorable scenes. That's why she was just nominated and didn't win.
My mum and my sister came in while I was watching your video. They both laughed at you. I laughed at you too. We all laughed at you 🤣🤣😂😂😂 God knows how much I love The Exorcist. There's the entire audiobook on TH-cam, read by the author! I've not listened to the entirety yet, but it is really good. I might just nick my sister's book and read along. Love this film!!!
I loved your reaction. You were truly shocked. The demon tells the mother during the head spin that she killed Burke. She twist her neck and tells the mother in Burke’s voice “ you know what she did , your ******* daughter?” The movie is intense and it’s also very emotional with all the pain the characters have to endure. Linda Blair was nominated for an Oscar and she won a Golden Globe for her performance. A timeless masterpiece and the film has become iconic.
I saw this in the theater when I was 8 years old with my older sister. I wasn't that freaked out until our substitute 5th-grade teacher told the class that possessions really happened and that she'd witnessed it. Your reactions were PRICELESS!!!
When this film was shown in theaters people who saw it were terrified. There is great news footage of people being interviewed coming out of the movies right after seeing it who look completely shocked and saying they've never seen anything like it before. Nobody was prepared for this film. The music by Tubular Bells was a big hit on radio and even though I was way too young to see the film then, just hearing the music and knowing it was from The Exorcist spooked me for years. It took me a long time to finally watching it from beginning to end. Now it doesn't scare me nearly as much. Linda Blair who played Regan, starred in a spoof of the movie in 1989 called "Repossessed". Your reactions were priceless!
Oh damn if I could go back in time, I'd watch countless classics at the movies just to hear the first audience reactions haha. And great reaction as always^^ Have you considered watching Hereditary? It's a modern horror masterpiece!
Enjoyed your reaction to this. And mostly, I give you credit for listening to this with headphones. I've seen this at least 40 times, but never with headphones... and never will. 😝
As a fan of horror movies I disagree with your "this movie must be watched once". I watched it on TV when I was 5 or 6 y.o. and years later when the extended version came to theaters I watched it again. The Exorcist is the gold standard of horror.
AMAZING reaction, as always after all... can you imagine how impressive and shockful was all this when it was actually released? Such violence and such language were an absolute first, in the early '70s... Also, consider the evolution of Damien as a character: he started as a priest who was losing his faith and finished by redeeming himself , giving his life to save someone he didn't even know: as a matter of fact, Damien never met "Regan" as, from the very first moment he met her, she was possessed. This made me think a lot, the fist time I saw the movie... keep up the good work!!!!
He wasn't redeeming himself because of his faith. If he sought any redemption at all it was out of shame of having allowed his mother to die in such a fashion. It's not an accident that the film keeps coming back to Damian and his mother.
As a person who went through 12 years of Catholic school this movie and The Exorcism of Emily Rose (barn scene) always made me so uneasy, I’m not a religious person by any means but man I always do the sign of the cross when I watch these movies every so often ha.
This is an extremely intense movie no one is ever prepared for. I have seen this many times over the years & I still feel exhausted by the end from every thing we have to deal with.
Oujia boards were really popular as a parlour game before this movie came out. This film cemented the fact that they are creepy AF. (Fun Fact - Ouija is still a registered trademark owned by Parker Bros)
I think this movie is a psychological drama/thriller/supernatural story confronting science vs. religion vs. superstition. I think is one of the most brilliant films ever made .
I LOVE your reaction to this movie. It’s definitely one of my favorite movies. It’s very very true to the book and the author worked closely with the team I guess, too. There’s a lot of backstory that they hint to in this movie but don’t ever elaborate on. Even the book briefly mentions it, but it’s more of an over-all and encapsulating story we aren’t meant to know the details to but understand that this is a personal vendetta from the demon to win over Merrin. I highly recommend the book. I read it in a single sitting, and it’s super rare for me to get so sucked into a book like that. There has never been, and there will never, not EVER be another movie on this level. Everyone in this movie deserved an Oscar. You just cannot top this movie. No one is ever prepared for this story. I sincerely wish I had been alive when it released because the audience reactions are legendary.
Sam, your reactions to classic horror films are a real treat. Thank you for giving us some some real quality entertainment and making our lives brighter.
When the priest tries to direct the investigator to “the Dominicans” … it’s not a racial thing. The Dominicans are a religious order within Catholicism. But I think it’s clear he was being ironic.
I was 13 when this came out, and was definitely NOT allowed to see it....but I remember the papers and the news talking about how people had to get up and leave the theater, either because they were too shocked, too scared, or they literally got sick and vomited during the movie. First of a kind, and the entire idea of the theme of this movie was absolutely terrifying. I also remember many people giving the filmmakers HE** for having a child doing/saying these things. Don't think I saw it until it was on "Cable" tv, and I don't even know how old I was...
I was 13 years old when this movie first came out, saw it at the walk in theater back in the day they had drive INS but when I went to the walk in me and my friends would walk to the theater a town away and by the time the movie was over it was dark outside and we had to walk home, that had to be the longest walk we ever took, that movie scared the hell out of me, I can't bring myself to watch it again, specially the uncut version, I just cant do it but watching you watching it was totally priceless to this day this has to be the scariest movie I've ever seen. I don't remember if she won any awards but this part basically ruined her career it type cast her, she did do some other movies but nothing that did anything for her, she did do sequels to this but they flopped, she did do a movie called sweet hostage that I kind of remember being good but basically nothing.
Also for a random Fact: Linda Blair makes a cameo in Scream. But a TON of people miss out on it since she’s obviously a grown adult and not in crazy make up. Not a spoiler. A ton of people miss on it. I forget if she used to host a host a haunted horror show for spooky places. The craze back in the early 2000s. I honestly forget the name. Chat will save me on this.
This was a very controversial piece. The Catholic Church didn’t want it released. The set was “cursed” and a series of bizarre events took place during the filming of this movie….legend has it. Her mother didn’t believe in God. Regan was a very imaginative child. And Demi was losing his faith in God. The demon wanted a rematch with the priest that exorcised him in Africa and was willing to drag to hell any and all involved. I saw this when I was 9, it rocked me. I went to see the director’s cut when it was re-released and walked out the theater 🤦🏽♀️
So this is what I was meaning. THAT Spider Walk Scene was EVERYTHING! It wasn’t in the original cut. But in a modern audience context. It works cuz we know it’s a demon girl who spits green puke. Even then it’s just traumatizing. What I meant other reactors just go HELL no to at this part. But Exorcist Purists are against it despite this being 100% in the novel! But hey let I’ll let them enjoy the film how they want. Also Another cut scene I LOVE is when Merrin and Karras have a break to talk about WHY Regan! Another thing from the novel. It’s beautiful and poetic. It’s not the girl exactly but it’s meant to traumatize anyone to turn away and become a disbeliever. It’s so good. A perfect case far Karras who IS struggling with faith. And yes in the novel the demon IS called Pazuzuz. The statue you see at the beginning with Merrin. Starring it down. Like he knows what’s about to come. But from an unlikely source. Another addition was the tests they do on Regan! They do this to give you more reasons WHY her mom would jump the religious Exorcism bandwagon. Especially since she’s an atheist. I wish I can remember other cool facts but I’m legit on my to the theaters to see Halloween Kills so forgive me for being absent minded!
I just stumbled & subscribed on your channel..so happy with your reaction..so many people make fun of this movie ,those that do ,don't take into account this was early 70's nothing was made like this back then.. It was a major phenomenon ,people were fainting it was really a big deal..i was 13 snuck into see it..it was awesome love horror movies but nothing ever lived up to this as far as that scary feeling especially the vision of mom on the bed.. maybe' Exorcist 3' and Carnival of Souls'( the black and white one)but you were so respectful of the movie and the actors who were amazing.thank you so much.✌
While I would never usually really wish to be older. I was born in 1980 and this is one film I'd have loved to have seen upon original release. So I missed out by about 20 years. :(
It got 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Lead Actress (Ellen), and Best Supporting Actress (Linda), and Actor (Jason). And it won for Screenplay and Sound in a VERY competitive year.
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. Also, when you see the actress 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 radiographer (Paul Bateson) was a real life serial killer!!
I got a Ouija Board for Christmas when I was like 9 years old. My aunt (Who is a nun and has lived in a convent for 65 years) made my mother throw it away before I could play with it.
He's a priest and a medical doctor, a psychiatrist specifically. Jesuits are all highly educated; many are college professors, scholars, scientists. It takes 12 to 15 years to become a Jesuit. Serious business.
Paul Bateson [real life radiographer], and played the radiographer in the angiogram procedure in the film [the one with the spurting blood], is a real life murderer and the only suspect [wouldn't confess] in the 6 "Bag Murders" in Manhattan. He was released on parole - whereabouts now unknown or if still alive, he would be 81yo. Extra creep to the movie.
The actress who played the mother was really hurt during one of the demonic activity scenes, the one with the wardrobe moving. She was pulled so hard, hurting her lower back, really screaming from pain, and agony rather than acting in fright.
Chilling Facts About The Exorcist (1973) The hospital scenes where Regan gets electroencephalography were filmed at an actual hospital and the actors were actual medical staff who worked there. An elaborate fake set was created to achieve the scene of Father Karras falling to his death. The set was built onto a real street corner near Georgetown University and students charged admission to their rooftops to watch the stuntmen flinging themselves down the steps. Max von Sydow was 44 at the time of the shooting but was styled to look like the 74-year-old priest Father Merrin. This was achieved by a daily makeup routine lasting four hours and resulted in Sydow wearing more makeup than Blair.
The house is real and the stairs are real but separated by a courtyard. A fake extension was built onto the house to get the window right over the stairs.
You are so cute! lol I love watching your reactions! Yes, you talk a lot, but it is not "stupid". Some reactors say the dumbest things and we are like "shut the eff up and try to appreciate the quality of the movie/production/cinematography/direction instead of reacting to one word spoken and missing the context of the entire sentence or scene!" I was so waiting for you to react to this particular movie and you did NOT disappoint. lol I think someone in the comments already answered this: At the end, the demon exited Regan and entered Father Karras once "Regan" removed his St, Joseph's pendant, "protection from evil" was removed and that allowed the demon the enter Damien. Yes, you are correct: Damien did come to immediately (as Regan had in the early moments of her possession as well), but realized that he needs to rid of this demon after witnessing how horrible it was through observing Regan. SO, he took his own life by jumping out the window and in the hopes of sending the demon back to hell. It has been speculated that because it is a sin for a Catholic to commit suicide, this was Damien's hopes in sending the demon back to hell as he committed suicide and would not be able to enter Heaven. But b/c Father Dyer delivers his last rites/forgiveness for suicide in prayer, the demon left Damien b/c it would not be let into Heaven and Damien went to Heaven. I have not seen Exorcist II nor III and I have no plans to, but I think it answers some of these questions. Damien's mom: The scene between where you saw Damien's mom in the psychiatric ward and the party scene where Father Dyer reveals to Regan's mom that she died was obviously a few day or weeks later. In between that time, Damien obviously took his mother out of the psych ward and took her back home (as she wished), but unfortunately between his visits to her, she passed away. As Father Dyer said: she was dead for a couple of days before she was discovered. Subscribed.
Thanks so much!! I definitely talk a lot, but that's just who I am and I always make sure to not talk when I have nothing to add, yknow? If I don't fill the voids, I don't. I'd rather be silent and listen and absorb what's happening then fill it with random thoughts. I always try to find a balance! Thanks for your comment and welcome on in!
The Ouija board wasn't seen as anything demonic, really, until this movie came out. This movie changed the perception of it. Also, Damian wasn't thrown out the window. Before he lost control he jumped out the window to protect the girl, and free himself of the demons, though it meant his death. The first priest had a heart condition. His heart simply gave out during a very stressful exorcism.
The whole point of the beginning part in Iraq is, as they mention later, Father Merrin had dealt with this demon before and he had a premonition he was about to face it again.
The demon didn't kill Merrin. He suffered heart failure.
The overall story is really about Father Karras. Throughout the story he's struggling with his guilt from his mom and his own crisis of faith. But even as he investigates it, he's still not totally convinced about what he's dealing with. Yet, in the end he performs the ultimate act of love by sacrificing his own life to save someone he never met. You have to remember, he never met Reagan, only the demon.
William Peter Blatty, who wrote the novel and screenplay, said the whole point of the "crucifix masterbation" scene was not to shock the audience, but in terms of the story, what would be the worst thing he could think of that would finally convince this atheist/agnostic mother that her child really is possessed and she needs an exorcism.
Robert: Exactly.Its all about our lack of faith really.
"You have to remember, he never met Reagan, only the demon."
Excellent point. I missed that! He never did meet Reagan. Very true, and somehow sad also.
Yeah, merrin was an old man and just died mid-exorcism which, in the book, the demon was actually pissed off at, because his soul had ascended to heaven and so was beyond his torment.
watch the exorcist the beginning it explains alot
From a Catholic point of view father Karras and his suicide would see him sent to hell unfortunately but he died to save the child almost like a self sacrifice of another figure in the religion id imagine
Do you SEE WHY this is still considered the most horrifying movie ever made over 40 years later? It's a masterpiece in every single way, from acting to sound design to special effects to cinematography. Your reaction was quite accurate; horrified at the growing tension. The director knew how to wring the terror out of the audience. I can't imagine seeing this in a theater in the 1970s. The horror would have been unbearable.
It was, people were running out, walking out, passing out, having heart attacks, and throwing up. They rereleased it and it traumatized me.
@@charles1203 My mom was 14 and used to sneak into movies 😂 she snuck into this film and she said she watched the whole thing with her hoodie over her legs to her chest and her hood up. People were freaking the fuck out and that made it worse for her. She is 62 now and hasn’t rewatched it to this day. She absolutely refuses to.
There's a documentary about the impact that this movie had on the audience that you can find on TH-cam.
@@ThatDangerousWolf I saw it when they rereleased it with the new footage and damn, I slept with the Bible open to psalm 91: Security Under God’s Protection and I’d sleep with the prayer channel on. Today, I’m a Protestant and ghost hunter. Something like this I’d say fallen angel, you walked out on God who still loves you. I don’t fear you because Jesus loves me. I’d actually touch its head and say, Jesus loves you and forgives you.
@@ThatDangerousWolf My wife also will not watch it again, and I can't even do some of the dialog, like "Why you do this to me Deme?" etc. She will hit me. 😋
I think for my wife AND anyone else the one that seems to freak out everyone is the crab walk down the stairs. You would think the cross masturbation scene or many other freaky things, but it's that scene that scares the fuk out of everyone!
Father Damien wasn't " thrown " out the window at the end. The devil went into him when the girl pulled the Christian medallion necklace off him...which left him less protected. He said to it, " Come into me!! Take me!! ". The devil, of course wanting more than anything to inhabit, defile, insult and defy God by taking over a loyal, devoted, Christian priest, jumped at the opportunity. Father Damien became possessed and the devil inside him made him reach for the girl to strangle her to death ( a holy priest, a servant of God murdering a little girl of course was something the devil would love to cause to happen.) But Fr. Damien fought against that compelling force and through will power stopped himself from reaching to the girl's neck and instead, flung HIMSELF out the window to kill the Demon altogether. He sacrificed himself for the girl and for everybody.
Which is *very much NOT* how exorcisms work. For one thing, you can't kill a demon, they're incorporeal. You certainly don't solve anything by driving the demon into another person. His death would've accomplished nothing, the demon would have just gone back to the child.
@@brigidtheirish Demons don't exist.
@@sexysadie2901 You can believe that, if you want.
this is a great comment but im kind of laughing cause all you had to say was "he threw himself out of the window" and people will understand why lmao.
In the exorcist 3 we find out that the priest ,even though pronounced dead, still housed the demon "Pazuzu" ...which kept his life force "alive" to use in the Gemini Killings that gets investigated by the detective, played by George C Scott.
Exorcist 3 is creepy scary without the foulness of the original Exorcist film
❤ 😱 🏆 🎥
Just to be clear, when Fr. Karras told the detective "The Dominicans, go pick on them", he was referring to a religious order in the Catholic Church commonly known as the Dominicans (because their founder was St. Dominic), their official name being "Order of Preachers." He wasn't saying go pick on people from the Dominican Republic.
Ah that clears that up a bit 😅
I did originally think he meant a religious order the first time I watched it, but with more modern PC culture it did occur to me that he might have meant it in a racist way.
Even these days, people think they are ready for this movie but they really have no idea just how disturbing and clever this movie is. It will remain like this forever. I am a little jealous seeing you go through this for the 1st time lol. Say your prayers before you sleep tonight and ask the angels to protect you in the dark.
She had " Captain Howdy " in this movie . And in " The Shining " Danny had " Tony ".
It is certainly scary for sure, but not nearly as much as I had built it up to be by the time I finally watched it.
Somewhat similar for The Shining.
That being said I saw The Thing and Prince of Darkness in my early teens, so it takes a lot to really rattle me 😅
@@mnomadvfx I do remember in the 70's watching a zombie movie from a french director. That one sure left a dent . And the soundtrack was great from that zombie movie.
Susan Appleby i wonder if William freklin the director watchers this reactions to his very good film
Remember the mockumentary Faces of Death??😱
My opinion on the end is that Karras regained his faith in this experience. At the end the demon went into him in order to use him to kill the girl. Karras, powered with his newly regained faith, fought off the demon just long enough to jump out the window, thereby saving the girl. The other priest takes his confession, so the suicide doesn't doom him. The demon does not die with him, the demon can't be 'killed' per se. This demon has possessed people before and will possess people in the future. This demon has also fought with Merrin before, that's why it called out his name when he arrived at the home. Edit: The movie shows Merrin old and frail, taking meds. I think he died from the strain. Even in Iraq, where he saw the omens of the demon's upcoming reappearance somewhere in the world, he looked like his death was imminent.
He’s alive as he’s in Exorcist III
@@softshallow7435 The tiny pills he was taking were most likely for his heart. The demon caused his heart to give out.
Spot on Flibber! Karras got the demon to "take him" and then he jumped out the window to kill himself with it and save Regan.
🎬Yes, you nailed it "flibber123". Merrin and the demon are old foes. No different than Obi-Wan & Vader. The dig he was at was merely a mission to learn more about his adversary. That's why when Karras tried to give him the particulars of the case about Regan having multiple personalities, Merrin makes it clear to him, "There is only one".
🎬Also, the beginning of the movie, for those who didn't understand ...was an omen. When Merrin stood across from the relic, the dogs fighting, he knew what time it was. As much as the demon expected him, he had known he was to be summoned. Like old adversaries, they knew they were to meet again.
🎬The were only two things unknown to the both of them...
...When and Where?
📽BTW, that famous poster of Merrin standing outside of the house, for me always represented "High Noon".
In light of this response, I would say that you should watch 3. The 2nd one is meh at best. 3 has to do with Karras asking to be taken, and the repercussions of that request.
"I've seen The Exorcist about a hundred and sixty-seven times, AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT!" - Beetlejuice
Classic line.
My feelings exactly. 😆
Same here but she needs to brush her teeth.
.....not to mention the fact that you're talking to a dead guy. :)
That was a great film, Michael Keaton was off the wall.
Disturbing and uncomfortable. This movie sticks with you more than most horror movies.
First time I watched this was when I was 12. I'm now 36 and it still always leaves a huge emotional impact on me everytime I watch it. I feel drained after words due to the physiological effects it has. Definitely the scariest movie of all time for me due to it's lack of CGI and raw nature.
The upside-down crab walk does it every time. This film was banned in Ireland by the Catholic Church when it was released, and was only first screened in public in Ireland in 1998 on its 25th anniversary. By that time I think most people were less shockable by horror.
Which is funny, given I remember my catholic grandmother showed us this movie to make sure we never played with ouija boards. We thought it was a documentary for the longest time lmao
The reason this has lasted so long as the BEST film of its kind is down to the acting, the writing, and the fact it’s just so realistic and stark. No whiz bang CGI and excessive film score to distract. It’s like a documentary.
Fun fact, Ellen Burstyn is a Sufi Priestess. And given everything she went through making this film, Linda Blair has grown up just fine, she’s a lovely person.
I love your reactions, they’re just the best!❤️
Thank you!!
@@OGBReacts I’ve enjoyed these so much. Subbed!❤️
@@DeidreL9the crucifix stabbing bit makes me feel sick and i always end up laughing with nerves
Watching the directors cut, great choice. Still considered the scariest movie ever made almost 50 years later. All great practical effects. People were literally passing out, throwing up or just getting up and walking out of the theater because they couldn't handle watching it. You should check out the TH-cam video The Exorcist and the cultural impact on society. It's about 30 minutes long but a very good look at the impact this movie had. I myself never saw this movie until 20 years after it came out basically because of the stigma behind it. I highly recommend 1973's The Legend of Hell House. It's the Mt Everest of haunted houses. Great reaction!😁👍👍
And based on a novel by Richard Matheson, who also wrote What Dreams May Come.
I'm old enough to remember when this came out in the theaters and people were vomiting and walking out in fear. I was too young to see it, and did not want to. I eventually saw the tv edited version as a teenager and it still was frightening. It's partly the slow burn build up (like the theme music, Tubular Bells) that erupts into horror and fear that gets to you. I did see the unedited version in my 30's and yes, it was still horrifying and disturbing. I also recall theaters were giving out barf bags in case people needed them.
@@catherinelw9365 Hey, I was only 9, so I was much too young to see it. I was 16 when I saw Alien on HBO in 1980 and I was scared to go out at night for weeks. LOL.
I saw this movie at 9 years old and didn't get scared at all.ive never seen a horror movie that scared me.
@@jamesharper3933 we aint talking about aliens tho.
I was 17 years old when this film came out and I was the film critic for my high school paper. I brought along my little notebook to take down notes only to find out I was so captivated by this movie I didn't write a word. I didn't have to. This movie does not want you to forget every detail. I was at the premiere of this movie at my hometown theater and, let me tell you, audience members were screaming, crying, vomiting, fainting in their seats and in the aisles....it DID have quite an impact on the people who watched it. What is truly interesting after taking a look at it as many times as I have seen it ( I've watched this movie nearly 40 times and it never gets old) I have been impressed more and more that the special effects were all raw. There was no such thing as CGI and there was no use in having a blue screen or sodium vapor background. Everything was done with the basic tools of filmmaking that go back to the beginning of film. If you want top-tier SFX count on Warner Bros to pull it off. The TV show "Supernatural" always pushed the envelope in all 15 seasons to give out the most eye-capturing SFX ever. If you want another unnerving creapass movie, watch "The Amityville Horror" from 1979. (The original is always the best).
Just imagine sitting in a dark crowded theater in 1973 with people screaming, throwing up, passing out and running out of the theater. That's what my mother experienced. She never watched it again.
I experienced it too. As I said in a daze to the TV reporter outside (it was premiere day), "That movie really freaked me out, man."
I've never seen a single reactor who didn't struggle with this movie at some point. It's a pretty rough ride.
It's also odd that so many assume that Only Older Audiences are shocked even after we've seen THEIR faces react with all the same horror. And in addition, the original audiences saw this in a massed theatre, with hundreds maybe 2000 in attendance - all jumping, flinching, screaming at the same time. And they did this for a couple of years as it was brought back as 2nd Run's. Not surprisingly, though, it was NOT the centerpiece of horror film festivals - NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, yes, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, yes. But EXORCIST? No. "Just too scary, too disturbing." And really - The Scenes are obvious from 1973 to 2023 to 2073, I bet.
My favorite part in the film, is when Merrin starts the exorcism. He is calmly starting the ritual, is spat upon and isn't fazed in the slightest. He just continues the exorcism as he cleans his glasses/face.
It's the small things like that I seem to gravitate towards and remember most.
He's what you call a professional.
Merrin is an OG and he is not fazed and knows the demon will stop at nothing. However, when he and Karris are thrown to the floor and the girl is posing on the bed with the statue of Pazuzu behind her, I can't help but think Merrin is thinking, "well, that's something you don't see every day."
The small thing to me was the demon giggling and its arm draped over the chair after Father Merrian died, so creepy.......
@@raineyj560 I was ready for her to say like Urkel, "Did I do that"? (I know it was most likely a heart attack but in a way the demon brought that about).
The scene where the demon is calling Merrin a cocksucker and he hits it back with "Be Silent!"
That part always cracks me up.
Linda Blair was 14 yrs old when she got the role to play Regan in The Exorcist . She won the Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. She always wanted a Horse and After the movie the Director got her one
Fun Fact: the vomit projectile was pea soup. That’s commonly known…. But what’s NOT commonly known is that I had a date with a young woman whose uncle owned the diner that sold the production company that very same pea soup.
I feel so connected.
My absolute favorite horror movie! It’s just layers of perfect acting, writing, music, filmmaking. I always think about when Father Merrin comes to the house for the exorcism and the demon yells *MERRIN* because the demon had been waiting for him to come the entire time. It’s just an added bonus that my name is Maren :)
Omen next! Or Wrong Turn
@@taddawson68dawson68 Omen so she can go from one Damien to the next
@@marennicholson5444 Oh! When she gets to Wrong Turn.... She'll wet herself. In a nice way
Let's do a FaceTime Omen live
Also they had a epic battle in Africa , with Merrin winning . So pazuzu is scared and angry
I think the abrupt transitions in this film were a deliberate choice in the editing room to help reinforce the idea of contrasts. Contrasting quiet with loud mirrors the contrast between the innocence of Reagan and the evil of Pazzuzzu (the demon). It is choices like this, that make The Exorcist, not just a good horror film, but just a great film overall. Yes, it's terrifying, but over the years, I've come to love it as a character study of Father Karras. It's kind of beautiful in that sense. Man gets faith, becomes priest, loses faith, meets a demon, saves an innocent, dies redeemed, if in just a small way. Beautiful film from that perspective. But it is icky.
I just started reading the novel because I'm also fascinated by Father Karras and his character arc.
The demon was voiced by Mercedes McCambridge, a fine actor in her own right; she won Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in All the King's Men (1949).
Jump scares make me jump. But THIS FILM has haunted my nightmares for almost fifty years.
Just to put your mind at ease Sam, the 12 year old girl in the movie (Linda Blair) had no emotional scars from doing this movie and unlike many other child stars lives a normal life today. She hurt her back during the bouncing on the bed scene, but otherwise fine. The director spoke with her about the scenes and made sure she was okay. Also, the scenes with the crucifix were acted by a 21 year old stunt double.
Linda Blair was also a cameo in Scream
There was a wooden box with a blood filled sponge between her legs, so no one could get hurt
She did do some nude spreads for Oui magazine in the 70s, but that was because like many child stars she found it hard to get adult roles...
I've seen a few interviews with Linda Blair over the years and she got major damage to her back from the up and down segment as she was strapped to a mechanism that jolted her up and down. They should've had the stunt woman do that for her also being as she was still a growing kid. I felt awful for what she had to go through in making the movie.
Can you imagine the phone call to the stunt double?
"Yeah, so we are in need of somebody to convincingly stab themselves in the vagina several times in quick succession with a crucifix. Can we count on you?"
".... Pardon?"
"Can you stab yourself in the vagi..."
"YEAH um... I'll let'cha know..."
At the beginning of the film, Father Merrin uncovers the head of a little figurine of the demon Pazuzu, whom he recognized because he had previously exorcised the demon several years before. So then he has a premonition later that another battle with Pazuzu is coming, with the clock randomly stopping and him almost getting ran over by the carriage. So to confirm his suspicions he goes to some old ruins where there is an old statue of Pazuzu and knows for certain when he sees the dogs fighting each other (the dogs of war have been unleashed). The dissolve to Georgetown right after is to show you where this battle between good and evil is going to take place.
Yeah but I’ve always been kind of confused about the sentence in the film Evil vs Evil, was this film about good vs evil or was it about two different demons fighting over the soul of a little girl!!!
@@davidfollowerofjesuschrist5510In the ancient religion that gave pazuzu its name, the demon was used to frighten other evil spirits. It was supposed to be so powerful that other evil spirits were scared by it.
Max Von Sydow wore prosthetics, to make him look older, but since a lot of people don't know that, I like to wig them out by telling them to compare how he looked here, in 1973, playing the exorcist, and in 1993, playing the devil himself in Needful Things, looking 20 years younger suddenly, 20 years later. lol
He also played Jesus....
This came out when I was 9 when a friend, his older brother and I snuck into the theater to see this and I didn't sleep very well for years after this. I met Linda Blair ( the girl) a few years and told her some of my traumatic childhood experiences because of her. She's really sweet and very aware of her and the films impact on countless individuals and pop culture. And yea, I got an autographed photo her as Demon Regan.
Now you know why this is the KING of all horror movies! Your reaction commentary was hilariously great!
William Friedkin was so bold and unapologetic with this movie. Which is why it's an unmatched masterpiece and so unique.
AMEN! 😊
To think that after so many years..that this movie still moves people to the state of shock and fear. And to think this is all done with just practical effects..no computer post production effects. And the sound score still gives me chills..those 'damn bells" in the end credits....creepy as hell. This movie in all it's incarnations.from Director cut to the theatrical cut is just...EPIC. Your reaction to this movie is just priceless...I would have loved to have been in the darkened cinema with you on it's first showing back in the day. As I recall..back in 1973 was 30 years old...and I was afraid to walk to my apartment that night at the 10:00 pm showing back in Michigan. What a classic!!
Sam, you got the end perfectly. Karras, with every ounce of strength he had, took the demon into himself, then managed to recover his "self" and sacrifice his life to destroy the demon and save Regan. It was his ultimate redemption. It started when Chris asked him if Regan was going to die. He said "no" and went immediately upstairs.
It was very fun watching you process this classic flick. Few horror films have set standards in horror that still hold up today, like this film. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it!
Everyone take a drink whenever Sam says “Jesus Christ!” 😂😂😂 💀
LMAOO
We are gonna be toe up by the end lmao 🤣 unless you meant water 💦 and in that case that’s what I meant too 😇
if i die by this drinking game and saint peter asked me why it happened all i'm gonna say is CHRIST.............
@@thegladve 🤣🤣🤣
Got my wine and Fireball 😋
Some time passed after visiting his mother in the hospital. He took her home from the hospital where she was found dead. A bit difficult to piece it together with the way the story is told, but that's the jist of it. The demon possessing Regan is called "Pazuzu", known to be the "right hand to Satan".
I edited to add that I LOVED your reactions to this film. You remind me soooo much of my family! I first saw this film as a child (I'm 47) and it scared the living hell out of me!! It's definitely a movie that I return to every now and again. Defo earned a sub!
Also, his uncle says that he brought her there to get her leg fixed and then take her out.
you have to understand, when it's with a Demon, there is no running away, it latches onto you, follows you wherever you go. with Ghosts you can leave and you're in the clear, and Demons are not limited to a single location, this isnt about a haunting, the Demon named Pazuzu went after that family because they were vulnerable, not because it wanted the house, Demons want souls and that's all they want.
Sure you can run away... you pack your things, drop the kid at the nearest orphanage, and take the next bus out of town.
@@Mr.Ekshin lol and when the demon's done with the kid, chances are you're next, it latches itself onto it's victims in a way that there is no running away, you have to fight.
You talk about this as if I demonic possession is a real thing. It’s not. But having said that, the movie is terrifying in its depiction of such fiction.
Running away? There's a reason religious people believe the creator of the universe is the only thing standing between you and it's possession. I think for people to fully contemplate and believe in Satan and demons, you have to realize their evil and VULGARITY is something they actually toned down, taken down a notch to be even sensed by humans. The vulgarity and evil they allow us to see is just the "G" rated version of their true nature. Stabbing the hoohah, puking green slime are just parlor tricks to them.
To be clear, I'm not religious. For those who are, the belief, fear and danger of evil, Satan, demonic possession etc. is isn't just something you can be safe from with a vaccine, locked door or even your mother's arms. Like the statue in Iran symbolizes, it's been feared since the day humans realized they were themselves.
@@johnboy32064 how to find the atheist without him/her stating they are an atheist. XD
As Damien was struggling with her and demanded that instead of her to take him she tore off his main protection of the St. Christopher medallion and it started to shift into him. He realized this as it started to move aggressively towards her and he used everything he had to fight it from doing so but also to keep himself from becoming fully possessed and threw himself out the window. He wasn't tossed out by her as she was released by then.
Your looks to the camera are priceless... perfectly timed 'What the hell is this?' As for disturbing, agreed, so many things to say about the content but best park it here! Great reaction though, summed up in three letters WTF 😂
🤣♥️
Thanks so much
I think that has become a staple of mine, looking at the camera like I’m in the Office 🤣 happens at least once a reaction now
It's so well done! The sound design is amazing! I like how some young persons think, "well it's from the 70's - how scary can it be?". Very scary....
24:28 The scene where Linda Blair throws up on the priest actually went wrong. She was meant to throw up on his chest. The shock and anger he displays are genuine. Rather than reshoot the scene, the director decided to keep it.
Yer it wernt ment to go in his mouth.funny as fack tho.
Back in the day everyone in school was reading the book, and wondering how the movie would be. My Dad finally took us to see it, and it's one thing to read the printed word and quite another to see it on the screen, and hear that voice. If you think it was intense now, imagine it back then, for someone about Regan's age. It was mind blowing.
I loved the book almost as scary as the movie when you were 13 and home alone lol
The scene at the very end, where she hugs the other priest is her moment of realization. She recognizes it as a symbol of who saved her from possession.
In a subconscious way.
One of the best child performances in movie history!!
Some random facts about the movie- That scream from when the mom got tossed back was real, due to a malfunction in her harness she got pulled back to quickly and landed on her tailbone and actually got a spinal injury. The medical scenes where filmed with actual medical personnel and one of them was a murderer, The filming got delayed because the set burned down
Holy- wow, lots of crazy things 😩
Yea, thats crazy, he were a famous killer in NY who killed homosexuals
My Catholic mom saw this movie in college and to this day talks about how out of her mind terrified she was! Such an iconic movie, no one has done it quite like The Exorcist did it imo
I agree. I've seen every TH-cam reaction to this movie and Sam's reaction is the only one that made me misty eyed watching. I felt she really understood and got it. Take her reaction to it and travel back 50 years, wiping out every horror movie we've seen and been conditioned to up to this point. She nailed it.
Good incentive not to sin. Pax et bodam to your mother
@@gdiaz8827 haha I guess it didn’t work on me cause I’m Jewish now!
@@fauxrowsdower7610 peace in abundance didnt work on you?
Me too, then The Omen a few years later. Had to talk to a priest. Lol
From what I can see, being possessed by that demon made Reagan feel at times like she was being burned alive. That is why she would often scream in pain. If this was real I would feel horrible!
Absolutely loving your reaction to this. I’d forgotten how up front….and vulgar…the dialogue from Reagen while she’s possessed is. Definitely one of the most intense movies of the past 50-60 years.
Just imagine how to move going audience back then reacted and thought of it…
Yes, Mercedes McCambridge voiced the demon/devil so Blair didn't have to. This became a minor controversy when Blair was nominated for an Oscar, I think.
Fun Fact: after its premiere, Churches across the nation had mass attendance by those who saw the movie.
I've seen this movie
for the first time in theatre, in 1977, when I was 9, thanks to my
clever mother, who brought me to watch this movie at the age of nine.
Now, when I'm 53, I've been watcing this movie for some 40-50 times (I'm
a movie collector for a 35 years now). Best horror movie ever, besides
Poltergeist, The omen, Amityville 2: The possesion, and in newest era,
Event Horizon, The others, Ghost ship and 30 days of night, to mention
only few... Greetings from Croatia!
I think when Damian took the demon inside of him, he knew he could only control it for so long. If he allowed the demon to have control of him, the demon would have tried killing Regan. So in the brief moment Damian had control over it, he threw himself out the window in order to kill the demon's host: that is, himself.
He wasn't controlling it, he was only controlling himself / his own body.
Arguably a very silly manuver altogether IMHO despite how epic it plays out as, because Dimitri had no guarantee what so ever that the demon could not simply repossess Reagan the moment his body became useless to it.
@@mnomadvfx Who's Dimitri?
@@mnomadvfx eh when Jesus performs an exorcism on Legion (“we are many”) he sends them into a heard of pigs, which then are drowned, ending their threat. So he probably had that in the back of his mind.
@@multismashifyDamian in Greek. His mom called him Dimi.
@@chart6454In the front. The squealing at the end was for that exact reason.
Your reaction was hysterical. I sympathized with you.... Picture it- Christmas 1973 drive 60 miles in the snow to find a theatre that wasn't sold out. 280 people screaming together, then later being all alone and I was so afraid for weeks....Great Reaction!
I can only imagine 🤣
Thank you!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!! You ARE the OG because even though there are a lot of reactions to The Exorcist, I know you REALLY didn't want to watch it, but you did anyway which takes a lot of courage, so that makes you the OG to me. This is my favorite horror movie because it's so terrifying. When I just want to be scared, this is what I watch. I LOVED your reaction!!!!! I wish I had money to spare because you'd be my first donation. I don't presume that you did this for me, but I thank you anyway!!
I'm always curious about any movie out there, so it's more like, hell, this is the time to watch it, so let's do it, rather than NOPE. But holy hell this was crazy.
I'm glad you enjoyed my reaction!! I appreciate ya
You're so adorable, Sam!! Glad ya made it through this movie in one sitting!! (It took me 2 sittings to watch the whole thing, LOL) as I first stopped it when she first became possessed in front of her mother and the doctors, specifically when her eyes became pure white and she did that yell/growl.
And regarding the ending, I'm pretty sure Karras threw himself out the window with the demon inside of him, to stop the demon from jumping back into Regan, so his death was pretty much self-sacrifice.
Glad you reacted to it!! It's one of the best horror films ever made!!
You've already seen Max Von Sydow, who plays Merrin, as the Tracker in What Dreams May Come. As you might gather from when that film was made, he was actually much younger than this role was intended for, being 43 during filming (Jason Miller, playing the supposedly much younger Karras, was just ten years younger), but even at the start of his career in the 1950s he gave an impression of being a good deal older than he really was. And he continued working right up to his death just last year at age 90, which means in his more recent roles like in Game of Thrones and The Force Awakens he finally looked his real age.
He was also in a Stephen King film called " Needful Things ".
Ooof so wasteful that Force Awakens was one of his last roles 😭
Some of the most awesome things in this movie is the horror strikes at the subconscious. The acting is tremendous. Linda Blair’s glares are terrifying. And the subliminal messages, one of them is the bedroom curtains blowing from the inside out. A great masterpiece and to this day is the greatest horror movie in movie history.
In my opinion this is the most brilliant movie ever made, especially for that time in the early 70s. Everything about this is an absolute masterpiece. I’ve seen it more times than I can count, it is my absolute favorite horror movie! Your reaction was hilarious, very entertaining!
There will never be another movie like this. Many have tried but have never topped it. Linda Blair didn't win an Oscar for this, but totally deserved one.
It is absolutely a shame Linda Blair didn't win an Oscar for her role. I mean she was only what 12 or 13. Just amazing. The behind the scenes footage her on the Tube are really interesting to watch too.
Of course a great performance by Linda Blair. However she didn't do any of the demon voices and had multiple stunt doubles and puppets for the most memorable scenes. That's why she was just nominated and didn't win.
@@St.Maliki Understandably so. There's only so much they would want a child to do, even make-believe
My mum and my sister came in while I was watching your video. They both laughed at you. I laughed at you too. We all laughed at you 🤣🤣😂😂😂 God knows how much I love The Exorcist. There's the entire audiobook on TH-cam, read by the author! I've not listened to the entirety yet, but it is really good. I might just nick my sister's book and read along. Love this film!!!
Laughed at me?? Good 🤣 I’m glad 🤣
Thanks for watching!
I loved your reaction. You were truly shocked. The demon tells the mother during the head spin that she killed Burke. She twist her neck and tells the mother in Burke’s voice “ you know what she did , your ******* daughter?” The movie is intense and it’s also very emotional with all the pain the characters have to endure. Linda Blair was nominated for an Oscar and she won a Golden Globe for her performance. A timeless masterpiece and the film has become iconic.
I saw this in the theater when I was 8 years old with my older sister. I wasn't that freaked out until our substitute 5th-grade teacher told the class that possessions really happened and that she'd witnessed it. Your reactions were PRICELESS!!!
man, you didn't even get to the peeing at the party scene and already you're like "we gotta take her out." Cold as Ice, Sam. Cold as iceee. :)
🤣🤣🤣
When this film was shown in theaters people who saw it were terrified. There is great news footage of people being interviewed coming out of the movies right after seeing it who look completely shocked and saying they've never seen anything like it before. Nobody was prepared for this film. The music by Tubular Bells was a big hit on radio and even though I was way too young to see the film then, just hearing the music and knowing it was from The Exorcist spooked me for years. It took me a long time to finally watching it from beginning to end. Now it doesn't scare me nearly as much. Linda Blair who played Regan, starred in a spoof of the movie in 1989 called "Repossessed". Your reactions were priceless!
Oh damn if I could go back in time, I'd watch countless classics at the movies just to hear the first audience reactions haha. And great reaction as always^^
Have you considered watching Hereditary? It's a modern horror masterpiece!
Hereditary is facing Get Out in the Patreon poll for next Friday's movie!! So we'll see which one wins!
@@OGBReacts Ah ok! damn girl if I wasn't broke af haha :D
@@Edninety Not a problem!! ♥️
Enjoyed your reaction to this. And mostly, I give you credit for listening to this with headphones. I've seen this at least 40 times, but never with headphones... and never will. 😝
🤣🤣🤣
Well thank you!!
As a fan of horror movies I disagree with your "this movie must be watched once". I watched it on TV when I was 5 or 6 y.o. and years later when the extended version came to theaters I watched it again. The Exorcist is the gold standard of horror.
AMAZING reaction, as always after all... can you imagine how impressive and shockful was all this when it was actually released? Such violence and such language were an absolute first, in the early '70s...
Also, consider the evolution of Damien as a character: he started as a priest who was losing his faith and finished by redeeming himself , giving his life to save someone he didn't even know: as a matter of fact, Damien never met "Regan" as, from the very first moment he met her, she was possessed. This made me think a lot, the fist time I saw the movie... keep up the good work!!!!
He wasn't redeeming himself because of his faith.
If he sought any redemption at all it was out of shame of having allowed his mother to die in such a fashion.
It's not an accident that the film keeps coming back to Damian and his mother.
i wonder if William Freklin the director watchers reactions of people watching his marvels film for the first time
As a person who went through 12 years of Catholic school this movie and The Exorcism of Emily Rose (barn scene) always made me so uneasy, I’m not a religious person by any means but man I always do the sign of the cross when I watch these movies every so often ha.
This is an extremely intense movie no one is ever prepared for. I have seen this many times over the years & I still feel exhausted by the end from every thing we have to deal with.
This movie goes from a slow burn to holy shit, WTF in an instant
Oujia boards were really popular as a parlour game before this movie came out. This film cemented the fact that they are creepy AF. (Fun Fact - Ouija is still a registered trademark owned by Parker Bros)
They sell them at Barnes and Noble.
I think this movie is a psychological drama/thriller/supernatural story confronting science vs. religion vs. superstition. I think is one of the most brilliant films ever made .
I LOVE your reaction to this movie. It’s definitely one of my favorite movies. It’s very very true to the book and the author worked closely with the team I guess, too. There’s a lot of backstory that they hint to in this movie but don’t ever elaborate on. Even the book briefly mentions it, but it’s more of an over-all and encapsulating story we aren’t meant to know the details to but understand that this is a personal vendetta from the demon to win over Merrin. I highly recommend the book. I read it in a single sitting, and it’s super rare for me to get so sucked into a book like that. There has never been, and there will never, not EVER be another movie on this level. Everyone in this movie deserved an Oscar. You just cannot top this movie. No one is ever prepared for this story. I sincerely wish I had been alive when it released because the audience reactions are legendary.
Sam, your reactions to classic horror films are a real treat. Thank you for giving us some some real quality entertainment and making our lives brighter.
You're too nice 🥺 Thank you
When the priest tries to direct the investigator to “the Dominicans” … it’s not a racial thing. The Dominicans are a religious order within Catholicism. But I think it’s clear he was being ironic.
I was 13 when this came out, and was definitely NOT allowed to see it....but I remember the papers and the news talking about how people had to get up and leave the theater, either because they were too shocked, too scared, or they literally got sick and vomited during the movie. First of a kind, and the entire idea of the theme of this movie was absolutely terrifying. I also remember many people giving the filmmakers HE** for having a child doing/saying these things. Don't think I saw it until it was on "Cable" tv, and I don't even know how old I was...
Me too and when the trailer would come on tv with the music that scared me
I see it when i was 9 and wernt even scared.ive yet to see a horror movie that scared me.
I was 13 years old when this movie first came out, saw it at the walk in theater back in the day they had drive INS but when I went to the walk in me and my friends would walk to the theater a town away and by the time the movie was over it was dark outside and we had to walk home, that had to be the longest walk we ever took, that movie scared the hell out of me, I can't bring myself to watch it again, specially the uncut version, I just cant do it but watching you watching it was totally priceless to this day this has to be the scariest movie I've ever seen. I don't remember if she won any awards but this part basically ruined her career it type cast her, she did do some other movies but nothing that did anything for her, she did do sequels to this but they flopped, she did do a movie called sweet hostage that I kind of remember being good but basically nothing.
Also for a random Fact: Linda Blair makes a cameo in Scream. But a TON of people miss out on it since she’s obviously a grown adult and not in crazy make up. Not a spoiler. A ton of people miss on it. I forget if she used to host a host a haunted horror show for spooky places. The craze back in the early 2000s. I honestly forget the name. Chat will save me on this.
Linda Blair and Leslie Neilsen star in the parody of Exorcist called 'Reposessed' in 1990.
This movie will never get old.
This was a very controversial piece. The Catholic Church didn’t want it released. The set was “cursed” and a series of bizarre events took place during the filming of this movie….legend has it. Her mother didn’t believe in God. Regan was a very imaginative child. And Demi was losing his faith in God. The demon wanted a rematch with the priest that exorcised him in Africa and was willing to drag to hell any and all involved. I saw this when I was 9, it rocked me. I went to see the director’s cut when it was re-released and walked out the theater 🤦🏽♀️
The actress lived in Georgetown. Early in the film, the priest visits his mother in NYC. He returns there at once or twice more in the story.
So this is what I was meaning. THAT Spider Walk Scene was EVERYTHING! It wasn’t in the original cut. But in a modern audience context. It works cuz we know it’s a demon girl who spits green puke. Even then it’s just traumatizing. What I meant other reactors just go HELL no to at this part. But Exorcist Purists are against it despite this being 100% in the novel! But hey let I’ll let them enjoy the film how they want.
Also Another cut scene I LOVE is when Merrin and Karras have a break to talk about WHY Regan! Another thing from the novel. It’s beautiful and poetic. It’s not the girl exactly but it’s meant to traumatize anyone to turn away and become a disbeliever. It’s so good. A perfect case far Karras who IS struggling with faith. And yes in the novel the demon IS called Pazuzuz. The statue you see at the beginning with Merrin. Starring it down. Like he knows what’s about to come. But from an unlikely source.
Another addition was the tests they do on Regan! They do this to give you more reasons WHY her mom would jump the religious Exorcism bandwagon. Especially since she’s an atheist. I wish I can remember other cool facts but I’m legit on my to the theaters to see Halloween Kills so forgive me for being absent minded!
I just stumbled & subscribed on your channel..so happy with your reaction..so many people make fun of this movie ,those that do ,don't take into account this was early 70's nothing was made like this back then.. It was a major phenomenon ,people were fainting it was really a big deal..i was 13 snuck into see it..it was awesome love horror movies but nothing ever lived up to this as far as that scary feeling especially the vision of mom on the bed.. maybe' Exorcist 3' and Carnival of Souls'( the black and white one)but you were so respectful of the movie and the actors who were amazing.thank you so much.✌
While I would never usually really wish to be older. I was born in 1980 and this is one film I'd have loved to have seen upon original release. So I missed out by about 20 years. :(
So glad you enjoy the content! Thank you for the comment!
It got 10 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Lead Actress (Ellen), and Best Supporting Actress (Linda), and Actor (Jason). And it won for Screenplay and Sound in a VERY competitive year.
So excited to see your reaction here! That face popping up randomly in between frames still flashes in mind to this day!
Keep in mind this came out in 1973. People had never seen ANYTHING like this. It created a hysteria. Still, the best horror film ever made.
Father Karas's mom dying happened chronologically before the party scene with Father Dyer.
24:32 This movie is just flat out an endurance test. It's still relentless and shocks people today ... and it was released almost 50 years ago. Crazy.
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.
Also, when you see the actress 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 radiographer (Paul Bateson) was a real life serial killer!!
When a horror movie can make just a phone ringing scare you it is doing something right.
I got a Ouija Board for Christmas when I was like 9 years old. My aunt (Who is a nun and has lived in a convent for 65 years) made my mother throw it away before I could play with it.
He's a priest and a medical doctor, a psychiatrist specifically. Jesuits are all highly educated; many are college professors, scholars, scientists. It takes 12 to 15 years to become a Jesuit. Serious business.
Holy crap. Definitely serious business!
That explains why most of the movie takes place in the Georgetown neighborhood in DC
Imagine being an 11-12 YO Catholic boy and seeing this in the theater? This movie scares the SHIT out of me.
"And they basically told me 'Good luck.'" Lol.
Father Karras took his mom out of the mental ward back to her apartment where she later died. That's where most of his guilt in the movie comes from.
Paul Bateson [real life radiographer], and played the radiographer in the angiogram procedure in the film [the one with the spurting blood], is a real life murderer and the only suspect [wouldn't confess] in the 6 "Bag Murders" in Manhattan. He was released on parole - whereabouts now unknown or if still alive, he would be 81yo. Extra creep to the movie.
The actress who played the mother was really hurt during one of the demonic activity scenes, the one with the wardrobe moving. She was pulled so hard, hurting her lower back, really screaming from pain, and agony rather than acting in fright.
Horror is my life, when people ask me about my feelings on The Exorcist it's real simple-
Is it scary? No.
Is it a masterpiece? Absolutely.
Anyone who says it’s not scary I’m calling bs. If that thing was in your house you would definitely be scared.
Chilling Facts About The Exorcist (1973) The hospital scenes where Regan gets electroencephalography were filmed at an actual hospital and the actors were actual medical staff who worked there. An elaborate fake set was created to achieve the scene of Father Karras falling to his death. The set was built onto a real street corner near Georgetown University and students charged admission to their rooftops to watch the stuntmen flinging themselves down the steps. Max von Sydow was 44 at the time of the shooting but was styled to look like the 74-year-old priest Father Merrin. This was achieved by a daily makeup routine lasting four hours and resulted in Sydow wearing more makeup than Blair.
The house is real and the stairs are real but separated by a courtyard. A fake extension was built onto the house to get the window right over the stairs.
You are so cute! lol I love watching your reactions! Yes, you talk a lot, but it is not "stupid". Some reactors say the dumbest things and we are like "shut the eff up and try to appreciate the quality of the movie/production/cinematography/direction instead of reacting to one word spoken and missing the context of the entire sentence or scene!" I was so waiting for you to react to this particular movie and you did NOT disappoint. lol I think someone in the comments already answered this: At the end, the demon exited Regan and entered Father Karras once "Regan" removed his St, Joseph's pendant, "protection from evil" was removed and that allowed the demon the enter Damien. Yes, you are correct: Damien did come to immediately (as Regan had in the early moments of her possession as well), but realized that he needs to rid of this demon after witnessing how horrible it was through observing Regan. SO, he took his own life by jumping out the window and in the hopes of sending the demon back to hell. It has been speculated that because it is a sin for a Catholic to commit suicide, this was Damien's hopes in sending the demon back to hell as he committed suicide and would not be able to enter Heaven. But b/c Father Dyer delivers his last rites/forgiveness for suicide in prayer, the demon left Damien b/c it would not be let into Heaven and Damien went to Heaven. I have not seen Exorcist II nor III and I have no plans to, but I think it answers some of these questions. Damien's mom: The scene between where you saw Damien's mom in the psychiatric ward and the party scene where Father Dyer reveals to Regan's mom that she died was obviously a few day or weeks later. In between that time, Damien obviously took his mother out of the psych ward and took her back home (as she wished), but unfortunately between his visits to her, she passed away. As Father Dyer said: she was dead for a couple of days before she was discovered. Subscribed.
Thanks so much!! I definitely talk a lot, but that's just who I am and I always make sure to not talk when I have nothing to add, yknow? If I don't fill the voids, I don't. I'd rather be silent and listen and absorb what's happening then fill it with random thoughts. I always try to find a balance!
Thanks for your comment and welcome on in!
@@OGBReacts I will apologize ahead of time, but I would love to see you react to Human Centipede. I am sorry, in advance. :)
@@shayla-lee OH NOOOO 🤣🤣
@@OGBReacts Yup. Sorry. But do it! lol
The Ouija board wasn't seen as anything demonic, really, until this movie came out. This movie changed the perception of it.
Also, Damian wasn't thrown out the window. Before he lost control he jumped out the window to protect the girl, and free himself of the demons, though it meant his death.
The first priest had a heart condition. His heart simply gave out during a very stressful exorcism.
Ok, now you're ready for "Scary Movie 2" with James Woods... They do an EXCELLENT spoof of this.
70's had the BEST horror films and this is one of the 5 BEST ever made. This is my favorite.