Amazon.co.uk Review
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial best-seller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
DONT BUY THIS VERSION.......2008-02-16
Ive always been a big fan of this movie,and couldn't wait to see the directors cut. Unfortunatly ive come to find this version irritating because of the silly optical effects of demons included which look like something you see on a ghost train, and not the least bit scary. They even mess up the famous spiderwalk sequence, in the original she comes down the stairs, tounge flicking and chases after the nanny, which is creepier than what they do instead, which is her stopping on the stairs with a blood red mouth and going AHH!(Probably filmed recently) So Why is her mouth red? She's not Dracula. Oh and the extra scenes are boring and slow the film down. Perhaps ive seen this film too many times but if youve seen the original you might agree with me.
Longer but not better.......2007-12-22
The Exorcist - The Version You've Never Seen is also the version you probably shouldn't have, adding almost nothing to a fine original but running time, some clumsy additional `subliminal' images digitally grafted on with all the subtlety of a 1980s New Romantic music video and a poor new sound mix that adds music cues and sound effects far less effective than the original mix. Most of the restored footage is taken up by an extended additional medical tests sequence that feels a little out of place since Regan hasn't been acting particularly oddly at that point in the film, as well as the odd bit of padding in the run-up to the exorcism and a redundant scene of Karras listening to a tape recording of a pre-possession Regan. Worst of the new additions by far is the infamous spider walk, a scene abandoned during shooting and here accounting for two rather laughable shots that take the film too far too soon. Other additions are somewhat more esoteric - a brief pretitle shot of the Georgetown house and street, Father Dyer keeping the St Christopher at the end after Chris hands it back and the disastrous addition of a screeching airplane sound effect in the segue from Iraq to Georgetown that makes you think Pazuzu must have travelled to Washington by Pan-Am (although this does echo Lalo Schifrin's far more effective rejected scoring for the sequence). What's most curious is what's still missing: despite including the weak Hollywood ending with Kinderman and Father Dyer, the exchange with Chris over whether she still doesn't believe in God is gone. The big bone of contention between Blatty and Friedkin, the idea that if you believe in the Devil because of all the terrible things that happen, you must also believe in a God even if he, unlike the horned one, doesn't advertise, seems the only justification for extending the section at all, but as if to spite the writer it's still pointedly removed. Only the brief discussion about the Devil's motives for possessing Regan in a break in the exorcism feels like it adds any substance to the proceedings (although it could be said the possession is more disturbingly arbitrary if left unexplained), the rest being motivated purely by the need for a marketing hook to secure a US reissue.
The end result is a film that feels much longer and slower but still eventually grips. Aside from the overlength, the strengths and weaknesses are much the same: the at times almost documentary style of film-making grounds the events in a recognisable real world, the shock effects are fairly sparingly used and only after a long build-up, the characters well-drawn and their despair convincing: the real horror in the film doesn't reside in its special effects or horrific set pieces, but in a mother's anguish over being powerless to help her child.
Few extras, but the widescreen transfer is good.
comedy or horror ? .......2007-11-18
according to a previous reviewer ,this is either scary or funny ,well i find this boring ! this movie has been sliced & diced & now we have the
directors cut,surely now this is it ? i always say films about demonic
possession are cheap to make,no monsters,just bad language & lot of green
gunge & rice crispies ! max von sydow is a classic actor & is linda blair
but this just isnt scary unless you happen to believe in demons & possession .theres another crowd who cant distinguish fact from fiction,i
never believe covers of movies which say "based on a true story" yeah right! good for sales though like amityville horror & you know how hollywood loves to "ham-up" the so called true stories. this was a box office smash so i have to hand it to the director,hes struck a nerve with
some film-goers! you make up your mind!
Still powerfull viewing after 34 years of controversy........2007-10-05
The Excorcist now over 34yrs old still packs a punch when considering the special effects or lack of them were pretty primitive compared to modern day horrors.
It is the superb script and build up to the eventual posession scenes played magnificently by Linda Blair and Max Von Sydow.
The cinematography put it on a pedistal as prabably the greatest horror film yet made.This is not a slasher movie or ultra violence against women movie just a supremly acted magnificently directed film that once you seen it will never be forgotten.
I remember well the hoo hah about its release and you knew full well that times had changed dramatically when it became a regular sight on the middle shelf of Tescos or Asdas.
Alongside Clockwork Orange this film was the most censured film on Britains film classification.Pirate copies on video were available but of poor quality.
Its a reflection that films over thirty years ago are considered almost family viewing.
The film is still disturbing in its portrayal of posession but we have become desensatised with far more shocking material that make The Exorcist appear dated.
Dated it may be in certain respects but for sheer power and acting it can still stand alone as one of the greatest horror movies ever made.
The main reason for its supremacy is that it is based on true events thus the story is more powerfull and convincing for it.
Class Act.......2007-09-19
Truly well made, this Director's Cut is worth every additional penny. Friedkin was clearly a fan of Hitchcock.
This film provoked a debate at work - was it scary? An although I'm big and brave and wouldn't go so far as to say I was scared I would freely admit to being a little disturbed (my two-year old girl can do a Reagan-esque growl voice which makes me double-take).
The tension is maintained throughout and there is no `slack' point where the narrative could digress. The whole atmosphere, the increasingly disturbing events (some clever editing with a clown face) and a classic soundtrack add up to one mighty fine film.
It's not `A Nightmare On...' or `Halloween', it's grown-up `horror' and thus not for `kids'.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial best-seller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
DONT BUY THIS VERSION.......2008-02-16
Ive always been a big fan of this movie,and couldn't wait to see the directors cut. Unfortunatly ive come to find this version irritating because of the silly optical effects of demons included which look like something you see on a ghost train, and not the least bit scary. They even mess up the famous spiderwalk sequence, in the original she comes down the stairs, tounge flicking and chases after the nanny, which is creepier than what they do instead, which is her stopping on the stairs with a blood red mouth and going AHH!(Probably filmed recently) So Why is her mouth red? She's not Dracula. Oh and the extra scenes are boring and slow the film down. Perhaps ive seen this film too many times but if youve seen the original you might agree with me.
Longer but not better.......2007-12-22
The Exorcist - The Version You've Never Seen is also the version you probably shouldn't have, adding almost nothing to a fine original but running time, some clumsy additional `subliminal' images digitally grafted on with all the subtlety of a 1980s New Romantic music video and a poor new sound mix that adds music cues and sound effects far less effective than the original mix. Most of the restored footage is taken up by an extended additional medical tests sequence that feels a little out of place since Regan hasn't been acting particularly oddly at that point in the film, as well as the odd bit of padding in the run-up to the exorcism and a redundant scene of Karras listening to a tape recording of a pre-possession Regan. Worst of the new additions by far is the infamous spider walk, a scene abandoned during shooting and here accounting for two rather laughable shots that take the film too far too soon. Other additions are somewhat more esoteric - a brief pretitle shot of the Georgetown house and street, Father Dyer keeping the St Christopher at the end after Chris hands it back and the disastrous addition of a screeching airplane sound effect in the segue from Iraq to Georgetown that makes you think Pazuzu must have travelled to Washington by Pan-Am (although this does echo Lalo Schifrin's far more effective rejected scoring for the sequence). What's most curious is what's still missing: despite including the weak Hollywood ending with Kinderman and Father Dyer, the exchange with Chris over whether she still doesn't believe in God is gone. The big bone of contention between Blatty and Friedkin, the idea that if you believe in the Devil because of all the terrible things that happen, you must also believe in a God even if he, unlike the horned one, doesn't advertise, seems the only justification for extending the section at all, but as if to spite the writer it's still pointedly removed. Only the brief discussion about the Devil's motives for possessing Regan in a break in the exorcism feels like it adds any substance to the proceedings (although it could be said the possession is more disturbingly arbitrary if left unexplained), the rest being motivated purely by the need for a marketing hook to secure a US reissue.
The end result is a film that feels much longer and slower but still eventually grips. Aside from the overlength, the strengths and weaknesses are much the same: the at times almost documentary style of film-making grounds the events in a recognisable real world, the shock effects are fairly sparingly used and only after a long build-up, the characters well-drawn and their despair convincing: the real horror in the film doesn't reside in its special effects or horrific set pieces, but in a mother's anguish over being powerless to help her child.
Few extras, but the widescreen transfer is good.
comedy or horror ? .......2007-11-18
according to a previous reviewer ,this is either scary or funny ,well i find this boring ! this movie has been sliced & diced & now we have the
directors cut,surely now this is it ? i always say films about demonic
possession are cheap to make,no monsters,just bad language & lot of green
gunge & rice crispies ! max von sydow is a classic actor & is linda blair
but this just isnt scary unless you happen to believe in demons & possession .theres another crowd who cant distinguish fact from fiction,i
never believe covers of movies which say "based on a true story" yeah right! good for sales though like amityville horror & you know how hollywood loves to "ham-up" the so called true stories. this was a box office smash so i have to hand it to the director,hes struck a nerve with
some film-goers! you make up your mind!
Still powerfull viewing after 34 years of controversy........2007-10-05
The Excorcist now over 34yrs old still packs a punch when considering the special effects or lack of them were pretty primitive compared to modern day horrors.
It is the superb script and build up to the eventual posession scenes played magnificently by Linda Blair and Max Von Sydow.
The cinematography put it on a pedistal as prabably the greatest horror film yet made.This is not a slasher movie or ultra violence against women movie just a supremly acted magnificently directed film that once you seen it will never be forgotten.
I remember well the hoo hah about its release and you knew full well that times had changed dramatically when it became a regular sight on the middle shelf of Tescos or Asdas.
Alongside Clockwork Orange this film was the most censured film on Britains film classification.Pirate copies on video were available but of poor quality.
Its a reflection that films over thirty years ago are considered almost family viewing.
The film is still disturbing in its portrayal of posession but we have become desensatised with far more shocking material that make The Exorcist appear dated.
Dated it may be in certain respects but for sheer power and acting it can still stand alone as one of the greatest horror movies ever made.
The main reason for its supremacy is that it is based on true events thus the story is more powerfull and convincing for it.
Class Act.......2007-09-19
Truly well made, this Director's Cut is worth every additional penny. Friedkin was clearly a fan of Hitchcock.
This film provoked a debate at work - was it scary? An although I'm big and brave and wouldn't go so far as to say I was scared I would freely admit to being a little disturbed (my two-year old girl can do a Reagan-esque growl voice which makes me double-take).
The tension is maintained throughout and there is no `slack' point where the narrative could digress. The whole atmosphere, the increasingly disturbing events (some clever editing with a clown face) and a classic soundtrack add up to one mighty fine film.
It's not `A Nightmare On...' or `Halloween', it's grown-up `horror' and thus not for `kids'.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial best-seller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.co.uk Review
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial best-seller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
DONT BUY THIS VERSION.......2008-02-16
Ive always been a big fan of this movie,and couldn't wait to see the directors cut. Unfortunatly ive come to find this version irritating because of the silly optical effects of demons included which look like something you see on a ghost train, and not the least bit scary. They even mess up the famous spiderwalk sequence, in the original she comes down the stairs, tounge flicking and chases after the nanny, which is creepier than what they do instead, which is her stopping on the stairs with a blood red mouth and going AHH!(Probably filmed recently) So Why is her mouth red? She's not Dracula. Oh and the extra scenes are boring and slow the film down. Perhaps ive seen this film too many times but if youve seen the original you might agree with me.
Longer but not better.......2007-12-22
The Exorcist - The Version You've Never Seen is also the version you probably shouldn't have, adding almost nothing to a fine original but running time, some clumsy additional `subliminal' images digitally grafted on with all the subtlety of a 1980s New Romantic music video and a poor new sound mix that adds music cues and sound effects far less effective than the original mix. Most of the restored footage is taken up by an extended additional medical tests sequence that feels a little out of place since Regan hasn't been acting particularly oddly at that point in the film, as well as the odd bit of padding in the run-up to the exorcism and a redundant scene of Karras listening to a tape recording of a pre-possession Regan. Worst of the new additions by far is the infamous spider walk, a scene abandoned during shooting and here accounting for two rather laughable shots that take the film too far too soon. Other additions are somewhat more esoteric - a brief pretitle shot of the Georgetown house and street, Father Dyer keeping the St Christopher at the end after Chris hands it back and the disastrous addition of a screeching airplane sound effect in the segue from Iraq to Georgetown that makes you think Pazuzu must have travelled to Washington by Pan-Am (although this does echo Lalo Schifrin's far more effective rejected scoring for the sequence). What's most curious is what's still missing: despite including the weak Hollywood ending with Kinderman and Father Dyer, the exchange with Chris over whether she still doesn't believe in God is gone. The big bone of contention between Blatty and Friedkin, the idea that if you believe in the Devil because of all the terrible things that happen, you must also believe in a God even if he, unlike the horned one, doesn't advertise, seems the only justification for extending the section at all, but as if to spite the writer it's still pointedly removed. Only the brief discussion about the Devil's motives for possessing Regan in a break in the exorcism feels like it adds any substance to the proceedings (although it could be said the possession is more disturbingly arbitrary if left unexplained), the rest being motivated purely by the need for a marketing hook to secure a US reissue.
The end result is a film that feels much longer and slower but still eventually grips. Aside from the overlength, the strengths and weaknesses are much the same: the at times almost documentary style of film-making grounds the events in a recognisable real world, the shock effects are fairly sparingly used and only after a long build-up, the characters well-drawn and their despair convincing: the real horror in the film doesn't reside in its special effects or horrific set pieces, but in a mother's anguish over being powerless to help her child.
Few extras, but the widescreen transfer is good.
comedy or horror ? .......2007-11-18
according to a previous reviewer ,this is either scary or funny ,well i find this boring ! this movie has been sliced & diced & now we have the
directors cut,surely now this is it ? i always say films about demonic
possession are cheap to make,no monsters,just bad language & lot of green
gunge & rice crispies ! max von sydow is a classic actor & is linda blair
but this just isnt scary unless you happen to believe in demons & possession .theres another crowd who cant distinguish fact from fiction,i
never believe covers of movies which say "based on a true story" yeah right! good for sales though like amityville horror & you know how hollywood loves to "ham-up" the so called true stories. this was a box office smash so i have to hand it to the director,hes struck a nerve with
some film-goers! you make up your mind!
Still powerfull viewing after 34 years of controversy........2007-10-05
The Excorcist now over 34yrs old still packs a punch when considering the special effects or lack of them were pretty primitive compared to modern day horrors.
It is the superb script and build up to the eventual posession scenes played magnificently by Linda Blair and Max Von Sydow.
The cinematography put it on a pedistal as prabably the greatest horror film yet made.This is not a slasher movie or ultra violence against women movie just a supremly acted magnificently directed film that once you seen it will never be forgotten.
I remember well the hoo hah about its release and you knew full well that times had changed dramatically when it became a regular sight on the middle shelf of Tescos or Asdas.
Alongside Clockwork Orange this film was the most censured film on Britains film classification.Pirate copies on video were available but of poor quality.
Its a reflection that films over thirty years ago are considered almost family viewing.
The film is still disturbing in its portrayal of posession but we have become desensatised with far more shocking material that make The Exorcist appear dated.
Dated it may be in certain respects but for sheer power and acting it can still stand alone as one of the greatest horror movies ever made.
The main reason for its supremacy is that it is based on true events thus the story is more powerfull and convincing for it.
Class Act.......2007-09-19
Truly well made, this Director's Cut is worth every additional penny. Friedkin was clearly a fan of Hitchcock.
This film provoked a debate at work - was it scary? An although I'm big and brave and wouldn't go so far as to say I was scared I would freely admit to being a little disturbed (my two-year old girl can do a Reagan-esque growl voice which makes me double-take).
The tension is maintained throughout and there is no `slack' point where the narrative could digress. The whole atmosphere, the increasingly disturbing events (some clever editing with a clown face) and a classic soundtrack add up to one mighty fine film.
It's not `A Nightmare On...' or `Halloween', it's grown-up `horror' and thus not for `kids'.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial best-seller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
DONT BUY THIS VERSION.......2008-02-16
Ive always been a big fan of this movie,and couldn't wait to see the directors cut. Unfortunatly ive come to find this version irritating because of the silly optical effects of demons included which look like something you see on a ghost train, and not the least bit scary. They even mess up the famous spiderwalk sequence, in the original she comes down the stairs, tounge flicking and chases after the nanny, which is creepier than what they do instead, which is her stopping on the stairs with a blood red mouth and going AHH!(Probably filmed recently) So Why is her mouth red? She's not Dracula. Oh and the extra scenes are boring and slow the film down. Perhaps ive seen this film too many times but if youve seen the original you might agree with me.
Longer but not better.......2007-12-22
The Exorcist - The Version You've Never Seen is also the version you probably shouldn't have, adding almost nothing to a fine original but running time, some clumsy additional `subliminal' images digitally grafted on with all the subtlety of a 1980s New Romantic music video and a poor new sound mix that adds music cues and sound effects far less effective than the original mix. Most of the restored footage is taken up by an extended additional medical tests sequence that feels a little out of place since Regan hasn't been acting particularly oddly at that point in the film, as well as the odd bit of padding in the run-up to the exorcism and a redundant scene of Karras listening to a tape recording of a pre-possession Regan. Worst of the new additions by far is the infamous spider walk, a scene abandoned during shooting and here accounting for two rather laughable shots that take the film too far too soon. Other additions are somewhat more esoteric - a brief pretitle shot of the Georgetown house and street, Father Dyer keeping the St Christopher at the end after Chris hands it back and the disastrous addition of a screeching airplane sound effect in the segue from Iraq to Georgetown that makes you think Pazuzu must have travelled to Washington by Pan-Am (although this does echo Lalo Schifrin's far more effective rejected scoring for the sequence). What's most curious is what's still missing: despite including the weak Hollywood ending with Kinderman and Father Dyer, the exchange with Chris over whether she still doesn't believe in God is gone. The big bone of contention between Blatty and Friedkin, the idea that if you believe in the Devil because of all the terrible things that happen, you must also believe in a God even if he, unlike the horned one, doesn't advertise, seems the only justification for extending the section at all, but as if to spite the writer it's still pointedly removed. Only the brief discussion about the Devil's motives for possessing Regan in a break in the exorcism feels like it adds any substance to the proceedings (although it could be said the possession is more disturbingly arbitrary if left unexplained), the rest being motivated purely by the need for a marketing hook to secure a US reissue.
The end result is a film that feels much longer and slower but still eventually grips. Aside from the overlength, the strengths and weaknesses are much the same: the at times almost documentary style of film-making grounds the events in a recognisable real world, the shock effects are fairly sparingly used and only after a long build-up, the characters well-drawn and their despair convincing: the real horror in the film doesn't reside in its special effects or horrific set pieces, but in a mother's anguish over being powerless to help her child.
Few extras, but the widescreen transfer is good.
comedy or horror ? .......2007-11-18
according to a previous reviewer ,this is either scary or funny ,well i find this boring ! this movie has been sliced & diced & now we have the
directors cut,surely now this is it ? i always say films about demonic
possession are cheap to make,no monsters,just bad language & lot of green
gunge & rice crispies ! max von sydow is a classic actor & is linda blair
but this just isnt scary unless you happen to believe in demons & possession .theres another crowd who cant distinguish fact from fiction,i
never believe covers of movies which say "based on a true story" yeah right! good for sales though like amityville horror & you know how hollywood loves to "ham-up" the so called true stories. this was a box office smash so i have to hand it to the director,hes struck a nerve with
some film-goers! you make up your mind!
Still powerfull viewing after 34 years of controversy........2007-10-05
The Excorcist now over 34yrs old still packs a punch when considering the special effects or lack of them were pretty primitive compared to modern day horrors.
It is the superb script and build up to the eventual posession scenes played magnificently by Linda Blair and Max Von Sydow.
The cinematography put it on a pedistal as prabably the greatest horror film yet made.This is not a slasher movie or ultra violence against women movie just a supremly acted magnificently directed film that once you seen it will never be forgotten.
I remember well the hoo hah about its release and you knew full well that times had changed dramatically when it became a regular sight on the middle shelf of Tescos or Asdas.
Alongside Clockwork Orange this film was the most censured film on Britains film classification.Pirate copies on video were available but of poor quality.
Its a reflection that films over thirty years ago are considered almost family viewing.
The film is still disturbing in its portrayal of posession but we have become desensatised with far more shocking material that make The Exorcist appear dated.
Dated it may be in certain respects but for sheer power and acting it can still stand alone as one of the greatest horror movies ever made.
The main reason for its supremacy is that it is based on true events thus the story is more powerfull and convincing for it.
Class Act.......2007-09-19
Truly well made, this Director's Cut is worth every additional penny. Friedkin was clearly a fan of Hitchcock.
This film provoked a debate at work - was it scary? An although I'm big and brave and wouldn't go so far as to say I was scared I would freely admit to being a little disturbed (my two-year old girl can do a Reagan-esque growl voice which makes me double-take).
The tension is maintained throughout and there is no `slack' point where the narrative could digress. The whole atmosphere, the increasingly disturbing events (some clever editing with a clown face) and a classic soundtrack add up to one mighty fine film.
It's not `A Nightmare On...' or `Halloween', it's grown-up `horror' and thus not for `kids'.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial best-seller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.co.uk Review
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial best-seller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
DONT BUY THIS VERSION.......2008-02-16
Ive always been a big fan of this movie,and couldn't wait to see the directors cut. Unfortunatly ive come to find this version irritating because of the silly optical effects of demons included which look like something you see on a ghost train, and not the least bit scary. They even mess up the famous spiderwalk sequence, in the original she comes down the stairs, tounge flicking and chases after the nanny, which is creepier than what they do instead, which is her stopping on the stairs with a blood red mouth and going AHH!(Probably filmed recently) So Why is her mouth red? She's not Dracula. Oh and the extra scenes are boring and slow the film down. Perhaps ive seen this film too many times but if youve seen the original you might agree with me.
Longer but not better.......2007-12-22
The Exorcist - The Version You've Never Seen is also the version you probably shouldn't have, adding almost nothing to a fine original but running time, some clumsy additional `subliminal' images digitally grafted on with all the subtlety of a 1980s New Romantic music video and a poor new sound mix that adds music cues and sound effects far less effective than the original mix. Most of the restored footage is taken up by an extended additional medical tests sequence that feels a little out of place since Regan hasn't been acting particularly oddly at that point in the film, as well as the odd bit of padding in the run-up to the exorcism and a redundant scene of Karras listening to a tape recording of a pre-possession Regan. Worst of the new additions by far is the infamous spider walk, a scene abandoned during shooting and here accounting for two rather laughable shots that take the film too far too soon. Other additions are somewhat more esoteric - a brief pretitle shot of the Georgetown house and street, Father Dyer keeping the St Christopher at the end after Chris hands it back and the disastrous addition of a screeching airplane sound effect in the segue from Iraq to Georgetown that makes you think Pazuzu must have travelled to Washington by Pan-Am (although this does echo Lalo Schifrin's far more effective rejected scoring for the sequence). What's most curious is what's still missing: despite including the weak Hollywood ending with Kinderman and Father Dyer, the exchange with Chris over whether she still doesn't believe in God is gone. The big bone of contention between Blatty and Friedkin, the idea that if you believe in the Devil because of all the terrible things that happen, you must also believe in a God even if he, unlike the horned one, doesn't advertise, seems the only justification for extending the section at all, but as if to spite the writer it's still pointedly removed. Only the brief discussion about the Devil's motives for possessing Regan in a break in the exorcism feels like it adds any substance to the proceedings (although it could be said the possession is more disturbingly arbitrary if left unexplained), the rest being motivated purely by the need for a marketing hook to secure a US reissue.
The end result is a film that feels much longer and slower but still eventually grips. Aside from the overlength, the strengths and weaknesses are much the same: the at times almost documentary style of film-making grounds the events in a recognisable real world, the shock effects are fairly sparingly used and only after a long build-up, the characters well-drawn and their despair convincing: the real horror in the film doesn't reside in its special effects or horrific set pieces, but in a mother's anguish over being powerless to help her child.
Few extras, but the widescreen transfer is good.
comedy or horror ? .......2007-11-18
according to a previous reviewer ,this is either scary or funny ,well i find this boring ! this movie has been sliced & diced & now we have the
directors cut,surely now this is it ? i always say films about demonic
possession are cheap to make,no monsters,just bad language & lot of green
gunge & rice crispies ! max von sydow is a classic actor & is linda blair
but this just isnt scary unless you happen to believe in demons & possession .theres another crowd who cant distinguish fact from fiction,i
never believe covers of movies which say "based on a true story" yeah right! good for sales though like amityville horror & you know how hollywood loves to "ham-up" the so called true stories. this was a box office smash so i have to hand it to the director,hes struck a nerve with
some film-goers! you make up your mind!
Still powerfull viewing after 34 years of controversy........2007-10-05
The Excorcist now over 34yrs old still packs a punch when considering the special effects or lack of them were pretty primitive compared to modern day horrors.
It is the superb script and build up to the eventual posession scenes played magnificently by Linda Blair and Max Von Sydow.
The cinematography put it on a pedistal as prabably the greatest horror film yet made.This is not a slasher movie or ultra violence against women movie just a supremly acted magnificently directed film that once you seen it will never be forgotten.
I remember well the hoo hah about its release and you knew full well that times had changed dramatically when it became a regular sight on the middle shelf of Tescos or Asdas.
Alongside Clockwork Orange this film was the most censured film on Britains film classification.Pirate copies on video were available but of poor quality.
Its a reflection that films over thirty years ago are considered almost family viewing.
The film is still disturbing in its portrayal of posession but we have become desensatised with far more shocking material that make The Exorcist appear dated.
Dated it may be in certain respects but for sheer power and acting it can still stand alone as one of the greatest horror movies ever made.
The main reason for its supremacy is that it is based on true events thus the story is more powerfull and convincing for it.
Class Act.......2007-09-19
Truly well made, this Director's Cut is worth every additional penny. Friedkin was clearly a fan of Hitchcock.
This film provoked a debate at work - was it scary? An although I'm big and brave and wouldn't go so far as to say I was scared I would freely admit to being a little disturbed (my two-year old girl can do a Reagan-esque growl voice which makes me double-take).
The tension is maintained throughout and there is no `slack' point where the narrative could digress. The whole atmosphere, the increasingly disturbing events (some clever editing with a clown face) and a classic soundtrack add up to one mighty fine film.
It's not `A Nightmare On...' or `Halloween', it's grown-up `horror' and thus not for `kids'.
Amazon.co.uk Review
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial best-seller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon
Amazon.co.uk Review
Director William Friedkin was a hot ticket in Hollywood after the success of The French Connection, and he turned heads (in more ways than one) when he decided to make The Exorcist as his follow-up film. Adapted by William Peter Blatty from his controversial best-seller, this shocking 1973 thriller set an intense and often-copied milestone for screen terror with its unflinching depiction of a young girl (Linda Blair) who is possessed by an evil spirit. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow are perfectly cast as the priests who risk their sanity and their lives to administer the rites of demonic exorcism, and Ellen Burstyn plays Blair's mother, who can only stand by in horror as her daughter's body is wracked by satanic disfiguration. One of the most frightening films ever made, The Exorcist was mysteriously plagued by troubles during production, and the years have not diminished its capacity to disturb even the most stoical viewers. --Jeff Shannon
UK DVD:
- The Fog [1979]
- The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
- The Hills Have Eyes 2 [2007]
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Two Disc Theatrical Edition) [2003]
- The Lost Boys (2 Disc Special Edition) [1987]
- The Lost Room
- Them [2006]
- The Nightmare On Elm Street (Seven Disc Collector's Edition)
- The Reaping [2007]
- The Shining [1980]
UK DVD List
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