Welcome to the 31 Days of Halloween in Movies.
Hello Friends, and welcome to “Blogtober” and the 31 Days of Halloween. Today is Day #6 in the series, as we head into the 2nd week of October. I hope everyone is doing well, enjoying the season, and trying some tasty fall drinks.
Friends, it’s Week 2 and the theme is “The Paranormal”. Today’s featured movie is “The Exorcist” … a classic, and winner of 18 Academy awards, which include Best Picture, Best Actor and Actress in a lead role, and Best Director, writing, and screenplay.
Day #6
MOVIE: The Exorcist
Director: William Friedkin
Year: 1973
IMDB Rating: 8.1
Genre: Psychological Drama, Horror, Body Horror
Runtime: 2h
Tomato 🍅 Meter: 78%
Starring: Ellen Burstyn ✨ Max von Sydow ✨ Linda Blair ✨ Jason Miller
SYNOPSIS: One of the most profitable horror movies ever made, this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events. When young Regan (Linda Blair) starts acting odd — levitating, speaking in tongues — her worried mother (Ellen Burstyn) seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. A local priest (Jason Miller), however, thinks the girl may be seized by the devil. The priest makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert (Max von Sydow) to help with the difficult job.
MY RATING [0-5]: (✨✨✨✨) Where to begin…The Exorcist, listed as one of AFI’s top 100 movies, is a cult classic. This was a movie that I didn’t see (in its entirety) until I was in my 40s. But a few years ago, I did a deep dive into this movie and the events that plagued it. This movie was plagued with curses, accidents, and some injuries to most or all of those who participated in its production. The original novel is by William Peter Blatty, and has spawned several sequels, documentaries, and a 50-year celebration book that breaks down the original screenplay, casting, and the infighting.
The movie took place in the affluent Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, and the infamous stairs had to be shut down temporarily to prevent injuries to the public. I don’t know if they’ve completely closed this off, as the last time I was physically in the area was around 1995. A downright unsettling tale because it plays on our fears tied to Christianity, and what our minds make real.
Not for the novice movie watcher, but a must-see.