The Exorcist Hit Theaters 43 Years Ago Today – We Got This Covered

On the 26th of December 1973, William Friedkins The Exorcist hit theaters and horror hasnt been the same since. The absolutely terrifying movie contains several indelible cinematic images, was controversial at the time, went on to be banned in many countries and spawned four sequels and two television series (and a stage adaptation featuring Ian McKellan as Pazuzu!). But lets get back to that 1973 premiere and find out how unwitting audiences reacted to what they found.

One critic, Stanley Kauffmann writing inThe New Republic, said:

This is the most scary film Ive seen in years theonlyscary film Ive seen in yearsIf you want to be shaken and I found out, while the picture was going, that thats what I wanted thenThe Exorcistwill scare the hell out of you.

Variety, meanwhile, praised it as pure cinematic terror and director Joe Dante said:

An amazing film, and one destined to become at the very least a horror classic. Director William Friedkins film will be profoundly disturbing to all audiences, especially the more sensitive and those who tend to live the movies they seeSuffice it to say, there has never been anything like this on the screen before.

Of course, it went on to be nominated for 10 Academy Awards and has now cemented its place in horror history as one of the scariest movies of all time.

If you havent seen the film or had much experience with the franchise, your best bet is the Blu-ray box set The Exorcist: The Complete Anthology.This contains both the original theatrical cut and extended version ofThe Exorcist, along with Exorcist II: The Heretic; The Exorcist IIIand two prequels: Exorcist: The Beginningand Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. Maybe skipExorcist II, butThe Exorcist IIIis well worth checking out. It comes with a bunch of special features, too, but Id specifically recommend author William Blattys commentary about his inspiration for the book the movie is based on.

And remember, if you think youre familiar with The Exorcist due to it being parodied so often, believe me, the film has lost none of its intensity over the last 43 years.

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The Exorcist Hit Theaters 43 Years Ago Today - We Got This Covered

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero