Review: The Exorcist (1973)

76/100

There is a new saying among old people that new people hate old films. The thing is, the atmosphere of watching a film in the cinema is 180-degrees different to the olden days when the big screen is the only way to watch films in all their glory. It felt like, as I've heard, an experience, a once-in-a-lifetime gift. Whereas today, you only go to the cinema if you have been anticipating the film. And as a 16-year-old, I agree. I agree that our contemporary brains are not acclimated innately to watching old films, and I can't count how many times they put me to distracting sleep.

But I will also say that a film isn't ageist naturally. It doesn't look for a specific era unless it is. However, I found these kinds of films to be less common because the human personality remains the same. The reason we all connect with stories is because of our universal humanity, and neurology hasn't changed much. A film roll may be scathed, but it is still there, and its frames are still visible. You just need to imagine how the original would've looked like, to bypass those artifacts and experience the film.

But while the restoration of The Exorcist doesn't include much artifacts or distracting elements, I learned by the end of the film, as I was reflecting, to try and bypass its story. Because boy did this film age well. Despite standing the test of time, with Rotten Tomatoes recently judging it the top-voted scary films, I can't help but see its decays. It only gave me a sense of awe momentarily, and then it just... goes on. But something is left within the film, and I think it has to be emotion.

Because while The Exorcist may not be scary to me, knowing the presence of nowadays jumpscare-y horror flicks, I think what still stands is its depth. The ability that everyone showed onscreen and offscreen reflected its dreamy experience I can only imagine in theaters. Even as a Catholic I am not so affected, but I can imagine being religious and seeing a visualization of an exorcism in the big screen. Films like these need your, forgive my pretentiousness, intellect in order for its atmospheric and narrative message to clearly come across.

Yet, it is very confusing as to which horror this film lies in. Obviously there is supernatural horror, but is this conventional (The Conjuring Universe, looking at you) or psychological? Because while the former was what captivated audiences, the wear-and-tear it experienced over the decades kind of revealed a second layer into it. And that is what made me disappointed. It felt confused. While the opening sequence did preface what is about to happen, it felt detached, and a lot of the film's scenes are detached tonally. It just felt like they were trying to think of a lot of things, and just poured all that incoherent thinking into the editing.

As I said, the film succeeds tremendously with its psychological aspects. I experienced a feeling of helplessness and mercilessness lying and targeting the characters. There is a trope in modern horror that wherever the protagonists go, the demon will always hunt for them. But The Exorcist masked that message with a very profound symbolism: the Sun. Light. It is present wherever chaos reigns. Earlier in the film, as I've screenshot for this review, the Sun illuminates its surroundings overwhelmingly, set to a really somber music. The Sun represents the source of chaos itself, showing that we can never bypass chaos, for we will always be under their watch.

In a way, I can connect slightly with the past audiences. I myself believe in such things as a supernatural deity, and have experienced various ghostly events myself. They're not really severe, but they hit you in the heart. Not just because of its eerie unknown status, but also because you are unsure of how you should be or do. There are times when I get stuck into a loop of events, and it can drive my crazy. The Exorcist felt like a journey into insanity, and it does so with striking sensitivity. I appreciate how writer William Blatty can explore more than just the boos, but also connect supernaturalism to the visible reality, juxtaposing them but also at times coalescing them. It is a poignant portrait of life.

Though I also cannot say that audiences did not wholly acknowledge its psychological undertones. The film was released during the dump month, a moment of critical sentimentalism towards American films, and many had to face the outdoor cold in queue of showtimes. When they did watch it, many suffered from emergency health issues. This is important to understand the contemporary reactions, because physiology shapes perception and psychology. It is as if The Exorcist was worsening their state, and that's why it worked. Though I will say, nobody really noticed its psychological aspects and only the ghosts and vomit (which, really? People believed that? I thought green peas were around at the time) resonated in them more than its philosophy.

And that's part of the problem with The Exorcist, not just now but especially now. When I understand the filmmakers' intentions, I began to question on whether or not I actually understood the film. I enjoyed it nevertheless, but when overlaying my review with the contemporary reviews, I don't like the film. It will always be appreciated by me, and I'm truly glad I have seen this film! I'm just not sure in a lot of ways.

The Exorcist is available digitally and physically.