The Exorcist (1973)

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⭐7.5/10

This has always kinda been the final boss of horror movies for me. Nothing freaks me out more than demonic possession, I think in part because I'm not sure what I actually believe about it. Either way, I find this stuff super fascinating and sooky. 

I won't say I was super scared watching this one, but it sure is uncomfortable to watch. A lot of this movie is essentially watching a young girl be tortured and scream, so yeah, that will never be loads of fun. By the middle she is absolutely repulsive... And I kinda dug it. I don't know what it is about horror that compels people, but I definitely something watching this. 

Towards the end there is this fantastic Gandalf-figure that comes in and steals the show. I love him. And how often are Catholics portrayed in a positive light in modern media? This guy redeemed Catholics for decades, as well as the main "exorcist." Both excellent characters. I think it's worth mentioning that this isn't a hacky, campy horror movie. Its pretty slowly-paced and feels smart and well-researched. Its based off a novel which always helps, and I think that's the clearest through these two characters. 

So yeah, I'm not totally sure what to think about this movie. I didn't totally freighten me, but there was definitely a night last week where I started thinking about this movie in bed and had to QUICKLY change my thoughts or I'd be sleeping with the lights on. Its spooky, it's uncomfortable, it's yucky. Its essentially everything I thought it would be, but I'm still not sure what that means. Its okay I guess, but I felt a little dirty for watching it. 

There's also some interesting stories of weird things that happened on set. All just adds to the mythology as one of the most classic spooky-season movies you can watch. 

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