Viewed in
2010
Premise
A young girl is possessed by the devil. Based on a book I will not read.
Liked
Visual and sound effects.
Hated
The boring first act.
Thoughts
Despite some spooky moments, it was boring at times.
Considering it was made in the early 1970's, there were some very good special effects, with believable make up, effective puppetry, and icky fake bodily fluids. Also, the sound effects were vital in creating the memorable Regan moments. While there were some gross moments, most of the suspense was psychological, keeping me uncomfortable during the second half.
Another good thing about the movie was the strong acting. They felt like regular humans with flaws trying to figure out what is going on. This movie had some interesting scientific and religious themes. Theme song was pretty tight.
What I hated most was the first third. I understand the purpose was to get the audience to identify with the characters, but I was ready to stop watching at the thirty minute mark out of boredom. Despite how hard they tried, I could care less about any of the characters and their back stories. Normally, I am cool with old fashioned film making that emphasizes character, but it has to serve the story.
I don't think it worked like they wanted to, but I appreciated the effort.
Not sure which DVD version I watched, but it had an intro by director William Friedkin telling me I was watching the "re-mastered version", so I assume it was the original cut. EDIT: since I did not see a "spider walk" scene, it appears I saw a version closer to the theatrical.
What I would change
Taken out the Father Merrin scenes in the beginning to speed up the story.
