Grade: B (85/100)
Year Released: 1973
I have often wondered to myself, have horror movies ever been good? Actually frightening, I mean. Personally I have seen several films that have scared me, freaked me out, or otherwise made me uncomfortably affected; however, more often the case is that the horror movies I enjoy are either meant to be funny, so bad they are funny, or just an entertaining bloodbath. Keep in mind that I am from the era of generally bad scary movies- the Paranormal Activity-level garbage that typically revolves around some sort of conjuring or ghost. These films, I can tell, were directly influenced by The Exorcist, a movie I watched because I was promised time and time again that it was "the scariest film ever made". While I firmly disagree with that judgment, I will say that The Exorcist is probably one of the best horror movies I've seen just from a production standpoint. The acting was pleasantly pretty good, and the special effects were, even from today's standard, decent. While I was never actually scared during the movie, I was often impressed and moved, and for the purpose of this review, I'll be discussing what I thought the movie did well and did not do so well.
I would like to start with what I found confusing, ineffective, and generally not great about The Exorcist. The backstory of a demon or a spirit needs to be not only interesting (it's half the fun of the plot) but also fairly explicit. Through the opening montage of a confused, possibly sick man on an archaeological dig in Iraq, the viewer is supposed to understand that this man is a veteran Catholic priest who comes across an ancient demon and realizes that it's out to get revenge. What the viewer actually draws from the opening is an old man in the desert staring painfully at statues. I wanted to understand what was happening, and could pick up enough of the idea based on the fact that this was not my first horror movie rodeo, but I was disappointed that the film did not make it clearer what the deal with the demon was. For instance, in my recollection at least, nowhere in the film is the demon's name (Pazuzu) mentioned. Never does the priest, who later aids in the exorcism, explain that the demon is out for revenge, or really show how it is brought to Georgetown and why it chooses to inhabit the daughter of an actress. The backstory is exceptionally weak and uninteresting, and even in the more exciting moments of the film, the viewer is still left with the thought, why is this happening?
Other weak points include the character of the police Lieutenant who insists that there may be something paranormal at stake- not only is it not super evident that he's an investigator at all, but his involvement in the movie is a superfluous addition with a purpose I cannot make out. The descent of the film into a discussion of the paranormal is almost ridiculous, but, I suppose, necessary, due to the fact that the child at the center of the film, Reagan MacNeil, is indeed possessed by the demon Pazuzu (for whatever reason). The best performances in the film come from Linda Blair, the young actress playing Reagan, and from Ellen Burstyn, who plays Reagan's mother Chris. Burstyn is exceptional, though her job isn't necessarily a difficult one to conceive of given the circumstance- the disgust, horror, and terror of her daughter's transformation is displayed well and beautifully countered by her devotion to finding a fix for her daughter's problem, no matter the cost.
My instinct is to interpret The Exorcist as a thinly-veiled metaphor for female puberty. What an oft-repeated tale: a girl on the verge of womanhood encountering personal demons (figuratively or, in this case, literally) to the despair of her worried, protective mother, who enlists the help of patriarchal figures to solicit a resolution to the problem. The demon that possesses Reagan turns her into everything a girl is told she cannot be in our society: grotesque, vulgar, unattractive, sexual, cold, demanding, rude, physically strong, defiant, stubborn. What's scary for Chris and the team of doctors and priests who attempt to cure her, and really what's scary about the movie as a whole, is the idea of a sweet, innocent girl child being corrupted and perverted by an outside force. Is that not a story we are told constantly, the horror story that doesn't need the facade of a ghost to be effective? What's even more interesting is that, by The Exorcist's logic, demonic possession (corruption) is contagious. In fact, to cure Reagan of her possession, Damien Karras willingly sacrifices himself by letting the demon take over his own body shortly before he commits suicide. Karras has been targeted by the demon before- the possessed Reagan often mocks him with depictions of his dead, demented mother in an attempt to break his spirit. This seems to say that the demon Pazuzu is unique in its capabilities to harm people, suggesting the inner, self-conscious demon that lives within every human, controlling him and prying on his insecurities. Pazuzu might as well be the cutesy nickname for a woman's period, the devil on someone's shoulder, the little voice in the back of someone's head that constantly tells him he's not good enough.
 |
| The mysteries of a teenage girl examined by frightened old white guys |
That is what I found smart about The Exorcist. It is a ghost story reminiscent of the kind of sociological messages told through allegorical sci-fi scenarios on The Twilight Zone. It's a well-written, well-acted attempt to demonstrate the melodramatic scenario of a girl's journey into womanhood through the facade of a horror movie. And I just have to appreciate that- I have to recognize the equally fascinating, humorous, and insulting implications of that idea, even despite the film's sometimes crippling flaws. The Exorcist may not be the most frightening film ever made like I was promised it would be, but it is definitely one of the most interesting horror movies of the modern age, and for that it is worth critically examining.
I saw The Exorcist on Netflix, but it is also available on Amazon Prime and can be purchased, I'm sure, at your local video store.
No comments:
Post a Comment