The Exorcist (R, 1973)

common sense media says

Trendsetting shocker about a possessed child.


parents & educators say
  • 43% say violence is an issue
  • 30% say sexual content is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is a mature horror film, not aimed at (or paced for) kids. No rock-music soundtracks or look-out-the-killer-is-behind-you scares, but rather an awful sense of corruption as demonic possession takes over an adolescent girl like a loathsome progressive disease. The infamous makeup effects of projectile vomiting and blood, blaspheming, and gutturally obscene language were meant to disturb the viewer as nothing before seen in movies, and they still convey solid shocks.

Positive messages: Technically the plot is about the redemption of the doubting Father Karras, who sacrifices himself to save a life, but it's the sense of evil in the film that stays with you. The "good" characters seem bewildered and powerless. Regan's mother refuses to even tell the girl's father what's been happening.
Violence: The demonic Regan punches her mother and other investigators and (offscreen) brutally murders a man. She also mutilates herself, vomits blood, and in a famous moment, rotates her own head completely around. Another character falls fatally out a window and down a flight of steps.
Sex: Nothing seductive or titillating, but still intense, as the possessed girl lewdly propositions men, talks about oral sex, and is briefly shown rubbing a crucifix in her groin.
Language: A little girl taken over by the devil doesn't hold back much in the cursing department.
Consumerism: Soft-drink signs, movie-company logos.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Social imbibing, and a character is drunk at a party. Mention of pills and pot.

More on The Exorcist

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about the film's religious and scientific overtones. Does Father Karras regain his religious faith in the finale, and how does he become almost Christlike? What do you think about the novel's suggestion that this might not be a "real" demon but rather some terrible but explicable mental disorder?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Linda Blair plays Regan MacNeil, the bright 12-year-old daughter of successful actress Chris (Ellen Burstyn), who can afford to raise the girl in a nurturing atmosphere with live-in cooks and nannies (Regan's absentee father is written off as self-absorbed and oblivious). The first signs of trouble include Regan playing with a Ouija board and claiming she's communicated with a ghost she calls Captain Howdy. Then the girl begins behaving abnormally, urinating in front of party guests and foretelling death for Chris' film-director boyfriend. While Regan suffers grueling medical exams and gets progressively worse, the story line simultaneously follows Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), a Greek-American Catholic priest with some doubts about his religion. When medical science fails to cure the howling, obscenity-spewing, uncontrollable Regan, doctors point Chris to Father Karras, whose background in psychology includes the now-rare rite of exorcism. Karras summons another priest to help, the wiser and older Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow), and together they begin to do battle with Regan's occupier.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Thanks in part to Linda Blair's wrenching, Oscar-nominated performance, The Exorcist was a huge hit, earning back 10 times its $10 million budget (a then-lavish sum, outrageous for a "mere" horror flick). Movie historians cite it (along with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) as the conclusive end of old-school spook shows featuring Dracula and Frankenstein and bobbing rubber bats. If you think your teen is ready for this shocking film, keep in mind that audience members in the '70s reportedly fainted and, in some extreme cases, required psychiatric care after seeing Dick Smith's grisly makeup effects on Blair and director William Friedkin's matter-of-fact way of presenting them. Also, the moans, snarls, and profane utterances from Regan (most are actually the dubbed-in voice of a well-known older actress, Mercedes McCambridge) amount to some of the most chilling audio ever done for film.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Warner Home Video
Director: William Friedkin
Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow
Genre: Horror
Run time: 132 minutes
Theatrical release: December 26, 1973
DVD release: March 26, 1997
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: horror elements, violence, profanity and intensity.

This review was written by Charles Cassady Jr.
 
 

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What parents & educators say

14
Based on 23 parent & educator reviews:
  • 43% say violence is an issue
  • 30% say sexual content is an issue
  • 30% say language is an issue

Most useful reviews by all members

iluvtheexorcist33
teen, 13 years old
 
Best movie eva!!!

future_spielberg
teen, 16 years old
 
classic. just amazing.
Ok you know what? If you are mature, have your mind on right, aren't too bugged by hell or the devil you can see this movie. This movie is not for the woozy or light of heart. Oh, trust me, I watched this with two friends (we have a lot of horror movie parties, this was the first time for all of us watching The Exorcist) and we were scared out of our wits watching it. Violence is so-so, I had to look away when she was in the hospital. Yes, some might call it "disturbing" I was disturbed when she was swinging on her bed for the first time screaming "mother!! mother!". But you know what? I went to sleep like a baby after that movie. It was the last movie we watched and I went to sleep without one nightmare. She pukes, spits, there is some blood, she hits and kicks and punches people. Language is grotesque, but, I mean, she was posessed. Yes, they use the F word, like no 13 year olds have heard that in their lives! And now we get to the infamous masturbating-with-a-crucifix scene. Ok...seriously...regular people who aren't posessed masturbate. If you are really religious I guess it would make you think it was a horrible movie. I respect that. But if you are mature you will really just appreciate this fine work of genius. The Exorcist is amazing, I still can't believe it was made in the '70s...

jennlea1
parent of 12 and 14 year old
 
inappropriate rating
this movie may not have butchering, murdering, scary jump out at you scenes but is the scariest movie i have ever scene. as an adult i still do not watch it. i can not believe this movie is rated allowable for teens. it should be no kids. because of this rating for this movie, i do not trust this website and will not use it again to monitor what my kids are exposed to.

Jaysnake
teen, 16 years old
 
Terrifying
The possessed child's disturbing tranformation makes it one of the scariest movies of all time. The language is pretty bad and sexual content isn't out of control. Pretty scary movie.

#1 mom
parent
 
Not for kids!!!!!
Great movie for adults but not for kids under 16. Language was gross. Made a mistake letting my daughter watch it with me. It was so embarrassing!

KurtSeifert
teen, 15 years old
 
Good movie for responsible teens, bad profanity though. watch on tv censcored
Great Movie, The only bad thing is the profanity that the demon possessed girl uses. just maybe mute during the exorcism scene... but anyway, if your kid really wants to see it, your best off watching a censcored version on tv :). hope this review helped!!!

Japanlover
teen, 14 years old
 
The most evil movie ever!!!!!!!
This is one evil movie. It's so evil you'll puke!!!! It's a movie about the devil or Satan. It contains an I love Satan or the devil message. If you love God and worship him, just like me, Don't watch this movie. It will corrupt your mind. If you love Satan or the devil and pratice Satanism, Go ahead!!!!! Watch it!!!!! I highly skip this title for heaven's sake!!!!!!!! Bleh!!!!!!

TeenHorrorReviewer
teen, 14 years old
 
The scariest movie of all time will scar you for life, and leave you haunted by the effects.
The Exorcist is the scariest movie of all time. The painstaking process of watching a young girl becoming slowly possessed is like watching a disease coming over a loved one. It is terrifying. The vulgar language and impressive effects was supposed to shock viewers back in 1973, and it is still shocking today. Such as the effects of projectile vomit, transforming into terrifying faces, the soundtrack, and extremely explicit and vulgar language. My grandparents still have their Exorcist barf bags. The combination of disturbing images, vulgar language, and terrifying effect of losing a loved one makes this the most terrifying movie of all time. My suggested MPAA rating, R: Extremely strong/graphic pervasive language, and strong disturbing images

leerleets
kid, 9 years old
 
funny and still a must see!
this is for all the kids out there like me, IT IS SO FUNNNNNNYYYY!!!!! i mean, compare special effects from today, and from 1973. let's compare 127 hours and the exorcist. 127 hours is very realistic, while the exorcist has really fake and boring special effects. yes, its cheezy, but its a must see. and parents should watch out for language and violence.

cerealkiller189
teen, 13 years old
 
FUNNIEST MOVIE EVER!!!
'Lick me!Lick me!!!'Lol."Let Jesus !@$% You!"lololololololol.Has there been a funnier movie than The Exorcist?I don't think so.Why are ppl saying this is the scariest movie of all time?probably the funniest of all time!!and this comes from a 13 yr old who watched this at 2 am with lights out,extended version,full volume.no joke,and i laughed myself to death believe it or not.pretty cool ,considering the fact that only a few asymetrical cuts were added to linda blair's face.and the head spinning scene was so awesome! !!"do you know what she did?your c*$#^@! daughter did?'lololol.and theres the funniest 2 parts of the movie too-the pea spitting scene and the spiderwalk scene.go buy the extended version now cos the spiderwalk scene in there is 10x scarier (showed it to my brother and he couldnt sleep for a week!)and linda blair's face looks sooooo awesome!!!!1111111

Epiknezz
teen, 13 years old
 
Epic
Not scary. Thay shown it on Nick Jr teh other day. :D

elsbelspeace001
teen, 14 years old
 
AMAZING!
I loved this horror film. Such a classic. However there are many iffys to it. First of all there is a masturbation scene (not graphic) however the mother is forced to "lick" her possessed child. Gross with vomiting and her scarred face. one scene has her spinning her head and also the famous spider walking scene with blood pouring out of her mouth. The voice is quite frightening and the fathers death is very graphic. Also one scene has the doctors looking into her brain and has very graphic medical uses as sticking a needle in her neck and blood squirting from the artery. Language goes to the last straw with the c word the f word and almost every other profanity word out there. Oh and last but not least the famous peeing on the carpet scene. I enjoyed it but yes this movie IS scary!

KennyMcCormick
teen, 13 years old
 
The Exorcist!
Really creepy.

flickchick12345
teen, 15 years old
 
Great movie, scary for youngsters.
Honestly, I love this movie. But younger kids might find this too scary. If your not religious, like me, then you most likely won't find this movie scary.

uglyfudge
teen, 14 years old
 
Depends on how mature the kid is
Great movie (my all time favorite), some people may not be comfortable with some part in it (ex: when she *bad word*ed herself with a cross), but it's a fantastic and terrifying movie, even though it was made in 1974. If your kids like scary movies (and don't mind nightmares for the next few weeks after watching this) and are mature enough to handle it, this would be a good movie to consider.

BlueRocks360
kid, 13 years old
 
Believe it or not.....
I loved this movie! I watched it with my dad and everything about it somehow makes me laugh. But it is not for people who get spooked easily.

wcjtyler
kid, 12 years old
 
e.g. Perfect for adults, but not anyone else

Bubbleluver111
kid, 12 years old
 
Good for teens and some tweens
This is a great movie! It is pretty scary, I mean, just look at her face! It is pretty violent, but I think most kids should be able to handle it. It has some cussing, pretty strong, but it's not like kids my age haven't already heard it. The special effects aren't that special, actually they are quite cheesy, but they are pretty good for something made that long ago.

kranda2000
kid, 11 years old
 
Best horror film ever
the best horror film ever created. Watch out, though, because the language is strong, and she talks about sex. Also quite disgusting, but has a good message. if you are catholic, you will understand all of the content.

@@@
parent
 
NOT a classic.
It was so scareless I could not bear it. It was just horrible, and no better than modern films like "Saw." I have seen worse, but not by a huge amount.

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