Common Sense Media Review
By Charles Cassady Jr.
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Trendsetting shocker about a possessed child.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
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The Exorcist
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 60 parent reviews
Based on 165 kid reviews
Kids say the film is a classic but opinions vary significantly on its scariness and appropriateness for younger audiences. While some viewers found it boring and not frightening, others were deeply disturbed by graphic content and strong language, making it seem better suited for mature teens rather than children.
- mixed reactions
- graphic content
- strong language
- suitable for teens
- not very scary
- classic status
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In THE EXORCIST, 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?
This shockingly violent film was reported to have made audience members faint when it first came out in the 1970s. Director William Friedkin defined the modern horror genre with The Exorcist, using perversion and brutality as key traits. Thanks in part to Blair's wrenching, Oscar-nominated performance, the film was a huge hit, earning 10 times its $10 million budget -- a then-lavish sum for a 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. The moans, snarls, and profane words 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. And the infamous effects of projectile vomit and blood, blaspheming, and general obscenity remain as disturbing today as ever.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the film's religious and scientific overtones. Does Father Karras regain his religious faith in The Exorcist's finale?
How does Father Merrin demonstrate courage and perseverance? Is it worth it for him to sacrifice his life for his faith?
Why do you think The Exorcist stands the test of time as one of the best horror films in Hollywood history?
Is the film's violence and language on par with what we see today? How do you think the film impacted audiences when it first came out? And how has the horror genre changed over the years?
Which characters demonstrate courage and perseverance? Why are these important character strengths?
Movie Details
- In theaters : December 26, 1973
- On DVD or streaming : March 26, 1997
- Cast : Ellen Burstyn , Linda Blair , Max von Sydow
- Director : William Friedkin
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Warner Home Video
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 132 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : horror elements, violence, profanity and intensity.
- Last updated : March 15, 2024
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