All the the hype about the original Exorcist is all rubbish. Yeah there are a few good bits in like the spider walk but does not stand up with some of the other films. yeah when it came out in all those years ago it was deem as scary but now i just lauagh at it. all the the trouble it caused and banning it was a joke!!!. it shows now all the the so called video nastys are been released that shows how rubbish some of them are
Last edited by mbeach on Feb 10th, 2004 at 01:32 PM
Don't even give it the credit of "yeah when it came out in all those years ago it was deem as scary but ".............there were much better pictures made around the same time or before that didn't suck (Jaws, The Amityville Horror, The Omen, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, Night of the Living Dead, etc. ).........
The movie sucked in the 70s.......it sucked in the 80s.....it sucked in the 90s.......guess what, still sucks. The movie was never good, even in comparison with the other horror movies that were coming out near the same time it was released.
yeah there was some good films made around that time like omen which is a very good film and the evil deads and in a way the texas chain saw maschre but that as so bad you you need so see another good horror to get over it
Why is it, when people say something "sucks" or is a "failure" they can't offer anything but their opinions? Never any backing.
I'll agree that it is a bite overrated, like most original horror movies. What put it over the top at the time, aside from the spider walk, swivel head, and projectile vomit, was Linda Blair masturbating with a cross and..well..the words that went with it.
I think it's well deserving of it's "good for it's time" title. As is TCM, and possibly "Last House". Besides, it all boils down to opinion, and all those movies have since been eclipsed.
yeah the movie was boring and kind of crapy, but it had so many parts that everyone is gonna remember... like the spinning head, the walk, the vomit, the masturbating, adn for some reason her pissing on the floor when her mother is playing piano always comes in mind.
and when this movie was made, stabbing your virgina with a cross had to be some creepy contraversial stuff.
granite its a slow boring watch, but its creepyness factor was there.
"Why is it, when people say something "sucks" or is a "failure" they can't offer anything but their opinions? Never any backing."
um......because "sucks" is an adjective used by people to display their opinion. An opinion is an opinion because it is not fact.........hence no facts to back up the opinion.
Would you like to know why I think it sucks? Well.......
- It is slow as shit.......so boring
- The plot is weak.....they had a good idea but just didn't flesh out the story
- I watch all kinds of horror movies........I can watch Killer Klowns from Outer Space once a month, yet can not sit through one viewing of the Exorcist.
The only reason the movie recieved attention is for the cross jabbing scene.......and as you said, the words that accompanied it. It garnered so much press from that scene that the next generation of kids heard about the movie..........it must be good if it's old and people still talk about it, right? So over rated. Repossesed (comedy flick w/ Linda Blair and Leslie Nielsen) was much better. Atleast it entertained me.
The movie was talked about so much in the press because of the above mentioned reasons..........yet I have to see a majority or even close to a majority of horror fans on the net or in real life who would rave about this movie the way the press does. Most are indifferent.......but a lot hate it. I'm in the latter category. I have yet to find two people on any one horror forum on any board who say "Oh my god, the Exorcist is soooo great, I love it!"..............
NO!! The reason it received a majority of the attention was because it was nominated for BEST PICTURE!! It was nominated with the following movies: American Graffiti, Cries and Whispers, The Sting (the winner), and A Touch of Class, none of which are horror movies. So the fact that it was in that group of movies speaks volumes in itself for the horror genre. Let me ask you another question: Would you have rather had Bang the Drum Slowly in its place?? I'm not saying it's the greatest movie in the world, but to treat the movie like Evil Dead or Jeepers Creepers is ridiculous.
Yes, Repossessed is very funny.
Guess what, The Exorcist put horror movies on the map. Like the movie or not, that's a positive. In fact, I'll tell you right now: I agree with the fact that it's a boring movie and I don't watch it but like every five years or so. But I am glad it existed, probably just as much as any horror movie I can think of.
I still say it sucks...............and you're right, The Exorcist shouldn't be treated like Evil Dead or Jeepers Creepers. The Evil Dead is actually good.............and Jeepers Creepers is extremely horrible. The Exorcist falls on a happy middle ground between the two.
it put horror movies on the map? ah yes......because before 1973, nobody had ever heard of a little man named Alfred Hitchcock or two masterpieces or horror he created like Psycho or The Birds...........which were extremely popular in the main stream culture.
seriously......you are giving this movie too much credit in terms of horror history. Sure.....it was a big name flick in the mass entertainment industry......but to say it put horror movies on the map is just ridiculous. It didn't even put horror movies into the mainstream (ahemhitchcoknudgenudge)..........not to mention the fact that there were already millions of horror genre fans who loved watching the B movies like Night of the Living Dead.
Atleast your not saying it was good.........that I can respect you for.
I thought we weren't comparing it to Evil Dead or Jeepers Creepers? If so then it cannot be on a middle ground between the two.
The only films I would put in the same classification (explained below) would be The Omen series, or something cheesy like The Believers, but they came afterwards and were no doubt inspired by The Exorcist.
I will give you props somewhat for Night of the Living Dead and for Hitchcock but what I am talking about is that The Exorcist took a sensitive subject (satanic possession/religion), an R rating, a horror backdrop, and the movie was rejoiced by a broad spectrum of fans. Hitchcock's films only qualified for two of those traits (backdrop & broad spectrum). 1973 was only a few years after the "R" rating was invented in 1968, so while there were other quality R-rated movies in that time period which could be classified as horror (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Last House on the Left), this was part of an important beginning to the R-rated genre we know and love today. BTW, how many films like The Exorcist have gotten the broad critical acclaim since 1973 that it did?? Hellraiser? No. Nightmare on Elm Street? No. The Omen? Nope. Evil Dead? Noooo. Would any of the aforementioned flicks have even been in the TOP 100 when they were voting on Best Picture??
Again, personally I do not think it is all THAT good, but I respect the film.
It is a great film but with all decades of hype surrounding it and the progression of horror films since its release it cant have the same effect that it did then.
Good point, mook. Example of a sort: Remember when in July 1999 everybody and their mother were completely enthralled by The Blair Witch Project and in August 1999 everybody and their mother were like, "hmmm, that actually wasn't that great."
I was born in 1975 so I do not know firsthand but I am sure in 1973 when it was released it was probably terrifying to everyone.
All of you who think the Excorsist is rubbish are misguided and well, foolish. The Excorsist, is one of the greatest films of all time. Obviously these detractors, have have no respect from the themes of this movie. I think these people are not true fans of horror, they do not want origignal ideas, and well written stories, they want friday the 13th sequels and clones where a Killer who never says anything, hacks teenagers to death, these are mindless, low brow pieces of shit not worthy to be pissed on by the excorsist. TO me there has really been nothing that comes close to the greatnes of the Excorsist. The way they created such a stifling and claustrophobic atmosphere was incredible, also the use of special effects such as the Devil voice Montage, was very frightening and realistic and plausible, not over the top, also the writing on the chest and the spider walk were very unnerving. I also enjoyed the weaving of real life stories of excorsism and religion, very effective. It was filmed as if it was straight drama and worked very well. The scenes at the beginning where the artifacts are unearthed was very plausible, and the images such as the dogs fighting and the devils shadow lit from behind, or the priest coming out the taxi with the light shining down, was incredible , these are iconic images. The devil flashes and the superimposed faces were genuinely disturbing. The Excorsist set the bar high, and i dont think that anyone has cleared it yet. It influenced so many movies in so many ways to say that it is rubbish is heresy and obviously the opinion of a muppet, hahahahaha
i agree 100% with papabeard....exorcist is a quality film, people say its slow paced...well what did you expect!?!? i find it sad that people cant appreciate the excellence of the movie
__________________
"How about this? Shut your mouth...Or I'll kick your teeth down your throat and shut it for you."