The Exorcist (1973)

Director: William Friedkin
Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair
Runtime: 122 minutes

Synopsis: The daughter of a famous actress gets possessed by a demon.

• Performances: 10/10

Why? The performances in this movie are definitely one of the reasons "The Exorcist" is still considered to this day as one of the scariest horror films ever made. Ellen Burstyn beautifully portrays a mother scared out of her mind of her daughter's behavior. Linda Blair plays the role of Regan, the daughter in question possessed by a mysterious entity and gives what is, in my opinion, the best child performance ever featured in a horror movie. She sold both her sweet and terrifying sides, and singlehandedly made her character one of the most iconic characters in cinema history. A special mention goes to both Jason Miller and Max von Sydow who played the roles of the two priests in charge of the exorcism. Even though their characters weren't as interesting as the ones I just mentioned, they were still able to make them their own. 

• Screenplay: 8/10

Why? "The Exorcist" is one of my favorite horror movies of all time for a reason: its effective simplicity. It's apparent that both writer William Peter Blatty and director William Friedkin understand that good horror is not achieved via cheap jump scares, but rather a gradually growing sense of unsettlement. You can't feel but shocked and scared by the disturbing events unfolding before your very eyes, and the fact that they all come from a 12-year-old innocent little girl only makes more unnerving. "The Exorcist" doesn't need a complicated plot to work, and understands it perfectly.    

• Costumes/Makeup: 10/10

Why? Absolutely perfect. The makeup used on Reagan still holds up to this day and is both terrifying and disturbing. The movie wouldn't have been as successful had it not been done this well. Also, raise your hand if you knew that Max von Sydow was only 43 when he shot this movie.

• Editing: 9/10

Why? Absolutely no complaints here. The movie gradually builds towards its climax in a very effective way, and injects still images in between scenes that made the whole experience even more disturbing. The first act could've been about 5 minutes shorter in my opinion but I can't say that its length bothered me at all.

• Cinematography: 8/10

Why? Not only is it beautifully shot and filled with some of the most memorable scenes ever put to film, but its also very effectively shot and the way the camerawork was handled enhanced the unsettling experience by putting us in the main characters' skin. 

• Score/Soundtrack: 9/10

Why? One of the most iconic movie scores of all time. It's creepy and sticks in your head for a long time afterwards. The movie won the Oscar in this category in 1974 and absolutely deserves it.

FINAL GRADE: 9/10