... and it was pretty scary when I saw it in 1974. Maybe the horror has shifted somewhat for me. In 1974 I was 16 and I was sheltered from the horror of real life. So horror films were the only thing that probably could scare me.
Today it plays like a very good drama, and what scares me the most is being put in Ellen Burstyn's place as the mother and not having a clue as to what is going on with her daughter and the patronizing doctors with their useless and apparently painful tests. Also the parallel drama of Father Karras having a crisis of faith and of conscience over the death of his mother is well done and well played as part of the larger story.
There is a great supporting cast with old veteran Lee J. Cobb as the cop. But there are some holes in the plot. I mean, what does Cobb think is going on anyways? Does he think a girl that sick can push a man out of a window? He's like a noir character in search of a villain. And, at least in the film, there is never a connection made between a girl in Georgetown, Washington D.C. suddenly becoming possessed and digging up an artifact in a foreign land. I haven't read the book, maybe there the connection is made. And what is going on with leaving a window open at night in Washington,D.C. As somebody who lives near there, I can tell you if you do this, something much scarier than a demon is coming in through that window! This is the big city, not Mayberry!
Some production notes: Linda Blair was in fact 15 when this movie was made, not 12. The radiology technician in the hospital scene was a legitimate active serial killer at the time of filming. Max Von Sydow was only 44 at the time of filming, not a very old man. It's odd how he has always and convincingly played men much older than himself. The "spider walk" scene was added back into the film years later. I have no idea why they elected to take that out of the original release. It's a sledgehammer to the face. On second thought, maybe that is the reason they took it out.
Today it plays like a very good drama, and what scares me the most is being put in Ellen Burstyn's place as the mother and not having a clue as to what is going on with her daughter and the patronizing doctors with their useless and apparently painful tests. Also the parallel drama of Father Karras having a crisis of faith and of conscience over the death of his mother is well done and well played as part of the larger story.
There is a great supporting cast with old veteran Lee J. Cobb as the cop. But there are some holes in the plot. I mean, what does Cobb think is going on anyways? Does he think a girl that sick can push a man out of a window? He's like a noir character in search of a villain. And, at least in the film, there is never a connection made between a girl in Georgetown, Washington D.C. suddenly becoming possessed and digging up an artifact in a foreign land. I haven't read the book, maybe there the connection is made. And what is going on with leaving a window open at night in Washington,D.C. As somebody who lives near there, I can tell you if you do this, something much scarier than a demon is coming in through that window! This is the big city, not Mayberry!
Some production notes: Linda Blair was in fact 15 when this movie was made, not 12. The radiology technician in the hospital scene was a legitimate active serial killer at the time of filming. Max Von Sydow was only 44 at the time of filming, not a very old man. It's odd how he has always and convincingly played men much older than himself. The "spider walk" scene was added back into the film years later. I have no idea why they elected to take that out of the original release. It's a sledgehammer to the face. On second thought, maybe that is the reason they took it out.