Films
Draft
Backrooms
Kane Parsons, Will Soodik
A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.
Psychological HorrorThriller
Films
Draft
The Exorcist
William Friedkin, William Peter Blatty
This review is currently a draft.
When young Regan starts acting odd -- levitating, speaking in tongues -- her worried mother seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. A local priest, however, thinks the girl may be seized by the devil. The priest makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert to help with the difficult job.
Score 7.5 / 10
Mood
Curious
Pacing
Uncomfortable
Aftertaste
It's fine
Would Revisit
Not sure, maybe
Recommendation
To horror fans!
— Why her? Why this girl? — I think the point is to make us despair. To see ourselves as... animal and ugly. To make us reject the possibility that God could love us.
This film is an adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name.
Some scenes look quite funny now — the film came out in 1973, and the technology of the time had its limits. But it’s worth noting that the acting, especially from the two leads — the mother and the girl — is very good, and so is the makeup!
It’s interesting that Pazuzu is portrayed as a purely evil figure in the film, essentially as the Devil himself possessing the girl — since his symbols are traditionally used as talismans against other evil spirits. This is even acknowledged in the film itself with the line “evil versus evil”.
The film was uncomfortable to watch at times — not because of any psychological impact, but because of the hypersexualisation of a child. There are several scenes where the girl speaks and even performs sexual acts, despite being 12 years old in the story (and 14 in real life).
That said, I think what scared people so deeply about this film wasn’t the horror on screen, but what it reflected about adult and parental fears. Demonic possession here reads as a metaphor for adolescence — the moment a quiet, polite child suddenly becomes a foul-mouthed rebel raging with hormones, and the parent loses all control seemingly out of nowhere.
I also appreciated the biblical reference to Jesus casting out demons and sending them into pigs (Matthew 8:27–33).
Final Note
Overall, even though the film may not look particularly scary by today's standards — and occasionally even a little ridiculous — I still recommend it to horror fans, and 7.5/10!
January 8, 2026More to Explore
