I never saw any of the Exorcist movies, but I read the original book when I was about 12. It was one of those things where I knew I’d regret reading it because it’s so darn creepy and hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck scary, but I couldn’t put it down. Very well written. So evocative. And having a little girl about my age as the center of the plot was too enticing to look away. I think what’s so interesting about “The Exorcist” is the willingness to believe there are demons and devils. In the world the author creates, it’s completely believable. Same goes for “The Omen” which also has an underlying theme of Catholicism and the opposing forces of good and evil. And speaking of “The Omen”, the original movie with Gregory Peck was a horror masterpiece. Scared the living daylights out of me.
Damn, Noah, excellent essay! I think that as we grow up, we might lose that ability to be carried away completely. Like the frontal lobe finally develops enough to override the terror that some stories induce. I remember reading King’s “Tommyknockers” when I was 16, and I was terrified all the time. During the day with the lights on. I reread it in my 20s and it didn’t have the same effect. Sure it was creepy- there are images still stuck in my brain from the first reading- but not terrifying. You close the book or turn off the tv, and real life is right there.
I thought I was the only one who loved Exorcist III (crappy ending and all). I’m a huge horror film fan and will watch most anything but it’s always fun to stumble upon one that genuinely scares you. A recent one I saw was “Oddity” which I had to watch in shifts, it scared me so much. “Barbarian” was another excellent scary one I’ve seen several times.
That scene with the nurse is still the most effective jump scare I think I've ever seen in a horror movie. Absolutely wet myself the first time I saw it in the theater and it has stuck with me all these years later.
You know there's a reassembly of the Director's Cut, called EXORCIST 3: LEGION, that takes out the exorcism part and builds on the tension instead of Quiet, Quiet, BANG! that the studio wanted. I have it on Blu-Ray, and you can find it on YouTube if you look for "Exorcist 3 Director's Cut".
I really liked the film for how disquieting it was without even showing anything explicitly gory, even in the theatrical cut—right up to the, "Oops, we need an exorcism here!" ending.
I never saw any of the Exorcist movies, but I read the original book when I was about 12. It was one of those things where I knew I’d regret reading it because it’s so darn creepy and hair-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck scary, but I couldn’t put it down. Very well written. So evocative. And having a little girl about my age as the center of the plot was too enticing to look away. I think what’s so interesting about “The Exorcist” is the willingness to believe there are demons and devils. In the world the author creates, it’s completely believable. Same goes for “The Omen” which also has an underlying theme of Catholicism and the opposing forces of good and evil. And speaking of “The Omen”, the original movie with Gregory Peck was a horror masterpiece. Scared the living daylights out of me.
The Omen is fun! I wrote a long piece on it here: https://wearethemutants.com/2020/10/30/hell-is-for-children-the-revolutionary-politics-of-the-omen/
Damn, Noah, excellent essay! I think that as we grow up, we might lose that ability to be carried away completely. Like the frontal lobe finally develops enough to override the terror that some stories induce. I remember reading King’s “Tommyknockers” when I was 16, and I was terrified all the time. During the day with the lights on. I reread it in my 20s and it didn’t have the same effect. Sure it was creepy- there are images still stuck in my brain from the first reading- but not terrifying. You close the book or turn off the tv, and real life is right there.
Thank you for helping me reflect. Happy Friday.
I thought I was the only one who loved Exorcist III (crappy ending and all). I’m a huge horror film fan and will watch most anything but it’s always fun to stumble upon one that genuinely scares you. A recent one I saw was “Oddity” which I had to watch in shifts, it scared me so much. “Barbarian” was another excellent scary one I’ve seen several times.
That scene with the nurse is still the most effective jump scare I think I've ever seen in a horror movie. Absolutely wet myself the first time I saw it in the theater and it has stuck with me all these years later.
it's justly famous.
You know there's a reassembly of the Director's Cut, called EXORCIST 3: LEGION, that takes out the exorcism part and builds on the tension instead of Quiet, Quiet, BANG! that the studio wanted. I have it on Blu-Ray, and you can find it on YouTube if you look for "Exorcist 3 Director's Cut".
I really liked the film for how disquieting it was without even showing anything explicitly gory, even in the theatrical cut—right up to the, "Oops, we need an exorcism here!" ending.