The Exorcist 4K review by Bobby Blakey
There are some movies that just hit different and end up standing the test of time for various reasons. In the horror genre few stand on the pedestal of William Friedkin’s 1973 film The Exorcist starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowan, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair. Now to celebrate the films 50th anniversary Warner Bros is bringing the film to 4K for the first time.
The Exorcist follows Regan, a young girl who starts to exhibit strange, arcane behavior. Her mother calls upon a priest, Father Karras, to investigate, but Karras, who has a spiritual crisis of his own, is suddenly confronted with the unimaginable evil of Regan's possession. Father Lankester Merrin, an archeologist-priest, is called to help, and a horrific battle for her soul begins.
This is one of those movies that sticks with you, but mostly just the later aspect of it. I do love this film, but it is a massive slow burn initially with it taking more than 40 minutes before anything really happens outside of just dialogue. This is clearly by design as we are being led into the lives and relationship of Regan, her mother and Father Karras. After the long slow build-up it brings everything together for something that is hard to get out of your head.
The film is actually pretty tame by today’s standards, but Linda Blair’s performance is so insane and spot on that it is still powerful and effective. There is something all the more disturbing seeing a young person in this scenario and why this film terrified so many at the time of its release. Those that believe in this sort of thing often times are still scared of this film and it is just a testament to the quality of the project and how well it holds up.
There are so many great visuals that were used that are still insanely horrific and beautiful to this day. These are the reasons this film digs so deep into your soul as opposed to just being another horror film. It’s not really scary unless you believe in it but still makes you think “what if?” either way. Everyone’s performance is insanely perfect, but it is Blair’s overall existence that carries this movie. From the young innocent persona we follow prior to the possession to the pea soup spitting sexualized demon that takes over, she is a constant force to be reckoned with.
The extended edition of the film brings more to the table including the famed stair crab walk that is a short but awesome addition to the film and so glad they went back and added it back in. This new release not only offers up the film in glorious 4K for the first time ever, but all the previously released bonus content including commentaries, TV spots, trailers, the original ending, and so much more. As if that wasn’t enough it also includes both the original theatrical cut and the 2000 director’s cut all in one excellent steelbook release.
Grab your copy of The Exorcist available now on 4K for the first time ever from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.