I haven't got around watching this horror classic for a long time, hailed as one of the greatest of the genre and reportedly causing audiences to faint and vomit! (yucky) I decided to finally check it out on a midnight (How appropriate..), and I have to admit, it wasn't that scary for me! Still made me nervous though.
The movie opens in the most unexpected of places, Iraq, but Friedkins direction gives off this eerie and daunting vibe which never leaves throughout the entire movie. The characters are well developed and the performances are really solid, especially Ellen Burstyn whose performance as the increasing distraught mother is everything I could ask for but lets not forget Linda Blair, who really sells it as the possessed daughter who increasingly says and does things that would put you on Santa's Naughty List (or worse...).
It's always nice to see genuine buildup and suspense in a horror movie instead of cheap jump-scares that have been plaguing modern horror movies (We've been digging our own graves...). The scares, when they come are very effective and stays with you even for a long time. The FX are very impressive even to this day, I still wonder how they achieve that flying technique although I'm not too keen on the demons voice.
Overall, a nail-bitting horror movie which keeps you on the edge of your seat until the tense and chaotic climax which genuinely made me agitated. I wont recommend this to everybody as some people might have more tingly bones than me and it can get quite slow at times with the padded scenes. A certified horror classic that's definitely worth its title and I hope that the sequel will be just as good.
The movie opens in the most unexpected of places, Iraq, but Friedkins direction gives off this eerie and daunting vibe which never leaves throughout the entire movie. The characters are well developed and the performances are really solid, especially Ellen Burstyn whose performance as the increasing distraught mother is everything I could ask for but lets not forget Linda Blair, who really sells it as the possessed daughter who increasingly says and does things that would put you on Santa's Naughty List (or worse...).
It's always nice to see genuine buildup and suspense in a horror movie instead of cheap jump-scares that have been plaguing modern horror movies (We've been digging our own graves...). The scares, when they come are very effective and stays with you even for a long time. The FX are very impressive even to this day, I still wonder how they achieve that flying technique although I'm not too keen on the demons voice.
Overall, a nail-bitting horror movie which keeps you on the edge of your seat until the tense and chaotic climax which genuinely made me agitated. I wont recommend this to everybody as some people might have more tingly bones than me and it can get quite slow at times with the padded scenes. A certified horror classic that's definitely worth its title and I hope that the sequel will be just as good.