It’s A Perfect Day for An Exorcism

I was a bit of a late bloomer when it came to horror films. Horror fans are a particularly passionate, devoted bunch, often lifelong fans with fond memories of seeing their first films as young as 5 or 6 years old. Not me. I was terrified of horror as a young child, very sensitive to the extreme gore and grisly deaths. It honestly wasn’t until early high school years that my feelings towards horror started to shift. I was sucked in by the works of Craven and Carpenter. I went from petrified to obsessed, indulging in every film I could get my hands on.

Every film except for one. No matter how deep the addiction grew, there was one movie that I always avoided like the plague, and that was The Exorcist. I’m sure I wasn’t alone. The screen adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s novel has been heralded by many as the scariest film of all time. For myself, I avoided it for a completely different set of reasons. Being raised in a strong Christian home with a deep-seated belief in the spiritual and supernatural, in God and the devil, angels and demons, possession was an especially terrifying notion to me, something I believed really can and does happen. Even if you don’t believe in such things, is there any more frightening concept than that of some alien, outside force or entity seizing control of your body and consciousness? The idea that it’s you but you’re no longer in the driver seat. We as humans like to feel in control of our lives, our decisions and behaviors. It’s scary to think of someone or something else calling the shots.

It’s A Perfect Day for An Exorcism…

But eventually, my fear and trepidation gave way to fascination, and the power of curiosity compelled me. I finally gave in to my urges and watched this utterly gripping masterpiece. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The tale of a young girl that becomes demonically possessed, and her frightened mother’s desperate appeals to two priests to attempt an exorcism to win her back, was the stuff nightmares are made of.

It was so masterfully crafted, from the striking visuals to the haunting musical score, to the unforgettable makeup and effects of the legendary Dick Smith, to everything lending a palpable, overwhelming weightiness to the film, resulting in an atmosphere of darkness and heavy dread never duplicated. I had seen some effectively creepy and maybe even downright scary films before, but this was absolutely chilling and horrifying on a whole nother level. It made possession look every bit as awful as you might presume it to be.

The performances by the cast were all magnificent, for me particularly those of Jason Miller as Father Damien Karras, Ellen Burstyn as the concerned mother, Chris MacNeil, and of course, Linda Blair in a (brace yourselves, bad pun coming) head-turning performance as the young, possessed Regan MacNeil. In fact, all three were nominated for Oscars for their performances, 3 of 10 Oscar nominations the film garnered that year. It is also currently the ninth highest grossing film of all time in the US and Canada.

Needless to say, December 26, 1973, really was, in fact, an excellent day for an exorcism, and horror history has never ever been the same since. And neither have I, as the film I was once too utterly terrified to even watch has gone on to become my absolute favorite horror film ever, an experience beyond compare. A vulgar display of power the rest of the genre is still chasing their tails trying to catch up to.