Synopsis-
Alright, I’m going to cut to the chase with this review: Has anyone not seen The Exorcist as of yet? If not, then do yourself a favor and make that a reality this fall. When I think of a horror film or a connotation that is indicative of Halloween, this film typically comes to the forefront of my mind. For my money this is the Citizen Kane of horror films and since it’s the 40th anniversary of William Friedkin’s classic, I wanted to see if perhaps the film didn’t have the same impact on me that it did when I saw it for the first time as a teenager.
Well, it had an even greater impact this time out, and I think there’s this misconception that The Exorcist is simply a film about a girl who becomes possessed, and ultimately vomits out pea soup, the end. No, there’s a deeper set of themes embedded within the context of this pop culture classic, and they deal with the question of good and evil in the world we reside in. Whether you’re religious to some degree or not, look very closely the next time you watch this movie. The opening scenes alone with Max Von Sydow’s character, Father Merrin, becoming spooked while on an archeological dig in Iraq, should reveal what’s at the core of this movie: Good versus evil. It ultimately gave me something new to think about as I took a trip down memory lane with this newly released Blu-ray edition. Now before I forget, you’re getting two editions of the film here, one extended cut, and one original theatrical cut. I’ll leave it up to the readers to decide which one they prefer, but for me, I’m indifferent on it. Neither ruins the other’s reputation.
Bottom line, this is still a remarkable achievement in film making, from the convincing acting of every cast member involved, to the cinematography (Georgetown’s shots in particular), and the obvious impact of the believable execution with the film’s more violent and disturbing sequences. How does the latest home release look?
Video Quality- A+
Blown up on my wall, with the help of a 1080p, high-definition projector, this film has never looked better. I also appreciate there’s still some level of film grain left in certain shots (mainly the opening scenes in Iraq) because not every film has to look freakishly spotless in the age of HD. Overall though, there’s nothing to complain about here, although I suspect we’ll see a 4k enhanced edition in another few years.
Audio Quality-A+
The sound mix for both discs in this set, the extended cut, and the original theatrical edition are both DTS 7.1 surround sound. So if you have a surround sound system that can handle that style, you’ll reap the benefits here. Many subtle, and creepy sound effects, particularly when Ellen Burstyn’s character of Chris Macneil hears something coming from the attic, shine with this type of sound mix.
Extras- A+
This where the fun begins. Two new documentaries in particular are on the bonus disc that are worth your time. The first: Beyond Comprehension: William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist (NEW) 40 years after his novel was published, The Exorcist author, screenwriter and producer returns to where it all began. The second: Talk of the Devil.
The former, is awesome to see the man who wrote this classic to go through his own reflection on where he concocted it all. The latter, is a rare interview with the original priest, Father Eugene Gallagher, that The Exorcist was based on. It’s black and white so not the best quality, but good enough to hear him speak at length about some of his own experiences related to real-life Exorcisms, as well as the relationship he had to William Peter Blatty when he was a much younger author attending Georgetown University. It’s interesting to note that Gallagher admits he never saw Blatty as being capable of being able to write such a serious piece of work given he knew him as very much a class clown kind of persona. Either way, plenty to absorb here that’s not been included on past iterations of The Exorcist home-video releases.
As far as the remaining extras, some have been ported over from previous releases on DVD and earlier Blu-rays. Here is a list of everything included:
- Two Commentaries by director William Friedkin
- Commentary by author William Peter Blatty
- Introduction by William Friedkin
- 1998 BBC Documentary “The Fear of God: 25 Years of the Exorcist”
- Raising Hell: Filming the Exorcist Set footage produced and photographed by Owen Roizman, camera and makeup tests, and interviews with director William Friedkin, actress Linda Blair, author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty and Owen Roizman.
- The Exorcist Locations: Georgetown Then and Now — Featuring a tour of the iconic locations where the film was shot.
- Faces of Evil: The Different Versions of The Exorcist — with director William Friedkin and author/screenwriter/producer William Peter Blatty discussing the different versions of the film and featuring outtakes from the film.
- Original Ending
- Interviews: The Original Cut; Stairway to Heaven; The Final Reckoning
- Sketches & Storyboards
- Radio Spots
- TV Spots
- Trailers
Also included is a nifty excerpt book, from The Friedkin Connection: A Memoir. In this, William Friedkin goes into details on the path from adapting the novel The Exorcist to the silver screen, to the trials and tribulations associated during filming. I found it to be very informative, and has enough intriguing anecdotes that make it a worthwhile companion to owning the film as well. And let’s be honest, it looks good on a bookshelf!
At the end of the day, even with a hefty retail price tag of $49.99 (most retailers have it on sale for $39.95 currently), I’d have to recommend this for not just fans of the film, but also newbies, who may take their first dip into this pond of such an emotional, and effective horror film. As always, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave comments below.
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