Finally, both the original 1973 version and the 2000 Version You Have Never Seen Before are available on Blu Ray in glorious HD with seven-speaker surround sound quality. William Peter Blattys screenplay adaptation of his own novel about 12-year old Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) who gets possessed by Satan after playing with a ouija board and the exorcism that follows to release her from the demonic clutches, is as an affecting, terrifying and enduring view now as it was when first released. This owes much to the direction of William Friedkin, who followed up his Oscar winning The French Connection with this, his undoubted masterpiece and had the divine wisdom to cast Ellen Bustyn in the part of the mother who wont rest until her daughter is cured; the relatively unknown Jason Miller as Father Karras, a priest who is losing his faith; and perhaps most vitally, Max von Sydow as the eponymous exorcist. Modern audiences discovering it for the first time may find it slower than many modern horrors, which is a valid criticism. But what is for certain is no contemporary horror is as deep, psychological or thought provoking as 'The Exorcist'. Often imitated but never bettered, Friedkin and Blattys 'The Exorcist' is still the greatest horror film ever made.
QUALITY
The difference in sound clarity is what really takes your breath away with The Exorcist. Friedkin himself has said of the blu-ray copy, I have heard little details on the soundtrack that I didnt even know existed, that I didnt even know we put in. And this is so true, when Regan is in full demonic mode it is possible to isolate and distinguish between the various animals and sound bites that were mixed to create those haunting growls and roars. The picture resolution is equally as impressive. The scenes in Iraq at the start of the film are so bring and beautiful and create an even greater contrast with the grey, darkness of Georgetown that dominates the movie. It also allows the wonderful work from the makeup department who pushed the boundaries to new levels in 1973 to create the terrifying demon that the innocent Regan becomes to be appreciated to a greater degree. The one criticism as I have, which I have said about many Blu-Ray titles, is on deep blacks, the shot can look grainy and spotty. I tested the Exorcist on a Playstation 3 and on a Sony BDP S470 and the results were the same.
EXTRAS
High praise is justified for the makers of this Blu-Ray 2 disc set; they contain a myriad of special features, that comprehensibly cover the Exorcist, from interviews to documentaries to TV spots and a host of trailers, TV and radio spots from all the releases of the film. Your enjoyment of the special features on disc one depends heavily on whether you have seen or own either the 25th anniversary edition or The Version You Have Never Seen, because all the features on this were contained on the DVD releases of these two versions. The pick of the features include an extended interview between William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty, where they discuss, bicker and argue with each other about the success of the different versions of the film, inclusion of certain scenes and audience readings into the film. Its a wonderful thing to watch two people who have such love and respect for each other butt horns. Disc One also contains the wonderful 25th anniversary documentary Fear of God produced and presented by self proclaimed Exorcist fan #1 Mark Kermode. His knowledge and passion for the film jump off the screen as he walks around Georgetown, the setting of the film. The documentary also includes interviews from everyone involved in the production and offers great insights into the evolution of the project from the original idea for the novel to 1998 when the movie was finally given the right to a video release in the UK. Go to disc two if youre looking for brand new features. The featurette Raising Hell includes never before seen footage and still from the making of the film and discussions from Friedkin and Blatty. Georgetown: Then and Now contains a series of comparative photographs, showing the way the key locations of the movie have changed in the past 37 years since filming wrapped in 1973. The most interesting featurette for me was Faced of Evil, which is presented by Friedkin and Blatty and delves far deeper than before in the reasoning for cutting certain scenes that would then finally be put back into the film for The Version You Have Never Seen Before. In addition to charting Friedkin and Blattys falling out over the directors decision to cut twelve minutes of footage, it also shows never before seen footage that Friedkin and Blatty intended to include in the new cut, but the failure to find sound files or damage to the print prevented their inclusion in the release. The one addition that I would have loved would have been a new commentary track from Friedkin for the blu-ray edition. In Faces of Evil he says, Blu-Ray is the best format that has ever come out for viewing a film, which demonstrates his feelings for the new technology; I just wish I could hear his discussion on the film as a whole and what he feels Blu Ray has brought to the film viewing experience.
VERDICT
Ultimately this is a fantastic double disc set to own. It features the two most complete and recognised versions of the movie in glorious High Definition, which despite some graininess does great justice to the film and offers a clarity of the sound that will have you recognising the animals that were used to produce those ghoulish, demonic gurgles spout by Regan MacNeil. If you own both the 25th anniversary edition of the original cut and The Version You Have Never Seen on DVD, this may not be as appealing to you as for someone who owns neither, unless you are desperate to watch the film in HD and keen on the new features, which as I have said are fascinating. 'The Exorcist is available on Blu-ray now'