10 Scariest Uses Of Make-Up In Horror Movies

Often emulated but never equalled, William Friedkin’s adaption of William Peter Blatty’s novel has been lauded as “the scariest film of all time” for nearly fifty years. Despite the myriad advancements in technology that’ve given Hollywood new ways to horrify viewers since then, The Exorcist has never been beaten. In fact, the arc of Linda Blair’s Regan MacNeil—from angelic preteen to evil incarnate—is so iconic and unsettling that the title alone evokes chills.

Of course, Regan’s levitation and head-spinning scenes are the top two examples for why that is. Yet, there isn’t a second that she’s on screen that’s not distressing once she completely transforms. Although the genre has fashioned more outrageous monsters over the years, there’s just something psychologically and/or instinctually that makes Regan’s green irises, slashed cheeks, pale skin, and tattered hair coalesce into the superlative use of scary make-up in horror. (The scariest image of all, sometimes nicknamed “Regan’s High School Yearbook Photo,” isn’t even from the official film!)

Let’s just be glad that the famous “spider-walk” scene ends where it does in the film, as the book version—where she proceeds to chase people for a bit—is too terrifying to imagine.