When The Exorcist debuted in 1973 it horrified audiences of the time so much that many called for its censorship. Not only was the film terrifying, dark and intensely graphic but its central victim was an innocent young girl, a target many believed should be off-limits. Clearly nowadays the censoring of film has relaxed somewhat (were looking at you, A Serbian Film) but back in the early 1970s this kind of content was extremely controversial. The late great Roger Ebert noted that he found the fact that The Exorcist received an R rating and not the X is stupefying. Part of the reason The Exorcist so frequently tops lists and polls as being one of the greatest horror films of all-time is the fact that it pushed these boundaries and challenged the genres conventions so abruptly not dissimilar from the aforementioned Train Pulling Into A Station. Perhaps more than in any other genre, a film crafted with the intent of scaring its audience cannot play by the rules (thus being predictable). Underpinned by a core of credible performances from Ellen Burstyn and the holy duo Jason Miller and Max von Sydow, The Exorcist is sure to continue terrifying audiences for years to come.
Hailing from South East London, Sam Heard is an aspiring writer and recent graduate from the University of Warwick. Sam's favourite things include energy drinks, late nights spent watching the UFC with his girlfriend and annihilating his friends at FIFA.
