This is one I've almost picked in the last couple of rounds, and I can't let it drop any further. It's interesting timing too after the picture of Ellen Burstyn that Ro posted from Requiem. Here we go, two Burstyn films in a row.
"The power of Christ compels you. The power of Christ compels you."
For our sixth round pick, in the
"Thriller/Horror" category, team
Hot Buttery Topping is proud to select one of the greatest horror films ever made...From 1973, directed by William Friedkin, the 1974 Golden Globe winner for Best Drama,
The Exorcist.
William Peter Blatty won an Oscar for his screenplay, adapted from his own 1971 novel of the same name. Jason Miller (Father Karras), Ellen Burstyn (Chris MacNeil), and Linda Blair (Regan MacNeil) all received Oscar nominations for their performances. Both Friedkin and the film were also nominated for Academy Awards.
The Exorcist is considered by many to be the scariest movie of all time, and while it doesn't feature much of the gore or "killer around the corner" suspense of many more recent horror films, it is a film that gets into your mind and can be hard to shake.
The movie tells the tale of Chris MacNeil, a recently divorced actress and single mother. Chris and her 12 year-old daughter, Regan, have recently moved into a small home in the Georgetown area of Washington DC, where Chris is working on a new movie. Chris starts hearing strange noises coming from the attic, and soon Regan begins exhibiting strange behaviour that quickly goes beyond standard teen-angst and rebellion.
After medical and psychiatric evaluations return no scientific explanation, and as Regan's actions begin to go from strange to supernatural, and eventually deadly, Chris decides to consult with a young Catholic priest, Father Karras (who is undergoing his own crisis of faith surrounding his mother's death), about the possibility of performing an exorcism. Initially skeptical, Karras eventually is convinced to ask the Church's permission to perform an exorcism on Regan, who now claims to be possessed by the Devil himself. The Church sends Father Merrin (Max von Sydow in a Golden Globe nominated performance), an experienced exorcist, to Washington to assist Father Karras.
The exorcism scene is literally chilling, as Friedkin chose to shoot the scene on a refrigerated set so that the performers' breath would be visible on screen.
Linda Blair, who was 14 years-old when she made the movie, gives an incredible performance for such a young and relatively inexperienced actress. It is a role that, for better or worse, has defined Blair's career and changed her life forever. When the movie was originally released, she received death threats and Warner Bros. hired a security detail for her protection.
The movie was re-released in 2000, with numerous scenes that were originally cut from film restored, including the infamous "spider walk" scene and an extended ending.
The original theatrical trailer:
The spider walk:
Regan's head spinning (language warning):