The Exorcist: Director’s Cut

“What an excellent day for an exorcism.” The Devil definitely made her do it in William Friedkin’s shocking, iconic, Oscar-winning horror classic of demonic possession and the battle for a young girl’s soul. Based on William Peter Blatty’s bestselling novel (itself inspired by a sanctioned 1949 exorcism in St. Louis), The Exorcist follows actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) as she seeks first medial and then theological help for her mysteriously ailing 12-year old daughter, Regan (Linda Blair). When Regan’s behavior escalates from Ouija board conversations to full-on, head-spinning depravity, a doubting Jesuit priest (Jason Miller) and an older, experienced exorcist (Max von Sydow) band together to face an ancient enemy and save the girl’s life, leading to a demonic showdown of epic proportions. A blockbuster film that changed the face of horror cinema (causing audiences in 1973 to faint, vomit and question the nature of good and evil), The Exorcist is a tour-de-force of terror, and this extra-creepy Director’s Cut from 2000 features even more devilish shenanigans cut from the original release, including the infamously freaky “spider walk” sequence. Pray for Linda Blair! (Dir. by William Friedkin, 1973, USA, 132mins., Rated R)