Rating: R
Genre:
Horror
Release Date: 12/26/2000
SubTitles: English/French
Dubbed: English
Sound: 5.1/2
Run Time: 132 Minutes
Flags: Graphic Violence, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children, Adult Language
Distributor/Studio: Warner Home Video
Novelist
William Peter Blatty based his best-seller on the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States.
Blatty transformed the little boy in the 1949 incident into a little girl named
Regan, played by 14-year-old
Linda Blair. Suddenly prone to fits and bizarre behavior,
Regan proves quite a handful for her actress-mother,
Chris MacNeil (played by
Ellen Burstyn, although
Blatty reportedly based the character on his next-door neighbor
Shirley MacLaine). When
Regan gets completely out of hand,
Chris calls in young priest
Father Karras (
Jason Miller), who becomes convinced that the girl is possessed by the Devil and that they must call in an exorcist: namely,
Father Merrin (
Max von Sydow). His foe proves to be no run-of-the-mill demon, and both the priest and the girl suffer numerous horrors during their struggles.
The Exorcist received a theatrical rerelease in 2000, in a special edition that added 11 minutes of footage trimmed from the film's original release and digitally enhanced
Chris Newman's Oscar-winning sound work.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
