Best Horror Films Ever - The Exorcist

Once in a while a film has an impact on cinema which reverberates down the years. The Exorcist has now become legendary with its story of a young girls possession by demonic forces shocking audiences and resulting in outright banning in some countries.

Diected by William Freidkin, it tells of a young girl who suffers traumatic incidents. Medical science is baffled and recommends an exorcism. Battle commences between church and demon with terrible consequences.

The film is now seen as being at the birth of blockbuster cinema with powerhouse performances by Ellen Sydow, Max Von Sydow and a young Linda Blair. The film went on to win two Oscars in that years ceremonies, sound and best adaptation.

So why is The Exorcist so horrifying and qualifies for the number one spot in this rundown of the greatest horror fims of all time?

1. The Film - For a 1973 audience horrific scenes where commonplace with violence becoming more realistic in its depiction. Into this environment The Exorcist has scenes of a young girl screaming profanities whilst doing unmentionable things with a crucifix. This is still shocking today so thirty five years ago it would have been something a cinema audience would never have seen before.

2. The Background - The film was reputed to have been based on a true exorcism. This automatically preys on the mind of the susceptible who are prone to believing such things as this. In a time when more people were going to church than today it would most surely have had an impact.

3. The Hype - Every film is susceptible to hype and this one resulted in stories of people fainting in the cinema and ambulances on standby. In a time when films had staggered release dates word of mouth would have been paramount to its success.

4. The Ban - To ban any film will put it into a must-see league where children will whisper on playgrounds about this scary film that no-one is allowed to see. Banning a film, especially a horror film, will give it kudos and lift it into film folklore.

OK, there are different reasons as to why this film qualifies as one of the greatest horror films of all time and they all ring true. The result is that it is simply a frightening film. It is a film which can be read as a religious warning in an increasingly secular age or as an extreme version of puberty. Whichever way you look at it The Exorcist stays with you long after the final credits have rolled. Too many horror films rely on gore to get their kicks but this one is surprisingly low although not as low as the next film in the list proving that psychological horror is an audiences greatest fear. It reigns supreme as a must see for any horror or film afficionado and will continue to do so for many years ahead.

Next : A tale of southern horror with chainsaws to boot.

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