Year: 1973
Director: William Friedkin

Summary: A troubled cleric tries to help a very disturbed teenage girl.

Times Watched: 1

My Experience: My parents told me they saw this in the theater and were completely shaken up by it. When it was re-released in the theaters in 1998, I had to go see it. I took a buddy of mine and we were hoping for a terrifying night. It didn’t happen. We really liked the movie, and were definitely creeped out at times, but we made a poor choice of venue. The theater was filled with mostly teenagers, and they spent most of the movie giggling. Every time Linda Blair dropped a curse word it was a huge punchline. So while the movie was supposed to leave me disturbed, I was too distracted by how entertained everyone else was to be in the moment.

I usually have a hard time getting into religious horror. But a good writer or filmmaker can help me suspend disbelief for a little while. Good actors help, as do good special effects. I’ll never forget this scene, that’s for sure.