Saw this (again) at a Fathom Event at my local theater. A once only showing of the Director's Cut bookended by a "making of" video.
I remember seeing the original twice in 1973. If my memory serves me, I laughed a bit the first time and was pretty freaked out the second time..go figure.
When it arrived on the scene in 73, the special effects were startling. The green projectile vomiting, the head turning 360 degrees, 'Help Me' written on Regan's poor emaciated tummy. All of that played well in 1973....not so much today. We've seen it all and let's face it, with CGI, we've seen it done more realistically...did I just write that??:-)
What does hold up is the story and the performances. The hours in make-up and the physical demands placed on Linda Blair....she certainly deserved her Oscar nomination, as did Jason Miller, his Father Karras character holds the film together.
It really is a bit of a love story, more so than a horror film, as Father Karras addresses his demons and makes the ultimate sacrifice for a 12 year old little girl that he has never met.
I'd really like to get a young persons take on this film as they are seeing it for the first time. Would it be as scary for them as it was for those of us who saw it originally in 1973??
And I wonder if the book is still a scary read?? I'll bet it is, especially if you have not yet seen the movie.
