Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12017 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-17
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 5
• Running time: 565 minutes

Synopsis
Arguably the scariest motion picture ever made, William Friedkin's THE EXORCIST was unleashed on an unsuspecting American public in 1973. The film quickly became a nationwide sensation, leading to religious boycotts, fainting, and a huge box office return. Oscar nominee Linda Blair beat out hundreds of other child actors to land the role of Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old who is possessed by the devil. After exhausting all other practical options, Regan's mother, Chris (Ellen Burstyn), acknowledges the supernatural nature of her daughter's condition and recruits Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller) to stage an exorcism. Aided by the mysterious Jesuit exorcist Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), Father Damien must confront not only the supernatural phenomena in front of him, but also his own inadequate faith and displaced guilt over his mother's recent death. Friedkin brings William Peter Blatty's Oscar-winning script to shocking life by establishing a realistic, everyday tone before allowing the terror to creep in. The performances of Burstyn and Miller further help to ground the supernatural events. Like THE GODFATHER before it and JAWS shortly after, the breakout success of THE EXORCIST helped to transform Hollywood into the blockbuster behemoth of American culture.

Customer Reviews

Not great
This movie really wasn't great and I didn't really enjoy it as a movie. I really don't know what gave it it's fame today as a terrifying movie, because it's desperate attempts at being scary are laughable. People must have been scared a lot easier in the early 70s. I found this movie quite boring aswell, that was its problem, unlike most horror movies, it completely failed to grasp me.

A girl becomes posessed by the devil and her parents have become terrified of how obnoxious and truely hidious she has become so they call in two priests to perform an exorcism on her, but it doesn't seem to be having much of an effect on her.

The one good thing I can say about this movie is that it has great creepy music but I really don't feel that that is enough of a reason to put you through nearly 2 hours of boredom. If you are scared easily, watch this, but if not, it has very little else to offer.

Two out of 5 aint bad.
The Exorcist- This is one of the best films ever made. Intelligent dialogue, depth of character, a fine cast, a well rounded story, a must have movie.
The Exorcist 2- Trust me this film is complete rubbish.Great cast though!
The Exorcist 3- This is the true sequel to the first. Again a great cast and story keep you on the edge of your seat. george C Scott is wonderful!
The last two aren't worth talking about. Terrible cheap cash ins. Bad effects, no suspense,tv movie acting. I had a real hard time getting through these films.
Good value for a five pack though.

Cheap at twice the price
If you enjoyed "The Exorcist", or you just thoughy you might enjoy it, or even if you are merely curious, I strongly recommend this set of five films, especially at this giveaway price.

The first two films - "Dominion The Prequel" and "Exorcist The Beginning" - which actually date from 2005 and 2004 respectively, both stem from the same basic idea, use most of the same sets, and feature many of the same actors (in the same roles). Yet despite the basic similarities the two storylines are significantly different so that seeing one doesn't spoil your enjoyment of the other. And yes, they are definitely BOTH worth watching. Indeed, I still can't make up my mind which I enjoyed most.

"The Exorcist" - the original film, complete with director's commentary, etc. - now gets shifted to number three, in logical order of viewing, though it was originally released in 1973.
What is remarkable is that this is possibly the least gripping of the first four films - unless you've never seen it before. That is because, IMO, it relies incredibly heavily on outrageous special effects for most of its impact. In 1973 this was cutting edge stuff and truly mind boggling, but special effects have developed so much in the last 30 years that most viewers will have seen far more convincing/stomach churning sights than are included here.

"Exorcist II The Heretic" (1977) rests almost entirely on the shoulders of Richard Burton, playing the role of Father Merrin's successor in the fight against the demon Pazuzu. This is a complete break from most of the film roles Burton played, but apart from the rather overplayed expression of a man on the edge of a total breakdown, IMO Burton does a pretty good job. And it certainly doesn't hurt that other parts include Louise "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" Fletcher as a psychiatrist (just begging to be convinced that evil is more than just nasty thoughts; Max Von Sydow (now playing Father Merrin as a young man!); and of course Linda Blair both reprising her original role as "Regan the possessed" AND as the allegedly exorcised Regan a year or two after the original events.
Indeed, it could be that this is actually the best of the four films for anyone wanting something more than a simple gore fest.

And then there's "The Exorcist III" - if you really must.
An interview with director William Friedkin and author William Peter Blatty amongst the numerous extras on the two-side "The Exorcist" disk make it clear that Blatty's ideas on what should have gone into the film differed quite significantly from Friedkins, and when you see what a bodge job "The Exorcist III" is - being both written and directed by Blatty, based on his follow-up book "Legion" - you'll realise how fortunate it was that Friedkin had ultimate control of the earlier film.

Anyone who has seen Blatty's film "Twinkle, Twinkle, Killer Kane" (also based on one of his books) will have some idea of how rambling and unsatisfactory his handling of this medium is. And "The Exorcist III" is definitely on a par with "Killer Kane".
Having said that, the one highlight of the film is Brad Dourif.
Usually relegated to weasely scumbag roles such as "Grimer Wormtongue" in "Lord of the Rings II". This time round, in the title role, he is allowed to show something like the full range of his acting skills. And a jolly good job he makes of it.

So, four goodies and one also ran.
In my opinion it's still an excellent package overall and at a knock down price. You could say it's an offer you can't refuse ;-)