--- title: "The Exorcist" year: 1973 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-exorcist" fi1m_id: "the-exorcist" imdb_id: "tt0070047" tmdb_id: 9552 wikidata_id: "Q274167" fi1m_score: 89 critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-09-15" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:07.108065+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Exorcist (1973) Directed by William Friedkin · 2h 02m · MPA R · Horror ## Identity The Exorcist - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-exorcist - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-exorcist - **IMDb ID:** tt0070047 - **TMDB ID:** 9552 - **Wikidata ID:** Q274167 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070047/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9552, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q274167 **Fi1m score: 89** · Critics 81 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* The special effects are alarming; Ellen Burstyn looking for someone who can help is worse > William Friedkin’s horror film is frightening because Ellen Burstyn makes a mother’s helplessness so hard to bear. Some shocks are overworked, but we recommend it strongly for the acting and the sustained unease. ## Synopsis Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) needs help for her daughter Regan (Linda Blair), who is at the centre of unexplained events in their home. As the family’s crisis grows, the possibility of a supernatural cause raises questions about who can help, and what help might involve. Jason Miller plays Father Damien Karras, with von Sydow as Father Lankester Merrin. William Friedkin directs William Peter Blatty’s adaptation of his own novel, following a mother’s attempts to protect her child and the place of religious faith when familiar answers no longer seem enough. ## Review William Friedkin makes *The Exorcist* frightening by taking the people in it seriously before asking us to accept what happens to them. It is an exceptional horror film, though its determination to upset us sometimes makes the shocks feel overworked. William Peter Blatty, adapting his own novel, builds the terror around a mother who cannot protect her daughter and the possibility that religion might offer help. Friedkin gives that helplessness the attention a family drama would, allowing the performances to establish what the extreme imagery could otherwise obscure. That begins with Ellen Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil, whose distress never feels like a convenient instruction to the audience. Burstyn makes the need to find help urgent enough that arguments about what we personally believe become secondary. We were frightened by her helplessness: there is a child in trouble, and the adult responsible for her cannot make it stop. Linda Blair’s Regan matters as that child, with the performance keeping a person before us when the effects threaten to become the main attraction. Jason Miller gives Father Damien Karras a seriousness that makes the questions of faith worth listening to, even for viewers with no interest in religious answers. He suggests the strain involved in being someone from whom others expect reassurance. Von Sydow, as Father Lankester Merrin, brings enough authority to keep the religious material from becoming merely decorative. These performances are crucial to a film whose premise is easy to dismiss when reduced to a plot description. Owen Roizman’s cinematography treats the domestic setting plainly, letting familiar surroundings remain familiar even as the behaviour within them becomes intolerable. Bill Malley’s production design supports that choice: the house feels habitable, which gives the horror somewhere credible to happen. We are allowed to recognise an ordinary home before being asked to fear it. The lack of fuss in the surroundings also leaves us looking at the actors, where Friedkin needs our attention. Editors Evan A. Lottman, Norman Gay and Bud S. Smith give the ordinary passages room, so the film has something to disrupt when the shocks arrive. At 122 minutes, it requires a willingness to spend time with the people as well as endure what frightens them. Jack Nitzsche’s music adds unease without making every moment sound equally threatening. The quieter stretches matter because the harsher ones would become exhausting without them. The reservation is Friedkin’s occasional insistence on pushing the grotesque beyond the point where it has done its work. Some effects draw attention to the ingenuity required to produce them, briefly distracting us from the suffering they are supposed to convey. We can understand finding these passages ridiculous; the film takes a risk each time it asks us to accept another outrage. Yet the performances keep bringing us back to the distress of people who have run out of ordinary ways to help. For anyone sceptical about religious horror, concern for this child provides a way into the film. There is no need to resolve the theological questions before responding to that. Give it your attention rather than waiting for the next shock. The acting makes that a considerably less comfortable evening. *Fi1m score 89, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics regard The Exorcist as forceful, carefully made horror, with praise clustering around William Friedkin’s direction and the credibility of the performances. The reviews repeatedly identify ordinary domestic life as the foundation of its terror: the disturbing imagery works because the people facing it seem believable. Ellen Burstyn receives particular praise, while the makeup effects, sound and score help explain why critics find the film’s shocks persist beyond the viewing. The spread is wide despite the strongly positive lean. The New York Times supplies the clear dissent, admiring the cast but finding the supernatural material ridiculous and the experience punishing rather than persuasive. That disagreement concerns the film’s whole approach, not a minor weakness. Elsewhere, reservations are scarce; Empire specifically assesses the Director’s Cut, crediting the added footage and improved picture and sound with strengthening the atmosphere. ## Straight answers **Is The Exorcist worth watching?** *The Exorcist* is worth watching for anyone who can take a horror film that treats a family's suffering seriously before frightening them, and we scored it 89. Ellen Burstyn's performance as a mother who cannot help her child is the reason it works; some of the grotesque effects are pushed further than they need to go. **How long is The Exorcist, and what is it rated?** *The Exorcist* runs 2h 02m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a horror film. **Where can I watch The Exorcist in the US?** *The Exorcist* is available to buy from Amazon Prime Video from $12.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Exorcist, and is it suitable for children?** *The Exorcist* is certified 18 in the UK and R in the US, and it is not suitable for children. The horror is built on a child's suffering, with extreme imagery and effects that the film sometimes pushes to the point of excess. Even adults who are squeamish should know the unease is sustained over two hours rather than confined to a few shocks. **Is The Exorcist based on a true story or a book?** *The Exorcist* is based on William Peter Blatty's novel of the same name, which Blatty adapted for the screen himself. The film keeps the book's focus on a mother trying to protect her daughter and on whether religious faith can help. You do not need to have read the novel to follow or feel the film. **What should I watch after The Exorcist?** After *The Exorcist*, try [*Under the Shadow*](https://film.one/film/under-the-shadow) (2016, Fi1m 80): Another mother and child face a threat that makes home unsafe. Then [*Saint Maud*](https://film.one/film/saint-maud) (2019, Fi1m 82): Religious conviction becomes frightening through a performance that never asks for pity. ### Reviews we read (8) - **Time Out**, Tom Huddleston (5/5): The critic hails William Friedkin’s adaptation as the greatest horror movie, praising how it fuses extreme imagery with everyday suburban life and shoots the story like straight drama. One element singled out is the transgressive crucifix scene as perhaps the most upsetting image in a Hollywood film. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-exorcist-review) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (85/100, inferred): The film is a powerful, technically masterful piece of horror craftsmanship that assaults viewers with raw emotional shocks and special effects. Ebert singles out the convincing performances, especially Ellen Burstyn as the mother, and the way it transcends typical genre efforts. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-exorcist-1973) - **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (40/100, inferred): The adaptation is a chunk of elegant occultist claptrap that is practically impossible to sit through due to its spectacular nonsense and ridiculous details. Canby praises the cast, including Ellen Burstyn and Max von Sydow, but criticizes the film's overall approach. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/27/archives/blattys-the-exorcist-comes-to-the-screen.html) - **Empire**, William Thomas: The review praises the Director's Cut for enriching the atmosphere with added footage and an enhanced print and sound design. It notes that the film remains a masterpiece that terrifies when given proper attention. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/exorcist-director-cut-review/) - **Total Film**: The review calls it the horror movie of the century, highlighting Friedkin's skill in rupturing everyday normality with profound fear and ancient clashes between good and evil. It deems it essential viewing for cinema lovers. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-exorcist-review/) - **Collider**, Nate Richard (10/10): The critic finds the film still deeply disturbing and effective after nearly 50 years, praising its meticulous direction, believable characters, makeup effects, and creepy score as a perfect blend that lingers with viewers long after viewing. [Read](https://collider.com/the-exorcist-review-william-friedkin/) - **Paste**, Jim Vorel (90/100, inferred): The piece crowns the film the standout horror release of 1973, highlighting its lasting ability to shock and horrify audiences decades later through visceral imagery, strong performances, and its role in elevating the genre's critical status. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/horror-movies/best-horror-movie-of-1973-the-exorcist) - **/Film**, Bryan Young (80/100, inferred): The critic, watching the film for the first time decades after its release, finds it terrific and much better than expected. They single out its compelling study of faith, the helplessness of the characters, and strong performances, especially from Jason Miller and Ellen Burstyn. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1985778/the-exorcist-1973-movie-first-watch-thoughts/) ## Details - **Director:** William Friedkin - **Director:** William Friedkin - **Screenplay:** William Peter Blatty - **Novel:** William Peter Blatty - **Cinematography:** Owen Roizman - **Editor:** Norman Gay, Evan A. Lottman, Bud S. Smith - **Music:** Jack Nitzsche - **Production design:** Bill Malley - **Costume design:** Joe Fretwell - **Producer:** William Peter Blatty - **Cast:** Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil; Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil; Jason Miller as Father Damien Karras; Max von Sydow as Father Lankester Merrin; Lee J. Cobb as Lt. Bill Kinderman; William O'Malley as Father Joseph Kevin Dyer; Kitty Winn as Sharon Spencer; Barton Heyman as Dr. Klein - **Runtime:** 2h 02m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 26 December 1973 - **Genres:** Horror - **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 1973); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Winner, 1973) - **Budget:** $11 million - **Box office:** $431 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU2eYAO31Cc ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: AR, AT, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, EC, FR, GB, IE, MX, PA, PE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1974: Best Actress (nominated); Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Production Design (nominated); Best Supporting Actor (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated); Best Sound (won); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (won) - Golden Globes 1974: Best Director (won); Best Motion Picture – Drama (won); Best Screenplay (won); Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (won) ## If you liked this - *The Innocents* (1961): Domestic unease and adult uncertainty make every quiet room worth watching. - *Onibaba* (1964): Fear, desire and religious dread, with no comfortable distance between them. - *The Devil's Backbone* (2001): A child’s vulnerability gives the supernatural horror a reason to hurt. - *Under the Shadow* (2016), Fi1m 80: Another mother and child face a threat that makes home unsafe. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/under-the-shadow.md) - *Saint Maud* (2019), Fi1m 82: Religious conviction becomes frightening through a performance that never asks for pity. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/saint-maud.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-exorcist