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.