RE: The Exorcist at 25

I can't believe it's been 25 years since I stood outside a theater in Westwood, California. The line wrapped around the block and we all couldn't wait to get in. As the line slowly moved forward, we were treated to a full size replica of Reagan's bedroom window as seen from "M" Street, with the curtains billowing out into the night sky. By the time the lights went down inside the "standing room only" theater, we were READY to get the crap scared out of us. Little did we know.....

The Exorcist still scares me, though I've seen it 20+ times. But nothing will compare to the FIRST time. I have always been a big horror movie fan, being raised on Saturday night "Chiller" movies. I loved 'em! I never had nightmares (OK, once when I was little, the Morlocks were outside of my house, looking in the windows with their glowing eyes), but to this day, I love horror movies!

But the Exorcist scared me like no other movie had ever done, then or since. I read the book a year or so before the movie was release, and it was fabulous!!! But seeing the story unfold on the screen was just something that overwhelmed my senses. I actually had to look away a few times, the scenes were so intense. I remember the first scene that just took my breath away was when Regan is thrashing around on her bed and all of a sudden, she rolls her eyes back into her head, her throat expands and that gutteral growl comes out...SHIIIIT! I knew I was in trouble. We movie-goers had NEVER seen anything like this before.

I was so scared throughout the night, I didn't get any sleep. My husband just took it all in stride and fell asleep with no problem. I was so scared, I remember wishing I could just crawl inside him to be safe from ....what?? I never had a movie affect me like that. Looking back now, it was pretty funny how scared I was. When my husband started snoring at about 3:00 a.m. he sounded JUST LIKE Reagan did when her throat swelled up!! FREAKED ME OUT!!!!

RE: The Exorcist

Hello, my fellow Exorcist fanatics, I thought you might enjoy my virgin screening of our favorite film. back in those days my friends and i thought it was cool to sneak beers into the theatre when we went to the movies. on opening night of the long awaited Exorcist we ( about 7 of us) were among the last people in line and so, when we finally got in there weren't enough seats to where we could all sit together and i wound up sitting with a bunch of people i didn't know. Anyway, as the movie unfolded i was so caught up in its mesmerising story that i forgot aboout the two tall cans of Budweisers i'd hidden in my coat...that is until i got thirsty. and so, i pulled the now-somewhat- warmish Bud out and at the very moment in the movie where little Regan is hosing pea-soup gunk on the hapless priest i popped the top and foamy Budweiser soaked the 20 people nearest to me. it was absolutely perfect, it was like those smell-o-rama shows of the past, people were SHRIEKING, shaking off the liquid as though it had just exited the little girl on the screen. i can laugh now but there were some REALLY mad folks around me and so i excused myself and wound up watching my favorite movie of all time standing in the back of the theatre, suckin' on what was left of my brew...i consider myself fortunate not to have had my own head turned 360 degrees that evening but i wouldn't give up the memory of the scene that i caused for anything. I did NOT make any of this up, it was a sensation! many thanks,

RE: The Exorcist

I just saw The Exorcist for the first time  (1/31/98). I missed the beginning, but I did see most of it. I must admit, I thought it was a good movie, but I wasn't frightened. Concerned, perhaps, but not frightened. I don't know whether or not I believe in demonic possession, and this movie sure didn't help me decide. By the end of the exorcism, when the older priest dies, I was crying. I noticed that you pose this question on your page: who wins? Good, or evil? I think that good wins. I'm a devout churchgoer (laugh if you will, I don't care), and one of the hymns that we sing -- especially at Easter -- has a chorus that goes, "There is no greater love, says the Lord, than to lay down your life for a friend." Both the priests who died during the exorcism literally laid down their lives so that the devil wouldn't kill Regan. If you consider the ultimate goal of evil to be to drag the souls of humans to Hell, then evil failed because these priests showed the most powerful love there is and probably went to Heaven. Not only did the devil fail to kill Regan and take her soul, he was cast out of her and indirectly let two souls go to Heaven. Looks like a case of good defeats evil to me.

RE: Fear

Hi , I am from Singapore...I just watched The Exorcist last night for the second time. Same sentiments ...most horrifying movie I have ever watch. The first time watched it was 10 years ago, I was 13 then...It left such deep memories I told myself that I will never see it again.Because the fear got really bad, I used to sleep in a room by myself, on the King Size bed. I woke up in the middle of the night sometimes and saw HER sleeping beside me...her eyes...staring down at me. I didn't even know how to pray...I think the "Chinese Gods" that I am familiar with didn't do the trick to drive her away from my bed...SHE scares me all the time...

Then one fine day, a christain of mine invited me to her church... I went and during a prayer meeting I saw her face again in my mind...while everyone was singing and worshiping God, she disturbed my mind with her voice and...THEN the pastor spoke : Last request for prayers? I kept quiet. There was this guy sitting across me, he said he saw an image of a possessed girl while praying. Shyly, I raised my voice in the congregation of 30 people, I confessed that I have this problem of seeing the possessed girl in my mind all the time after watching The Exorcist.

Well, they all pray for me ...( one girl told me that she didn't pray for me and left the room because her hair was standing and the fear was so tremendous ....)After all that praying , I left the room. I went to the church office to collect something ( alone )...then I saw HER sitting beside the Photocopying machine. I just walk out of the room. That was the last time I saw HER in my life. My buddy was in the prayer meeting also , she told me that the moment I mention about this , there is this air of fear in the room...So , this is my story about my experience ...I don't know...it's scary.

After ten years, I rented the Exorcist again...I don't know why.But it's really a good movie, I watched it with my husband last night, he fell asleep during the show anyway...*sigh.

essemtee@hotmail.com

RE: My Exorcist encounter

I saw an old cult movie seven years ago when I was 14, The Exorcist. I had to rent it again as I chickened out halfway through the first time (no thanks to a certain crucifix scene!) The fact that I'd later developed a huge crush on Linda Blair made me watch it again, then again, and see what an amazing piece of work it really is! I've now seen it uncountable times and it's become one of my all-time favorite films. It still remains as powerful and shocking today as it was 25 years ago.