P1: TIX/XYZ JWST145-c07
P2: ABC JWST145-Young
January 6, 2012
4:53
Printer Name: Yet to Come
Chapter 7
Reflecting on the Screen—The Reception of Movies
William Friedkin’s The Exorcist was released in 1973, a few years after publication of the novel by William Peter Blatty. If the novel caused cultural ripples, the movie set off shockwaves of controversy, acclaim, and fear. At the time of its release, The Exorcist became the highest grossing film of all time. Adjusted for inflation, it is still ranks #9 on the list of box office earnings (see Appendix B; there are no other horror films in the Top 50). It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won two. The Exorcist contains a host of indelible images that, almost 40 years later, have become part of the cultural landscape: the possessed Regan (Linda Blair) with her spinning head, copious amounts of pea green projectile vomit, and blasphemous language; and the exorcist, Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) approaching the Georgetown brownstone in the dead of night. The film ignited many discussions about the historical and modern practice of exorcism. Some viewers entertained the possibility of real-life demonic possession. Among nonbelievers, it was taken as a serious horror film that made a statement about science and faith in the modern world. Critics were divided in their evaluation of the movie. Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and claimed that Friedkin uses “the most fearsome resources of the cinema” to create “one of the most powerful [escapist movies] ever made.” Yet he also fretfully speculated, “Are people so numb they need movies of this intensity to feel anything at all?”1 Pauline Kael Psychology at the Movies, First Edition. Skip Dine Young C 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Published 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.