American horror film released in
1973. Directed by
William Friedkin, with a
screenplay by
William Peter Blatty, based on his own
novel. Starred
Ellen Burstyn,
Max von Sydow,
Lee J. Cobb,
Jason Miller,
Rev. William O'Malley,
Linda Blair as
Regan MacNeil, and
Mercedes McCambridge as the
voice of the
demon.
An extremely
creepy and
unnerving film, it depicts the
demonic possession of a
young girl and the
harrowing exorcism undertaken to drive the
demon out of her. At the time of its
release, the
movie kicked off a
horror film boom and a
Satanic panic--people
fainted in
theaters,
church attendance
soared, kids were getting "
possessed"
left and right. It is still considered by many to be
the most frightening movie ever made.