Retrospective: The Exorcist (2000)

"The Version You Should Probably See"

The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen
2000
133 min.
Rated R (for "strong language and disturbing images")

Scott Mendelson
With the widespread acceptance by the masses of DVD technology,
directors now have unrivaled opportunities to revisit and rework their
films in the years following the original theatrical release. In the
days of ole, reworked films were few and far between. While Steven
Spielberg kick started the trend in 1980 with Close Encounters of the
Third Kind: Special Edition, and Francis Ford Coppola seems to release
a new video edition of The Godfather Trilogy every few years, the
concept of new and improved movies was an uncommon phenomenon.
Alas, with seemingly every DVD of recent movies containing
deleted scenes, sometimes integrated back into the film, one must
question if a film is ever truly final. Indeed, word has it that
George Lucas and his ILM gang is presently working on the original
Star Wars Trilogy yet AGAIN. Yep... the Special Editions were still not
good enough. Coming soon, we may be presented with the Final
Editions. That is, until Lucas decides to add four or five more shots
of CGI and release Star Wars: Champion Edition Turbo.
Which brings us to The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen, which
is arguably the silliest sub-title for a reworked movie I have ever
heard. Aside from the re-mastered picture and sound, the major draw
for fans is around eleven minutes of new footage that was edited out
much to the chagrin of William Blatty, the author of the original
novel. As for the inclusions, they change little in regards to the
overall quality and structure of the film. The film is still as
effective as it ever was. Actually, thanks to the restoration, the
picture resembles a film released last week. The only giveaways to
the film's age are the occasional 1970s clothing and the constant
cigarette smoking of all the major characters.
The big question is, "Does the film still hold up after 27 years?"
The answer is, for the most part, yes. Although the special effects
are slightly dated and the shock scenes have been burned into the
national conscious, the film still scares because we care about the
characters involved. Because The Exorcist is squarely about real
people, dealing with this seemingly spiritual terrorism in an
otherwise real, authentic environment, the shock elements ring true
and remain effective. It is the simplest and most important rule in
horror filmmaking: If we care about the characters, we will be afraid
for them and thus afraid when bad things happen to them. Classic
horror films such as Jaws, The Sixth Sense, Rosemary's Baby, and The
Silence of the Lambs take the time to create real characters and real
environments where horrific elements conflict with everyday life.
Because it follows this most golden of rules, it is likely that The
Exorcist will never becoming truly dated. After all, good writing and
acting never go out of style.

Grade: A-