The Exorcist Turns 50

The Exorcist is hands down one of the most influential horror films of all time turns 50 and we are going to look at what makes this film so special.

The film is based on a novel of the same name that was released back in 1971. The film tells the tale of Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old girl who was possessed by a demon, and her mother doing everything in her power to save her daughter with the help of two Catholic priests. How the way the film was shot, the special effects used, the horror aspect, and of course the acting and soundtrack all made this film such a horror classic.

The film would go on to be not only one of the most influential horror films of all time but also the first horror to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and nine other nominations and winning two. It was also the highest-grossing R-rated horror film of all time until 2017 with the release of IT. In 2010 the film was preserved in the National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.

Please do yourself a huge favor and watch The Exorcist in any way you can, also to end this on a light note Richard Pryor did a parody of this on Saturday Night Live in the series’ first season and you can watch it here.