Honestly, this was never a good film, it sucked in the 1970's when it was made, and it still sucks today when it is worshipped. How it ever passed for a good film is beyond me, but somehow millions of people still flock to screenings of this stinker while the Catholic Church continues to be outraged for some reason. The honest truth of this film is simple: it is not a great film, and it shouldn't be a controversial film. Its portrayal of the Church is if anything rational and progressive; "What do you mean your little girl is possessed, what are you, stupid? This is the 20th century." Face it people, the emperor is naked. There's barely anything passing itself off as a plot, just a series of sad, scary and sometimes silly scenarios that are largely unrelated to each other and a rather ridiculous premise when you actually examine it. Not to mention the lamest portrayal of a character in film history; that of the Devil. It is established that young and unfortunate little Regan is possessed not just by a demon, but (oooh insert scary music) the Devil himself . . . because she played with Ouija board . . . Right . . . Honestly, this is the best the Devil can do? His major forays into the world of mortals consist of puking green slime and making lewd remarks? When did the devil become little more than a drunken frat boy at a kegger? I mean sure when it's a little girl doing it, it's kind of odd, but throw a backwards hat on her and a baggy Lakers Jersey and she'd fit right in at the next Kappa Beta Gama pledge night. Why didn't he do something creative and take over the president and start a nuclear war, or take over a Georgia Prosecutor and then get her to leave law after a string of misconducts only to start her own lousy talk show? If I was Father Merrin I'd be relieved that this is the worst thing the Devil could come up with, pull up a chair next to the bed, throw on a Cheech and Chong movie and have some laughs, and then wonder if the reason Lucifer was actually cast out of heaven was for being obnoxious and lighting his own farts while everyone was trying to watch UFC.
Meanwhile all of the other supporting characters have an emotional range that spans the vast gulf of human expression ranging from "concerned" to "disturbed", oh there's a few party scenes but those get spoiled too and everyone goes back to "concerned". There's a sort of half-assed side plot involving a priest losing his faith because his mother dies, a half assed side plot involving a movie actress, and another of a sort of wandering exorcist priest wandering through poor countries looking to cast out demons (apparently demons don't hang around in country clubs or boardrooms, but only in those Sally Struthers countries). The widest range of emotions come from Regan/Satan who goes from looking uncomfortable while being probed by doctors to grinning like an idiot while she grosses everyone out with her cooky demonic antics.
If you're going to watch this film for the first time, watch it objectively. Ask yourself what exactly is scary about the premise for this movie. Ask yourself why the devil couldn't come up with anything better than freaking some people out and making a big mess of a little girl's room. Then after you've done this, go and pick up a copy of the only good Friedken movie: The French Connection.
Meanwhile all of the other supporting characters have an emotional range that spans the vast gulf of human expression ranging from "concerned" to "disturbed", oh there's a few party scenes but those get spoiled too and everyone goes back to "concerned". There's a sort of half-assed side plot involving a priest losing his faith because his mother dies, a half assed side plot involving a movie actress, and another of a sort of wandering exorcist priest wandering through poor countries looking to cast out demons (apparently demons don't hang around in country clubs or boardrooms, but only in those Sally Struthers countries). The widest range of emotions come from Regan/Satan who goes from looking uncomfortable while being probed by doctors to grinning like an idiot while she grosses everyone out with her cooky demonic antics.
If you're going to watch this film for the first time, watch it objectively. Ask yourself what exactly is scary about the premise for this movie. Ask yourself why the devil couldn't come up with anything better than freaking some people out and making a big mess of a little girl's room. Then after you've done this, go and pick up a copy of the only good Friedken movie: The French Connection.