h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I really enjoyed this comprehensive account of the exorcist. It remined me of the massive impact it had on my childhood.

My Aunty was one of the first people in the village where we lived to get a video recorder. I guess it was about 1977, that would make me 7. Yes, You've guessed it, I watched the exorcist when I was 7 years old with my 12 year old brother. If you thought the film was scary to an adult, imagine what a seven year old made of it.

Cheers, Sagitta,

My own experience of seeing the film for the first time was, fortunately enough, at the cinema on a rerelease in 1988. Our local cinema had acquired a print and screened it to an eager audience... who largely remained unimpressed it has to be said. Against my better judgement, I agreed to accompany a friend to see the film again the following month - and this time, the projectionist turned the volume up to the level it *should* be heard at. Suddenly, scenes like the innocent ringing of a telephone become major heart-stopping moments; the bassy environmental sounds that permeate the film from the very beginning suddenly shake you to the bone, and the screams and roars prick the skin in a way no other film has done since - EXCEPT Exorcist III (the proper sequel).

I managed to get a pirate copy a few years later, and, late one night, I was watching the film and saw for the first time the subliminal images of the demon. That I wasn't expecting to see the face there made the experience all the more terrifying - I literally jumped out of my seat and, hands trembling, wound back the tape to the point I thought I'd seen the face ... and it wasn't there. I wound it back again.... nope... finally, I wound it back again and managed to pause the tape just at the single frame that the face appears. I now knew the face of evil.

At that point I recognised that this was a major significant film and put it straight into my top ten list of all time.

Jimster

the exorcist a brilliant film the face is the thing that gave me nightmares and the voice hope i can go to sleep now

I saw a pirate of it at about 14 and didn't think much of it it all..well goood film, but not scary. Years later I started to watch a documentary on it..and didn't make it past the face coming up in the credits It really does affect you..even if not straight away.

Is that in the new Director's cut version? I think I just have missed the face there. Saw it in other places in the origial edit, but I know that the special edition has it all over

I haven't watched the special edition ..it was a programme on the BBC a few years ago called 25 years of the exorcist or something and they had the image of Regan all scary looking come up during the opening credits.. I've not watched anything about it since and tend to stick to the gory stuff rather than really scary.

Oh yes, I do know the one you mean. Mark Kermode presented it (he's shockingly absent from the version of that documentary that's on the DVD!).

Yes, horrible scary face. But enough of Mark Kermode...


[JOKE!]

i saw the exorcist when i was 9 and it scared but as someone said would it have scared me if i had watched it when i was an adult???????

My first time was when I was thirteen, but I had never watched a horror film before. Why I agreed, I have no Idea, because I scared so easily back them. Afterwards I didn't sleep for two nights, and then after that I had nightmares for a week afterwards. But then later on when I turned seventeen the oppertunity arised again, and I watched it once more. Since then, yeah it still scares me like crazy but it's my favorite movie; just for the fact that it scares me so much every time I watch it.
I love it. It has to be one of the best movies I've ever seen.

mike oldfields tubular bells made it scary as well

the best scary theme has to be the one from rosemary's baby though 'shudder

my fav spooky movie themes
1.the exorcist
2.rosemarys baby
3.halloween
4.the omen