The Exorcist

This year's Scary Movie Month has turned into a month of undisputed horror classics, especially in these one-Ryan shows. Halloween was discussed on October 9th. Now it's time for one of the best-made, freakiest frightfests ever. William Friedkin's mega-blockbuster won 2 Oscars---it should have won more---and it remains beloved in the eyes of many, even if repeated viewings dampen the skin-crawling moments a little. Not that The Exorcist couldn't terrify the uninitiated, even if the greatly-diminishing returns of the 5 sequels have done nothing to continue its legacy. Those mostly-unworthy follow-ups are highlighted here too, but the main event is the 1973 original with Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max Von Sydow and Jason Miller anchoring the maniacal story about demonic possession and religious faith. For all the remarkable technical achievements on display here, the humanity of the characters is a huge reason this film still works. The emotion between Burstyn and Blair, in particular, hits home. So turn down the lights, turn up the sound and set aside an hour for an Exorcist monologue in this 543rd head-spin of Have You Ever Seen. "Sparkplug.coffee/hyes" is the website to go to for great coffee. Using our "HYES" promo code will save you 20% off your next order. Do you want to tell us what you think of the 'cast? You can email (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com), you can tweet-x (@moviefiend51 and @bevellisellis) or you can drop a comment on our YouTube page. That's @hyesellis in your browser or "Have You Ever Seen" in the search bar on the 'Tube. Like, share, comment, review and communicate with us, you pea-soup-spewing demons.