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The Exorcist: 50th Anniversary Edition
Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
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Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
AV NIRVANA is member and reader-supported. When you purchase an item using our links, we might earn an affiliate commission.
There has rarely been a horror film that has been this highly sought over, or reviled this much (depending on who you talk to). 1973’s The Exorcist has become one of the most influential horror movies of all time, being labeled as one of the scariest movies ever made, and had enough copies and sequels and clones of the format to choke a literal horse. I still remember being a 7 year old kid watching the film over my older brothers shoulder on HBO late at night and it scaring the absolute holy blazes out of me. I was terrified of even the cover for YEARS, to the point where it became so much of a phobia I forced myself to watch the film when I was 17 just to get over it. Naturally it isn’t that bad from a modern perspective, but back in the 1970s when the big “Satan is the scariest thing ever in films!” craze was in full swing this film absolutely TERRIFIED viewers. It was simply one of the most well thought out and visually terrifying demonic possession films of the time. So much so that it gets talked about in film classes and theater classes as a starting point for some of the most well done horror films of the last few decades.
The film opens up with an excavation in Irag where archaeologist and Catholic priest, Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow) comes across a small stone statue before coming face to face with an evil that would soon dominate the film. Fast forward to Georgetown where an actress by the name of Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) is getting concerned over her daughter, Regan’s (Linda Blair), erratic behavior. Seizures, outbursts of rage, and other abnormal actions cause her to undergo a series of tests and medical procedures leaving most doctors and health professional baffled. Nothing shows up on scans, but Regan begins to get worse and worse until a random death outside their home causes Chris to look in a completely different direction for help. Reaching out to a nearby Church where she comes into contact with Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), who agrees to help Regan and Chris find out if there is a supernatural element involved
How do you really describe The Exoricst? It’s so much more than just a simple possession film. Friedkin unlayers the characters bit by bit, weaving in a story of demonic possession with spiritual self doubt, human disbelief in the supernatural, as well as a visual tale that has manages to scare and scar people for the better part of 50 years. I can’t tell you how many films that I’ve seen in my childhood that were “scary” or “disturbing” 30+ years ago, but have lost their bite over time. But for some reason The Exorcist is not one of those films. I can still get creeped out and scared every single time I sit down and watch the film. Part of it is due to William Blatty’s incredible writing, but part of it is due to to Friedkin’s very judicious use of practical effects. None of which seem cheesy and over done in an era where CGI could make it look perfectly natural to the human eye.
Luckily for us, the film includes both the theatrical and the director’s cut of the film, with my personal taste leaning towards the director’s cut. It’s one of the few instances where the director’s cut is actually warranted (most extended or director’s cuts are not even close to warranted), but sadly the extras are kinda “meh” on this release. Since Warner has been leaving off the Blu-ray release in the combo pack, the extras that were available on the 2010 edition are not all included in the set, which means if you want ALLL the goodies you’re going to need to keep your old digibook for that.
Rating:
Rated R by the MPAA
4K Video:
Video: 
Fast forward a decade (ish) and the new 50th anniversary edition 4K (the theatrical on one disc, and the director’s cut on the other) come with a brand new master and transfer that has gone another direction. No, the revisionism has not been eradicated, but the color timing has been tweaked again, pulling back that heavy blue filter quite a bit, while still leaving some intact. It’s been reigned in, so to speak, and feels a bit more natural, even though it is not a complete roll back of that over aggressive filter. The HDR application changes also are both a blessing and a curse here. In many many sequences (probably 75% of the film) it gives new life and a brilliant look into the 1970s colors with great shadow detail, and amazing clariy, yet in others (about 25% of the film) it actually robs scenes of their natural look, and smears out detail levels. There’s a scene in the subway station where bright lights and fluorescent tones dominate, yet the blooming and white level excessiveness leaves it blasted out and completely devoid of real detail levels. The same can be said for the chalky look to the house, or the overly grainy and blasted out shots of the desert that don’t look even remotely natural.
These issues are not going to make someone claw their eyes out and throw the disc away, but discerning viewers are going to have to realize that with all of the good that the 4K UHD upgrade has given us for 75% of the film, that last 25% is going to be an issue. It’s a situation where the term “give and take” come into effect. The image looks better than ever for the most part, with amazing detail levels most of the time, and some incredibly rich colors to behold. So no matter how much I’ve griped in this review, understand that there is a lot to like with this transfer, and that the downsizes (as frustrating as they may seem) do not denigrate the film down to “meh, this isn’t worth the upgrade”. Especially considering how frustrating the Blu-ray release was in other ways.
Audio:
Extras:
• Introduction by William Friedkin
• Commentary by William Friedkin
• Commentary by William Peter Blatty with Special Sound Effects
Disc 2: Director's Cut
• Commentary by William Friedkin
Final Score:
The new 4K UHD disc ironically falls in line with many other William Friedkin (may he RIP) films as they get their home video upgrades. It’s plagued with color revisionism, and oddities that stem from his very gritty and raw aesthetics, but overall is still a nice upgrade over what came before it. Playing the “how different will this edition look?” roulette is a bit annoying, but at the end of the day it still looks better than it has to date. Great film, decent extras, and a solid enough looking encode lets me give this a solid single thumbs up as my recommendation.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb
Directed by: William Friedkin
Written by: William Peter Blatty
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono, French, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: R
Runtime: 132
Blu-Ray Release Date: September 19th, 2023
Recommendation: Fun Watch
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