The Exorcist

R

Now Playing

2h 2m

Horror

List

78%

176 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

One of the most profitable horror movies ever made, this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events. When young Regan (Linda Blair) starts acting odd -- levitating, speaking in tongues -- her worried mother (Ellen Burstyn) seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. A local priest (Jason Miller), however, thinks the girl may be seized by the devil. The priest makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert (Max von Sydow) to help with the difficult job.

Read More

Read Less

Now in Theaters

Now Playing

Buy Tickets

In Theaters

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent The Exorcist on Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Critics Consensus

The Exorcist rides its supernatural theme to magical effect, with remarkable special effects and an eerie atmosphere, resulting in one of the scariest films of all time.

Read Critics Reviews

Dione R

Theatre didn't have the correct movie downloaded, never got to actually see the movie!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

10/23/23

Full Review

Marios C

Admittedly I haven't seen The Exorcist until a couple of decades later on, after its release. Perhaps that's why I wasn't a big fan of it. But when the girl started to swear at the priest, I couldn't stop laughing. It's never a good sign when you are laughing while watching a horror movie. This for me is NOT the classic people make it out to be.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/29/24

Full Review

Jorge C

Lo único que envejeció completamente mal fue lo satanizado que tienen de la idea de ir con psiquiatra.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

Full Review

Daniel C. M

Even though i don't think this movie comes close to the number one spot of being the best horror movie of all time, in which it goes to Psycho, it's still number two on my list, a quite far number two but still a number two. I don't think i need to say what has already been said multiple times about this movie. Go watch it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

g j

The magnum opus of horror movies to which all but a tiny percentage of offerings in the genre pale in comparison. The vulnerability and innocence of Regan contrasted with the relentlessly vulgar blasphemy inflicted upon her and the growing despair of those trying to protect her has never been matched in horror cinema, only aped. Friedkin's cinematography, pacing, use of subliminal imagery and score is an absolute master class in film making that makes the Exorcist continue to transcend the bounds of its genre to this day. Amazingly, von Sydow was cosmetically aged for this role, which always confused me, as he seemed to have never aged from this iconic role throughout the next 40 years of his life on screen.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

john w

I snuck into the local cinema with two friends on its release, I was 10 yrs old, it was and remains one of the biggest regrets of my life, a 10 Yr old Catholic boy sat terrified for what seemed like an eternity, it haunted my dreams for years after, it's a masterpiece of the genre which I still to this day cannot watch alone.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

William Friedkin

Director

Ellen Burstyn

Chris MacNeil

Linda Blair

Regan Teresa MacNeil

Max von Sydow

Father Lankester Merrin

Lee J. Cobb

Lieutenant William Kinderman

Kitty Winn

Sharon Spencer

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

11%

13%

Exorcist II: The Heretic

TRAILER

for Exorcist II: The Heretic

40%

43%

And Now the Screaming Starts

73%

58%

The Blood on Satan's Claw

29%

29%

The Dunwich Horror

80%

52%

Horror Express

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Immaculate Director Michael Mohan’s Five Favorite Horror Films

The 10 Scariest Horror Movies Ever

New on Netflix in June 2022

View more photos

Adam Nayman

The Ringer

Perhaps the most influential American horror movie ever made, The Exorcist was a Rorschach test when it came out. Fifty years later, it still sticks with us.

Oct 6, 2023

Full Review

Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

The scariest movie ever made...

Sep 30, 2023

Full Review

Terry Lawson

Detroit Free Press

Friedkin performed a similar alchemy to that of Francis Ford Coppola [with The Godfather]: He took a good, pulpy novel and turned it into a great, enduring movie.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 29, 2023

Full Review

James Baldwin

The Devil Finds Work

The mindless and hysterical banality of the evil presented in The Exorcist is the most terrifying thing about the film. The Americans should certainly know more about evil than that; if they pretend otherwise, they are lying.

May 1, 2024

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

The Exorcist more conspicuously pushed into the mainstream a hitherto disreputable genre.

Jan 2, 2024

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast

Seminal and important for good reasons.

Oct 12, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

One of the most profitable horror movies ever made, this tale of an exorcism is based loosely on actual events. When young Regan (Linda Blair) starts acting odd -- levitating, speaking in tongues -- her worried mother (Ellen Burstyn) seeks medical help, only to hit a dead end. A local priest (Jason Miller), however, thinks the girl may be seized by the devil. The priest makes a request to perform an exorcism, and the church sends in an expert (Max von Sydow) to help with the difficult job.

Director: William Friedkin
Producer: Noel Marshall
Screenwriter: William Peter Blatty
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers, Hoya Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 26, 1973, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 24, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $441.4M
Runtime: 2h 2m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now