The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin, was more than just another scary movie. In 1973, hundreds of people across the country were lining up to watch the movie that had the scariest reputation. It was known to make people physically sick, light headed, and caused viewers to run out of the cinema in tears. If that sounds bad, there were also reports of people having to be institutionalized after watching it.

Loosely based on actual events, a 14-year-old boy, born in 1935, was the alleged victim of demonic possession, and the events were recorded by the attending priest. These supernatural claims were used as elements in the movie adaptation where it tells the story of a little girl named Regan possessed by the demon Pazuzu and the priests who are charged with saving her soul.

As I watched it, I didn’t really see the big deal. Yes, it does make me run up the stairs a little faster than usual after turning off the lights, but I wouldn’t really say that I needed to be institutionalized. So why did it become such a phenomenon? As I sat there watching a young girl throw up due to the demon in her body, a classic scene might I add, it finally hit me. This was a movie that was made in the early ’70s. Maybe to me it didn’t seem scary because I was used to seeing much scarier movies. Nowadays, movies are made with top notch computers and high quality graphics, making the whole movie effect 10 times scarier. But to the people in the ’70s, it was something new and frightening. The Exorcist was really the first movie to become popular that touched on the subject of possession. The frightening sequences of a young girl in such peril, not to mention Friedkin’s clever use of subliminal imagery, was too much for many viewers to take. It makes total sense. If I was a teen in the ’70s where the scariest thing I saw was someone’s bad disco moves, I would be more than terrified to see a girl’s head spin 360 degrees and watch as a demon takes hold of her body.

Considering that this movie was made in the ’70s, it’s super well done. The director did an amazing job on capturing the audience and scaring the living daylights out of them. Most importantly, it had such an impact on the country that still to this day, people watch it and get scared.

Without giving a ton of spoilers, the movie does have some spine tingling moments. For instance, there is the classic spider-walking scene, which features Regan contorting herself down the stairs, and it is such a famous moment that it’s easy to forget it didn’t actually feature in the original cut of the film at all. William Friedkin decided to cut the scene from the 1973 original, but it was resurrected for the 2000 re-released version of the movie. In the days before CGI, achieving these kinds of sequences was a serious feat, and it’s also a reminder of just how hard Linda Blair’s physical performance in the film was. Another noticeable scene was where Regan ‘stabs’ herself with a crucifix, and seeing the blood splattered all over her is bad enough, but the tension only builds as the doors slam shut and furniture is sent hurtling towards to her. This is horror cinema at its most unsettling.

If you’re looking for occult thrills and massive amounts of blood and guts, then the film isn’t for you. It’s a very quiet film, the tension up being built up slowly and gradually, and the movie brings up the subject of possession in a very cynical way. If you love twisted movies that make you think, then this movie is perfect for you. Not only is it a horror movie, but it’s also a very human story, playing on all our fears about the unknown and that which we are still trying to explore in our consensual reality. The film seeks to undermine our perceptions, making us question everything we believe to be true.

Although for today’s standards it might not be considered scary, it’ll definitely always be a horror movie classic. I believe that the cynical scenes, the blasphemy, and the subject matter it touches on makes it a classic. People only go to the movies for three reasons — to laugh, to cry, or to get scared — and this movie will keep you up at night. I think put all together, the history, the cynical scenes, the blasphemy, it makes it a forever classic and it never gets old. It’s a perfect movie to watch if you want a thrill, and I totally recommend if you are into the whole possession topic.

All in all, this movie does an amazing job on making you question your beliefs and scaring you. It’s the perfect combination of scary and mind-twisting. So if you’re not doing anything this halloween, The Exorcist is the perfect movie to watch.