Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Exorcist 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

We need to talk about Regan.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III September 13, 2023

The late, great William Friedkin's supernatural horror drama The Exorcist turns 50 this year, so you can be damn well sure Warner Bros. is celebrating with an anniversary 4K edition. Led by a new 2160p/HDR transfer, dual audio tracks, and both versions of the film (the original theatrical cut, as well as an extended director's cut that first debuted back in 2000 as "The Version You've Never Seen") on two 100GB discs, it's an attempt to bring The Exorcist kicking, screaming, and vomiting neon-green bile into the 21st century. Much like WB's other recent UHD releases, however, there's no Blu-ray copy included and, thus, no legacy extras aside from a few odds and ends. This means you'll need to hang onto an older release like the Blu-ray digibook or the 40th Anniversary Edition for the complete on-disc package.

For a synopsis and appreciation of the film, please see Kenneth Brown's review of the 2010 Blu-ray digibook above. As indicated by my own rating of The Exorcist, I'm clearly not as big a fan but can still appreciate its craftsmanship as well as its considerable legacy during the past five decades, even if my rational brain recognizes major elements of its story as manipulative hogwash. But that's not why you're here, right? You'd rather just know how this new 4K restoration looks and sounds... so on that note, let's dig into what makes this release both great and kind of disappointing.

The Exorcist 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: The screenshots in this review were sourced from an older Blu-ray edition of the film.

There's a lot to unpack about this new 2160p/HDR transfer of The Exorcist, and yet also not a lot. Those familiar with director William Friedkin should know the frustrating history of his films on home video, which are often prone to color revision and other changes. (If you're new, The French Connection is a good starting point.) As such, purists weren't happy with The Exorcist's Blu-ray debut as it considerably changed the color timing of key sequences including the exorcism itself, which pushed its otherwise natural color palette towards one bathed in cool blue tones.

That bit of revisionism hasn't been erased but it has been at least lessened somewhat, now taking on more of a lightly purple hue that's still off-putting but at least reigned in a bit. Yet it's also the root cause of nagging issues exacerbated by HDR, which gives new and appreciated vibrancy to large swaths of the film but also rob other scenes of their original texture and appearance. Damien's walk through the subway station, for example, is bathed in fluorescent light from the train and other sources, which not only stand out unnaturally but fall victim to visible blooming. His visit with his elderly mother shows boosted colors that don't play nice with the dim lighting and, as a result, several shots are swarmed by chunky noise. (The same holds true for an earlier "Georgetown" establishing zoom-in.) Then there's the exorcism itself, including Merrin's iconic walk to the house, which sporadically takes on a similarly filtered, chalky appearance that's likewise hurt by excessive noise, smearing, and even obvious signs of black crush and posterization. This all heightens the otherworldly feel of the notorious scene but, like the original Blu-ray regrade, it's for the wrong reasons.

Some may not notice these problems (which are, aside from the exorcism, fairly fleeting), whereas others will cry foul and wish for what could -- and very well should -- have been a more authentic presentation. It would be one thing if these new colors were only present on the director's cut... but they affect both versions which are, to my eyes, more or less identical aside from what might be very minor encoding differences on these two separate 100GB discs.

So is there anything good about the new presentation? A lot, actually. At least 70% of The Exorcist looks better than ever, with this true 4K transfer boasting an outstanding amount of fine detail in other key sequences like the opening in northern Iraq, any of the daytime Georgetown exterior scenes, well-lit indoor footage and, well, just about everything else not mentioned above. It's a largely authentic representation of the original natural color palette, with understated production design and striking compositions that absolutely look better than ever on home video. This extends to the film grain itself -- again, aside for those segments listed above -- with a pleasing level of texture that clearly falls in line with how a feature from this decade can and should look. So despite those (potentially deal-breaking) issues above, I'd certainly argue that the wide majority of this 4K presentation will delight die-hard fans and, like WB's 4K treatment of other horror films from this era such as The Shining, shows what the format is truly capable of. Splitting the difference, I'd rate The Exorcist's 4K presentation as a 3.75/5 overall, though it's probably closer to a 3.5 than a 4.

The Exorcist 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Proving that the universe does indeed have a sense of humor, perhaps the biggest upgrade on this WB release is its audio options. The default on both versions -- and only choice on the director's cut, aside from a few foreign dubs -- is a new Dolby Atmos remix built from previous surround tracks. It's a startlingly effective presentation that fits in pretty perfectly with this film's bipolar dynamic, scaling back to a more naturalistic presentation but keeping its foot on the gas when needed. The low end gets a good workout at key moments, discrete surround effects are used wisely, and of course the Atmos-exclusive height channels are put to good use too, such as early creaks and thumps in the attic and other supernatural delights. Otherwise it just sounds like a dialed-up reimagining of the original mix, one that clearly prioritizes dialogue most of the way but sneaks in more than a few sonic surprises at the right moments.

Of equal interest is The Exorcist's original theatrical mono mix, presented here as a split DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track on the theatrical cut only. This is quite the rarity on home video -- perhaps even its domestic debut -- and sounds clean and polished with excellent fidelity and an overall front-forward dynamic that should delight purists. It might even make up for some of the transfer's egregious sins, but that all depends on your personal preference for authentic audio.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature only.

The Exorcist 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc set ships in a keepcase with awful cover artwork, a slipcover, and a Digital Copy code that reportedly includes many of the missing extras from previous Blu-rays. (But if they're not on-disc, they don't count in my book.) Speaking of which, the bonus features we do get are all limited to commentaries and an old introduction by the late director; these were included on earlier Blu-rays like the 2010 digibook and are listed below in name only.

DISC 1 - THEATRICAL CUT

• Introduction by Director William Friedkin (2:11)

• Audio Commentary #1 - Director William Friedkin

• Audio Commentary #2 - Writer William Peter Blatty (with special sound effects)

DISC 2 - EXTENDED DIRECTOR'S CUT

• Audio Commentary #3 - Director William Friedkin (different from theatrical commentary)

The Exorcist 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In more ways than one, Warner Bros.' new 4K edition of The Exorcist feels exactly like what we should have expected from late, great director William Friedkin: a well-meaning celebration of this championed/reviled film that's nonetheless cursed by a stubborn display of color revisionism and sporadic visual anomalies. (Maybe it's haunted, guys!) Yet despite the obvious flaws of its new transfer, other larger areas of this 4K UHD presentation are mighty impressive and the two audio options -- a terrific new Atmos mix and the original theatrical mono -- help to make up for it. I'm on the fence for an unqualified recommendation, but I've got a feeling that most fans will buy it nonetheless.