8.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.7 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
When an innocent young girl is possessed by a demon, a priest struggling with his faith is asked by her mother to perform the ancient rite of exorcism.
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowranHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 41% |
Supernatural | 31% |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 ES Matrix
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 2.0
Polish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Russian: Dolby Digital 5.1 EX
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Japanese only on Japanese menu options. Mono dubs on Theatrical, 5.1/2.0 stereo dubs on Extended. Hungarian, Polish, Russian, only on Extended
English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
If the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist, the greatest trick The Exorcist ever pulled was convincing audiences he just might. Can any film that's risen in its wake say the same? It never ceases to amaze me that some thirty-seven years after its original theatrical release, horror filmmakers are still desperately chasing director William Friedkin and writer William Peter Blatty's legacy, each one failing to deliver a more startling depiction of evil incarnate. Many have tried. To their credit, a small but frightening handful have even brushed greatness. But while these scant few have chipped away at The Exorcist in one regard or another -- be it storytelling, special effects, atmosphere, shock value or any one of the elusive elements that transform a horror film into a horror classic -- it's tough to name a single standout from the last four decades that bests Friedkin and Blatty's macabre masterpiece on every front. Owen Roizman's deceptively simple, utterly haunting cinematography. Steve Boeddeker's unnerving score. The film's unexpected yet flawless casting. Jason Miller's raw but restrained performance. Sweet, little Linda Blair's mangled, unholy face. Ellen Burstyn's unhinged terror. Blatty's searing screenplay. Pazuzu and its ungodly mindgames. Friedkin's sharp eye and steady hand at the helm. Ten Academy Award nominations... make no mistake, The Exorcist may just be a perfect genre storm.
The following is primarily a review of Friedkin's theatrical cut; in my opinion, the superior version of the film.
My gratitude to Warner Home Video for presenting this high definition Blu-ray, which was color-timed by the cinematographer Owen Roizman and myself and represents the very best print ever made of 'The Exorcist.' Enjoy!
So writes William Friedkin in a gushing insert included with Warner's striking Blu-ray release of The Exorcist. Presented via two separate, comparably restored and remastered 1080p/VC-1 transfers (each version of the film has been granted its own BD-50 disc), Friedkin and Blatty's horror classic, be it the director's extended or theatrical cut, has never looked better. Roizman's atmospheric photography is teeming with stunning primaries, ominous shadows, stark whites and lifelike skintones. A few faces are slightly flushed (mainly during the first twenty-five minutes of the film) and blacks succumb to minor crush and inconsistent contrast leveling during the final showdown sequence, but the whole of both cuts rise above such fleeting shortcomings to deliver a fit and faithful rendering of each. Moreover, detail is nothing short of stunning, particularly for a film rapidly approaching its fortieth birthday. Fine textures are surprisingly well resolved, edges are crisp and clean (with only a hint of intermittent ringing), many closeups and midrange shots look fantastic, and delineation, though a tad problematic at times, is true to its aging source. I can't tell you how often I shook my head in disbelief. Not at any glaring distraction, mind you, but at the near-pristine quality of the print, the clarity of some of the thirty-seven-year old scenes and the disarming beauty of the transfers' most remarkable shots. Yes, softness abounds (as it does in most any film from the era), and yes, grain-haters will be aghast at the at-times uneven, at-times aggressive grain apparent throughout both presentations. But purists and diehard videophiles will cheer. Edge enhancement has only been employed here and there, and judiciously at that; DNR clearly isn't an overriding issue; artifacting and banding rarely make an appearance (although the film's opening sunrise does suffer from faint banding and a handful of establishing shots are home to some negligible digital clutter); significant print damage has all but been eliminated; and glaring anomalies -- macroblocking, aliasing, aberrant noise and the like -- aren't a factor.
Warner delivers yet again as The Exorcist, gristly grain and all, emerges as another exceedingly faithful, lovingly restored and deftly remastered Blu-ray presentation in the studio's march toward catalog dominance.
The Exorcist also arrives with two full-fledged lossless audio mixes in tow -- a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 ES surround track on the Extended Director's Cut and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track on the film's Original Theatrical Cut -- both of which are quite good. (Again, particularly for a thirty-seven-year old catalog title.) Dialogue, though sometimes challenged by inherent environmental noise and reasonable hiss, is clean, clear and neatly prioritized. Several lines are buried beneath the ensuing demonic chaos, sure, but it rarely affects the overall experience. The LFE channel, meanwhile, doesn't miss a single opportunity to impress, all but assaulting the soundstage with powerful thooms, room-splitting crashes and guttural groans. The rear speakers make their presence known as well, transforming Regan's possession into an all-too-convincing 360-degree nightmare. Ambience, both quiet and forceful, skitters from channel to channel, pans are unnervingly smooth, directionality is eerily precise (and often caught me off guard), acoustics are believable and Steve Boeddeker's score inhabits the entire experience. That being said, the film's smartly crafted sound effects range from tinny to hollow, muffled to muddy, effective to strong, and natural to realistic. I know, I know. Certain considerations should probably be made for a film of its age, and most of the effects are spot on, but too many misfired clangs and bangs will strike casual listeners as stagey and a bit weak-in-the-knees. By no means should that scare filmfans away -- any quote-unquote mishap present in the mixes is most likely attributable to the condition of the original elements -- as even the most hard-hearted audiophiles will be thoroughly pleased.
Editor's Note: At present, our technical specification fields are unable to list the various audio mixes and subtitle options featured on this release on a cut-by-cut basis. Until we can resolve this small issue, here is a list of the corresponding audio and subtitle tracks available for each version of the film:
Disc 1: The Extended Director's Cut
Audio Tracks
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 ES
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
French (Quebec): Dolby Digital 5.1
German: Dolby Digital 5.1
Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish (Castellano): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 2.0
Polish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
Russian: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish, Spanish (Castellano), Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Arabic, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Swedish and Turkish
Disc 2: The Original Theatrical Cut
Audio Tracks
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish (Castellano): Dolby Digital Mono
Portuguese: Dolby Digital Mono
German: Dolby Digital Mono
Italian: Dolby Digital Mono
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Spanish (Castellano), Portuguese, German SDH, Italian SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish
The 2-disc Blu-ray release of The Exorcist includes two full versions of the film on two separate BD-50 discs: director William Friedkin's most recent 132-minute Extended Director's Cut and his 122-minute Original Theatrical Cut. In all, the set includes three audio commentaries, three new high definition featurettes, a 1998 documentary and some notable material ported from previous DVD releases. It isn't the overwhelming supplemental package some of you may be hoping for, but it is a solid one.
Disc 1: The Extended Director's Cut
The trio of documentaries that accompany The Exorcist are, in my estimation, more akin to three well-conceived featurettes than anything else (at thirty minutes, "Raising Hell" is the only real documentary). Even so, each one proved to be well worth watching. Considering the company they keep -- specifically, Friedkin's excellent Extended Cut commentary -- I'm not itching to complain.
Well-deserved hyperbole aside, The Exorcist remains one of the greatest horror films of all time and belongs in any genre aficionado's collection. Warner's 2-disc Blu-ray release is almost as impressive and represents yet another high-quality catalog release from the studio's vaults. It boasts a beautiful restoration, two full cuts of the film, two fiercely faithful video transfers, two strong DTS-HD Master Audio surround tracks and a fairly loaded supplemental package. Even Digibook detractors will find this release enticing. Minor nitpicks notwithstanding, The Exorcist's Blu-ray debut earns one of my heartier recommendations.
Extended Director's Cut
1973
Extended Director's Cut
1973
40th Anniversary Edition | Extended Director's Cut and Original Theatrical Version
1973
Extended Director's Cut
1973
Extended Director's Cut | Reissue with Lenticular Slip + It 2 Movie Cash
1973
Extended Director's Cut
1973
Extended Director's Cut | Foil Artwork
1973
50th Anniversary Edition
1973
50th Anniversary Edition
1973
50th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition
1973
2012
Unrated Collector's Edition
2007
Collector's Edition | + Director's Cut on BD
1990
40th Anniversary Edition
1974
2018
2018
2018
Unrated Director's Cut
2009
Collector's Edition
1988
2018
Collector's Edition
1978
2019
Uncut
2013
30th Anniversary Edition | Includes "Terror in the Aisles"
1981
Unrated Edition
2005
Unrated Edition
2006
1987
2012
1982
2012