Review of Exorcist, The: The Version You`ve Never Seen

Introduction

In a town house in Georgetown, Washington D.C. which actress Chris MacNeill (Ellen Burstyn) has rented while she works on a film, the ultimate battle between good and evil will take place following the demonic possession of Chris`s twelve year old daughter Regan (Linda Blair). Following the failure of modern medicine to cure Regan, Chris turns to a local priest and psychiatrist, Father Karris (Jason Miller), who is suffering his own crisis of faith, and Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) to perform an exorcism as a last resort.

The editing of `The Exorcist` in 1973 was a battle of wills between director William Friedkin and writer and screenwriter William Peter Blatty and it was the director who got his way, making the theatrical cut Friedkin`s version rather than Blatty`s. Sometimes erroneously called `The Director`s Cut`, this is very much the `writer`s cut` of the film as it includes scenes that Blatty wanted for the theatrical release but were omitted by Friedkin. These include the `stairway to heaven` scene in which Father Merrin explains to Father Karras why the demon has possessed Regan, an extra scene with Regan being examined by doctors, Blatty`s preferred beginning and ending and the notorious `spider walk` scene.

Video

The 1.85:1 transfer has been significantly remastered since the release of the theatrical version and is just about flawless. Introducing subliminal shots of the demon Pazuzu to keep the viewer permanently on edge and to emphasise the presence of the demon in the house.

Audio

Using cutting edge technology, some thirty years more advanced than that used for the initial release, this is a stunning soundtrack with perfect definition through the seven discrete channels of the English Dolby Digital EX mix. There is also an English DD 3 channel surround.

The DD EX mix is fantastic and really adds to the atmosphere. With the DD 5.1 mix, the music and the noises from the attic only appear from the front surrounds and rears, with the EX mix, the sound surrounds you, with unnerving noises appearing from in front, behind and to the sides of you. I was slightly sceptical that the extra channel would make that much difference but was glad to be proved wrong as scenes that were hard-hitting in 5.1 have an extra dimension and are even more effective if you have a 6.1/7.1 set-up.

Features

There are cast and crew notes for the film, there are four TV spots and two radio spots and a commentary by director William Friedkin. The commentary by Friedkin is not so much a commentary in the traditional sense but it more of an audio descriptive track. He spends the whole running time telling you what is happening on-screen and what it means. Avoid this and listen to his commentary on the theatrical cut instead.

Conclusion

I saw the theatrical version of `The Exorcist` in 1998 and it has been my favourite film ever since. Given this, I should be dead against revisiting and changing the film but, surprisingly, I feel that this version complements the 1973 release. Although I feel that the original version is the better of the two and would urge anyone who hasn`t seen the film to watch that one and, if you like it, or are already a big fan of the original film, seriously consider adding this to your DVD collection. It`s a decision you won`t regret.