The Exorcist - Why Is It SO Scary?

It never frightened me, as I am not a believer in the supernatural. One part DID sicken me, where the doctor is injecting the girl in the neck, near the beginning of the film. I started feeling faint, and I went into the lobby. There were a number of people lying on the floor of the lobby, obviously affected with the film as much as I.

The second time that I saw it, I thought the premise was silly, although I had it admit, it was very well done.

The film that scared the hell out of me the first time was Psycho.

I think it's scary and disturbing to a lot of people because it taps into the age old fear of a central being of evil.

Interesting insight Snood, and completely plausable. I do't believe in a central being of evil, so I suppose that is why it did not frighten me.

Yeah, suppose so.

No I would say I'm not a believer in supernatural things so maybe, like you said Phoenix, it's the physical unpleasantness of it. The needle in the neck made me feel very queasy too.

Even though I'm not religious, I am Catholic and come from a Catholic family so the religious stuff in it still makes me feel a bit funny too.

Psycho scared me too. Anthony Perkins is sooooo handsome and gorgeous in that film.

IMO, what was so frightening about Psycho was that it COULD have happened. I think that many people are afraid of being in a position where they inadvertantly put themselves in great danger. That is why there is a movie and an story that both scare the hell out of me...............Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery", and the British film, "The Wicker Man" (the earlier version).

Oh The Wicker Man! Made me feel horrible.

Most people don't like watching horror movies with me because I tend to laugh my ass off when I see something "scary".

Yeah that would do my head in.

I can appreciate people saying the supernatural aspects never scared them. the first time I saw The Exorcist I was barely a teenager. Had all of you already settled on your unbelief by that time?

No I hadn't. I was much more open to suggestion then.

I am a "bit" older than you, Snood. Actually, even as a kid, before I had even thought about a philosophy of life, I was never scared of the supernatural. It just had no meaning for me.

Did you never have fairys or Grimm's Tales as a child either?

Oh sure, but by the time I was 7 or 8 I knew that they were whimsical tales, not to be taken as truth.

Heh. And I STILL read comic books.....

I went to see the Exorcist expecting it to be super scary. I took a seat next to the door just in case. However, the story could not bowl me over. The only scary scene I remember is the mother going up the attic to check out some rustling sounds.

Maybe if I see it again it may scare me. I have noticed that these past few years I seem to be more susceptible to horror.

We've discussed only the supernatural aspects of the film so far. Isn't it possible that the film is scary to so many people simply because it is so well done? You don't have to believe in extraterrestrial life, either, but that creature in The Alien is one scary dude. Another well-made movie. The same is true for Psycho. It's Hitchock's direction, not the premise, that scares one.

Movies like Exorcist do scare me the first time I watch them. But the second and third time my main reason for watching them again is to see what it was in the movie that I found so compelling the first time. Once you see the strings and the smoke and the mirrors, it's not scary any more. It's still a great horror movie but now you can see why so.

I found the movie repulsive, and never did watch all of it. I have never understood why people subject themselves so.

Yeah, Merry - I think you're on to something there, because I certainly don't "believe in" vampires and werewolves, but the better-made films of that genre have given me dozens of chills.