The Exorcist - Why Is It SO Scary?

wikipedia wrote:

The famous 'pea soup vomiting' scene in actuality did cause Linda Blair to vomit. At the the time she hated vegetables so much that when she tasted the soup she actually threw up.

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dagmaraka wrote:

OK.

....but why pea soup? i like pea soup, just thought it's an odd choice.

If you have to ask, you can't have seen the film.

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That face appears during Father Damien Karras' dream about his mother. He's wracked with guilt after having his mother committed to an asylum. In his dream his mother is in the distance walking up the stairs out of a subway entrance, and Damien starts to walk towards her. She continues to rise out of the entrance, and he hurries his pace. She's completely out of the subway entrance, and then that face is flashed for about half a second. His mother turns around and walks back down the subway entrance, and Karras awakes with a start.

Later, during the exorcism, the devil mind f*cks Damien. The room becomes almost blindingly overlit, and the devil, appearing as his mother on Regan's bed, all strapped down in the restraints that were placed on Regan says, "Dimi, why you do this? Why you do this to me, Dimi? Please Dimi, I'm afraid."

"You are not my mother!!!"

That is one of the most powerful aspects of the movie, a character who knew the deepest mental and emotional weakness of his adversary, and devastatingly exploited it against him.

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oh thats the story.. thx infra...

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InfraBlue wrote:

That face appears during Father Damien Karras' dream about his mother. He's wracked with guilt after having his mother committed to an asylum. In his dream his mother is in the distance walking up the stairs out of a subway entrance, and Damien starts to walk towards her. She continues to rise out of the entrance, and he hurries his pace. She's completely out of the subway entrance, and then that face is flashed for about half a second. His mother turns around and walks back down the subway entrance, and Karras awakes with a start.

Later, during the exorcism, the devil mind f*cks Damien. The room becomes almost blindingly overlit, and the devil, appearing as his mother on Regan's bed, all strapped down in the restraints that were placed on Regan says, "Dimi, why you do this? Why you do this to me, Dimi? Please Dimi, I'm afraid."

"You are not my mother!!!"

That is one of the most powerful aspects of the movie, a character who knew the deepest mental and emotional weakness of his adversary, and devastatingly exploited it against him.

Yes it's horrible and my stomach churned just thinking about it.

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Gonna join in here,better late than never Laughing

.Saw the original on it's release and,yes,it un-nerved me,but the extended version adds just that little bit extra for me and takes it into the "scarey" realm.The first time I saw the face behind the kitchen door had me out of my seat !!!!!!
It's topped a recent poll of scarey films,See Here.

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Cool.

Yeah the Shining comes a close 2nd for me too. Maybe even joint 1st.

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Paaskynen wrote:

snood wrote:
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.

Werewolves give me the creeps (childhood trauma), but vampires don't. I wonder how I will react to man-eating zombie sheep in Black Sheep (2006).

LOL! zombie sheep?!
you can't be serious!

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With zombie sheep, you know it's gotta be baaaaaaaa-d.

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Terrible plot but remotely plausible. Since sheep are fed sheep bones, the possibility of them catching a prion disease and becoming blood thirsty beasts is a real possibility. Not good for a movie though.

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Sheep just aren't very scary though are they?

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Dorothy Parker wrote:

Sheep just aren't very scary though are they?

When they start chewing on your guts, they will be! Laughing

The film was tongue-in-cheek and combined classic gory horror (good effects) with humourous banter. The violence of the lambs, a real treat.

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i am a catholic.in fact raised up around the same area in st.louis as the demon child..watching the movie i always wondered if maybe the exorcist was a girl or boy .maybe they had some sort of esp.my sister said she remmembers a bunch of young boys carrying a girl kicking and screaming.our mother told my sister the girl was raped .i think the man that said he found a diary in the church were the priest did a exorcism.he is a liar.if there was a diary he shouldnt of kept the diary.he should of kept his mouth shut and gave it to another priest.

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@123456789ten,

When you say you wondered if the exorcist was a girl or boy, do you mean the demon that posessed the girl?

Not sure what you mean by the diary...

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@Coolwhip,

It is probably because they are thinking that you are only laughing because you are scared, and don't want them to know about it.

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@Dorothy Parker,

still at the top of my list as scariest ever. Cant pinpoint exactly why but.. when im alone in a quiet dark room, regan always pops in my mind as the last thing i wanna see with me

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@smcmonagle,

Yeah Regan is an image permanently imprinted in my brain too. I always wonder if Linda Blair, as a child, looked in the mirror with the full make up and was disturbed by what she saw? I know I would be.

I read the book for the first time a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I'm not a big reader but I finished it in a couple of days I was so into it.

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@Dorothy Parker,

I think it's scary because the subject matter is disturbing. When you think about it, all exorcism movies that have been pretty much the same thing with some different dressing and improved special effects.

I think part of it is that it's a little girl saying/doing all these things. Also, it's always scary when the villain is actually evil. Not a madman, not a person motivated by greed or sadism...Just evil for the sake of evil. Especially when you consider that evil WINS in this movie, it's pretty freaky. If you 'read' it the way I do, then the devil in Regan always wanted Father Carass (am I spelling that right?).

Anyways, I'm never shaking in my seat from this movie, but it always gets under my skin. It sticks with you, and that's why it's a favourite of mine.

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Haven't read through the thread, so apologies in advance if this has already been said...

I think the Exorcist is so scary because it deals with a fear that all humans may have in common - the fear of losing oneself. The suggestion that there might be some force outside of ourselves powerful and sinister enough to steal our very souls (so to speak) is (IMO) universally terrifying.

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@Dorothy Parker,

I never found this one scary..
The grudge loft scene made me jump.
Jaws got me when I was a boy.
And V made me terrified when little. (When they ate the mouse).
There was this 'hairy hand' flick which scared me senseless. (the hole in the dark bedroom wall was bound to have a hairy arm in it)

No other movie ever frightened me, I still watch every horror though.. Was never that keen on these exorcist ones.
I assume its scary to others, because it happens. How the hell they know that without knowing it, is beyond me.. Sort of.

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The Exorcist - Why Is It SO Scary?

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