Exorcising Netflix

Again, I've picked one of my top ten suggestions. This time... The Exorcist. Because of the severity of horror this film contains, I have opted to see it during the day.  I'm not snuggled up ready to watch this or even that thrilled to see the film. It's the original 1973 version, which is known as the scariest one. The film starts and that eerie exorcist music plays through my speakers. Shit, I'm already on the verge of peeing my pants. I can't take it! I pause the film. This is ridiculous. It's daytime, there are no freaky thunderstorms going on outside, I'm definitely not 15, and I've already seen this movie once before. Even as I'm repeating this to myself, in the back of my head, I have the thought to just pick another movie. I finally calm down and realize that the days... months... and even years that I spent traumatized from this movie are over; it is in my past. I would think that by now I am mature enough to handle a horror movie from 1973. Come on.. get it together.

I press play again. Yes, the music is scary, but no, I can't chicken out. About the first twenty to thirty minutes the story develops and the plot begins to thicken. I was somewhat impressed by the quality of the film considering that it is pretty old for 2011. I felt like I was watching the film for the first time. Like Tales From the Crypt, only the most frightening parts are left ingrained in my memory. I can already see Regan, the girl who has been possessed by the devil, crawling backwards down the staircase. Yet, I have no memory at all of the actual plot and series of events from the film.

By the time Regan becomes possessed I felt as if I could fall asleep; quite the change from when I first started the movie. Because of my drastic change in reactions, it got me thinking about the baggage that each film carries. It made me wonder how I would have felt watching this movie in the theater and never hearing all the gossip and thrill of the film. Was I freaking out over the movie because it was so scary as a child? Or was it because of everyone deaming this film as the "scariest movie of all time?" To me, the story is kind of boring and drab. Yes, the make-up artists did a phenomenal job. And yes, it is somewhat believable that this poor little girl could have become possessed by demons. But come on, no priest I know is that informal to the public and wears jogging suits half of the day.

I found myself analyzing the quality of the storyline and judging the sheer boringness of the script. Does anyone even remember what the story is about? Or does everyone simply remember Regan going backwards down the stairs, or (spoiler alert) the holy priest falling out of the window. Or just maybe, people are left with an unsettling feeling because good doesn't necessarily triumph over evil. (Spoiler alert) Regan is relieved of the demons/devil, but the priest... OH! the holy priest, is dead!

I finished this film, somewhat giggling to myself, that I had fallen into the stigma of this movie. The story sucks. The actors are..ok, except for Regan, who was amazing. Netflix: I'm sorry, but this would not be in my top ten favorite movies of all time, but I want to say a sincere THANK YOU for helping me to conquer my fear of this lame movie. I no longer need to be haunted by the idea that a demon is going to crawl in my soul and cause me to walk backwards, foam at the mouth, and tell a priest to ***** me. Again, Netflix, thank you.