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| This was the only scene in the movie that REALLY freaked me out |
I saw The Exorcist last night at the movie theater. I had never seen it, other than a clip here and there since it came out forty years ago. I went to see it with my friend D, and I had a gin martini with lime and simple syrup, straight up beforehand, along with some moules frites. The drink made me just this shy of buzzed, so I felt no anxiety -- I hate scary movies and never watch them -- when I sat down to watch in the sold-out theater. I have to say that the movie didn't hold up all that well, even on a big screen. I don't know if this is because we've become so accustomed to slick productions that the technical "wizardry" of 1972 seemed really lame or because the movie is such a part of our cultural lexicon that it didn't surprise me. I enjoyed Ellen Burstyn and her fantastic clothes, and the priest with the sad, dark eyes was wonderful as were the interior shots and some of the foggy Georgetown exteriors. Man Von Sydow was amazing as usual, but he was old in the movie and that was forty years ago! I think he's still alive now, so that sort of distracted me. The director and various others related to the film were there to answer questions afterward, but it was an earnest, fawning crowd, so we left. I think my favorite part of the evening, actually, was that gin martini. It was so perfectly tart.
Anyway.
Speaking of demons, have you read Stephen King's fantastic piece in The Daily Beast? It's called Tax Me for F@%&'s Sake, and it'll make your head spin around a whole lot faster than Linda Blair's. Read it here.
I did read Stephen King's piece in the Daily Beast and thought it was kick-ass. And why does anyone need to write this kind of thing anyway when it's just so obvious??? Too bad he and Warren Buffet are not running the country.
ReplyDeletefabulous post. thank you for that link!
ReplyDeletethe exorcist scared me to death! I saw it as a teenager. afterwards, we went over to Georgetown to walk down the very steps that the priest was tossed down. the scene still haunts me.
ReplyDeletebest,
bonnie
I remember being really freaked out by The Exorcist back in the day but I am sure you are right, it probably wouldn't hold up for me today. But that martini sure would.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me of the Stephen King piece. It's great stuff. I heart profanity when it's put to such good use.. I also like the part where he describes himself as "only baby rich." I think that makes me zygote rich or maybe gleam-in-the-eye rich. I don't mind paying my taxes. But I'm paying a larger percentage than Stephen King. Interesting, no?
ReplyDeleteI had never seen "The Exorcist" either until I rented it a few years ago. It's still creepy, even if dated. I agree about Ellen B's fantastic clothes. She's so great in everything.
ReplyDeleteAs a kid I had an issue of Mad Magazine that parodied "The Exorcist," and now I remember that far more vividly than I do the movie itself!
I clicked your link earlier this morning, and got lost over there, reading SKing and some of the 3000 comments.
ReplyDeletesh$%, that scene on the stairs still freaks me out to this day. now im gonna have nightmares!
ReplyDeleteI almost always "take a pass" on scary movies. They stick with me too much so I just don't put them in my brain.
ReplyDeleteMax von Sydow was even older and still a great actor when I saw him in the movie "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" this year. He's a key character that doesn't ever speak but leaves a haunting impression.
Glad that martini was a good one. x0 N2