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Originally Posted by troggi  I can understand why folk would not be "able to take it seriously anymore" but, please, try to put the film in context; nothing like it had been seen before, the polarised reaction it got from groups in society, the media coverage it achieved (bearing in mind the media of the day and the ultra media coverage that it would have got if today's media was around then), and the lasting effect that it had on it's audience (yes even the ones who find it laughable now). Add to that the film's subject matter, it is a "true supernatural horror" film not just a collection of gristly murders stitched together around a bunch of unlikeable, vapid teenagers who are only there to be murdered in a gristly fashion like so many of the later '70s Slasher flicks are, (sorry but I've got a bit of a downer on formulaic slashers).
The Exorcist, in my opinion and with my limited experience, is a vastly important film and should be treated as such. By today's standards maybe it is "around 8/10" but think about it, 8/10 after 40 years and when put up against the film-makers tools we have today such as animatronics and CGI? It's a heck of a score! |
Oh, I agree. It was an extremely taboo film for it's day; especially as it was aimed at mainstream audiences. Bear in mind that the people I know who commented as such are not really horror film fans, and I think us and our die-hard kin are sometimes more forgiving to horror, and certainly more passionate about it.
For a general member of the public, they may have been shocked back in '73, but they are comparing it to the mainstream horror around on TV and in cinemas today, which is much more 'extreme', which is neither a good nor a bad thing, but I generally think that today's mainstream audiences are much more desensitized and less easily shocked than they were in the 1970s, what with global media shoving atrocity in your face from all angles every minute of the day, coupled with the rise of the internet and indie films.
I do indeed see my 8/10 as a very good score (especially speaking as someone who seldom rates anything at 10/10). Age plays no part in that though. I may have possibly rated it higher had I seen it in the '70s, however I did not have that opportunity (mainly because I wasn't alive!). My ratings are always subject to change, but I try to leave icon-ism, cinematic importance, and technical merit out of all my rankings, and only rank based on personal preference... which indicates why there are films like The Wizard of Gore ranked above it on my list!
