[kj] OT - The Exorcist

[Alexander Smith]

Don't get me wrong -- I love "The Wicker Man" (Edward Woodward  
original, not that Nic Cage bullshit),  but it's about as scary as an  
episode of "Matlock".

Alex in NYC


On Sep 7, 2008, at 9:26 PM, Darren A. Peace wrote:


> I have to stand up for The Wicker Man (and not that abortion of a  

> remake). Beautiful film that left me speechless for about two hours  

> when I saw it on UK TV at the age of about 12. Only watched it  

> because it had Christopher Lee in it, and I was just starting my  

> fixation with Hammer films. I saw “Race With The Devil” at about the  

> same time, so continued my run of those sorts of endings. I’m sure  

> that the reason it connected with me so strongly was because I was  

> exposed to it at a comparatively unsophisticated age, and I’m sure  

> my adult cynicism would find more at fault with it were it not for  

> that, but connect it did, and it’s remained a favourite.

>

> Found myself in Dumfries & Galloway a few years back, so went to a  

> couple of the Wicker Man locations. Brilliant stuff. The  

> mythologizing around its making just adds to the cachet, for me. Saw  

> an NFT showing of it around the same time, with Lee and Tony Shaffer  

> in attendance just before the latter’s death.

>

> The Omen and The Exorcist are two entirely different beasts. I enjoy  

> the Omen more than the Exorcist, because it is pulpy and stupid, but  

> the subtexts to the Exorcist are genuinely frightening to this  

> parent. And to dismiss Blatty’s meditations on faith is just ill- 

> informed; his earlier novel show a preoccupation, and “Exorcist  

> III” (prior to studio manglings) was about pretty much nothing else.  

> Sure, Freidkin (and Blatty, to a lesser extent) made the right  

> noises when promoting the film once it was realised that it was a  

> phenomenon, but to dismiss it as a cynical exercise in exploitation  

> is wrong. Their commentary on the first DVD is great fun. Sure,  

> they’re taking the piss some of the time, but they are both  

> intelligent men with subtextual agendas worthy of attention.

>

> Still remember the really crappy Omen posters before its release;  

> the novelisation (David Seltzer, IIRC) is great fun and full of as  

> much religious bollocks as the Da Vinci Code (written by a man who  

> CAN’T FUCKING WRITE).

>

> Darren

> Hungerford, UK

>

> From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net 

> ] On Behalf Of Alexander Smith

> Sent: 08 September 2008 00:01

> To: jimharper666 at yahoo.co.uk; A list about all things Killing Joke  

> (the band!)

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT - The Exorcist

>

>

> "but it's not a 'truly scary movie', and there's more than a few"

>

> Well, it truly scares me, even this many years later. "The Omen" is  

> practically a comedy compared to "The Exorcist".

>

> Alex in NYC

>

>

> On Sep 7, 2008, at 6:52 PM, Jim Harper wrote:

>

>

> "One of the only really, truly scary movies."

>

> I'm afraid I can't agree there. The Exorcist is a good film, but  

> it's not a 'truly scary movie', and there's more than a few.

>

> There are plenty of acknowledged 'classic' horror films that aren't  

> worth more than a cursory watch, just so you can say you've seen it  

> (The Shining and The Wicker Man fit the bill very nicely). To  

> Friedkin's credit, he does at least ensure that The Exorcist doesn't  

> turn into the kind of colossal monument to tedium that those two  

> films are, but he does fall short of the 'classic' he usually gets  

> landed with. I've always preferred The Omen. I realise comparing  

> those two films- The Exorcist and The Omen- is likely to get me  

> lynched, but The Omen is a more entertaining film. Mainly because it  

> doesn't try to hide what it is. Both films are trashy exploitation,  

> but whereas The Omen accepts that and gets on with business of    

> being a really fun piece of trashy exploitation, The Exorcist  

> (mainly through William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty, who spun  

> the same crap about his novel when it came out) tries to pass itself  

> off as a serious meditation on the mystery of Faith. Bollocks. Aside  

> from one line, faith is never even mentioned. It's just a scary,  

> gross horror movie, but one with ideas above its station.

>

> My apologies for the rambling there!

>

> Jim.

>

> NOW AVAILABLE: Flowers From Hell: The Modern Japanese Horror Film,  

> by Jim Harper (Noir Publishing).

>

> "Fascinating overview of the Japanese horror boom... Comprehensive,  

> in-depth and slickly presented."- DVD Monthly.

>

> Available from Noir Publishing, Amazon.co.uk, Waterstones and all  

> good bookstores.

>

> --- On Sun, 7/9/08, Leigh Newton <angrytomhanks at yahoo.com> wrote:

> From: Leigh Newton <angrytomhanks at yahoo.com>

> Subject: Re: [kj] OT - The Exorcist

> To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)" <gathering at misera.net 

> >

> Date: Sunday, 7 September, 2008, 9:42 PM

> Also the classic "Stick your cock up her ass, you motherfucking  

> worthless

> COCKSUCKER!"

>

> One of the only really, truly scary movies. The original Black  

> Christmas and

> The Changeling are two more that come to mind. Anyone got anymore? I'm

> talking SCARY, not just kind of creepy or gross.

>

> Leigh

>

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