"possession"

1973 · William Friedkin · 122 min · Horror

The Exorcist set the template for serious horror filmmaking and more than fifty years later, nothing has fully displaced it from that position. William Friedkin built something that functions as both a deeply unsettling horror film and a thoughtful exploration of faith under pressure. Modern audiences may not find it as terrifying as the people who lined up around the block in 1973, but the craft, the performances, and the willingness to treat its subject matter with intelligence rather than exploitation continue to set it apart. It's slower and more demanding than most horror films that followed it, and that's a feature, not a flaw.