There's no reason for me to try and explain this movie to anyone who hasn't already seen it. Instead, it would be best to mention the effect this movie had on me over the years. I first saw "The Exorcist" as a 10-year old. Me and a friend weren't entirely truthful when we told our parents what movie we were seeing and the person who sold us tickets didn't care that we weren't old enough to see it, either. I remember hearing stories of how someone had died watching the movie and that others had gotten sick. I didn't know if those stories were true, but I think I remember believing them at the time.

Over the years, my mind could only recall flashes of my initial viewing. The green vomit, the "Help Me" scarring on little Regan's stomach, the bed rising and falling. I'm sure I spent 90% of the movie with my eyes covered, but the horrible sounds were enough to make the experience the most frightening thing I can ever recall. This movie really hit me hard and as a kid and as a person of faith, it tweaked my nerves even more. I remember not being able to sleep through the night for months after I saw it. This had such an effect on my little kid brain, I had never re-watched it until last year.

That's when I decided that I was grown up enough to finally watch it again. And you know what? It's still damned scary. This time though, I was amazed at the disturbingly grainy look of the film, the desperation of Chris MacNeil and the decline of her daughter, Regan. Friedkin's direction during the exorcism scenes is suffocating and the battle that Father Merrin and Father Karras have with the demon is incredibly intense. It's nearly overwhelming in its horror.

This is one of the rare occasions when I'll state that my opinion is the correct one. "The Exorcist" is the best and scariest Horror film of all time.