|
|
|
|
 |
indulge
in some quiet time |
. |
|
|||||||
copyright ©1999-2006 |
The 1970s was a decade of cinematic experimentation that spawned some critical cult classics across all the major film genres, yielding sci-fi landmarks like Star Wars as well as bizarre comic delights like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Without a doubt, though, this was the heyday of the horror film. Rendering familiar places suddenly scary, from a creepy Texas farmhouse to the eerie streets of an Illinois Halloween night, 70s ‘slasher’ flicks have kept kids checking backseats and thinking twice before strolling into a strange house years after they first debuted; meanwhile, the arrival of a sadistic demon in the body of a D.C. girl still tests the nerves of movie-goers today. So for the ultimate ‘fright night’ experience, look no further than the retro stylings of three timeless scary movies: The Exorcist, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Halloween.
Plot synopsis Father Merrin, an elderly priest, discovers a strange, demonic statue while studying ancient artifacts in northern Iraq and unwittingly releases an evil force. On the other side of the Atlantic in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., a fun-loving little girl named Regan is suddenly wracked by a series of bizarre psychological and physical attacks. Her mother, Chris, a famous actress, and a team of doctors are all baffled. Medical tests and treatments do nothing for the girl, whose sudden tendency to spew curses and twist her head in a full 360-degree circle forces her formerly agnostic mother to turn to religion. When their local Catholic priest, Father Damien Karras, becomes convinced that Regan is possessed, he calls on the help of the bishop, who sends Father Merrin, recently returned from Iraq, to the rescue. With Karras’ assistance, Father Merrin initiates an exorcism of the demon from the girl. The exorcism tests more than just their physical strength. Faced by a demonic presence of unspeakable viciousness and pure malevolence, the priests must hold fast to their spiritual faith, or lose not only their own lives and souls, but that of the young, innocent Regan as well. Review The original release of The Exorcist in 1973 was a controversial episode in its own right, with people screaming, fainting, becoming ill and calling paramedics to the aid of many shell-shocked theater-goers. Based on the ‘genuine exorcism’ of a thirteen-year-old boy, supposedly performed over six weeks in 1949 in Maryland and Missouri, the film contained some of the most disturbing scenes ever released at that point in time. Regan is transformed from a cheerful young twelve year old, into a white-faced, red-eyed, green vomit-spewing creature of hell. It’s a terrifying possession, and even now, nothing can prepare you for the first time you witness the profanities and masochistic sexual perversions of the demon in the child’s body. Friedkin’s line-of-sight direction pulls you right into the scene alongside the characters and the understated music score renders the whole experience creepier than a midnight stroll through a misty cemetery. don't stop: more lurks this way... ---------------------------> lounge . nourish . host . laze . home . |
