The Exorcist is good only when spooky things are happening

The Exorcist was supposedly one of the scariest movies of its time. I don't really see what was so scary about it. I thought it had a good plot, a good actress, and an eerie feeling to it. However, when something not-so-spooky was going on, the movie is kind of boring. The movie is at its best when something horrible is happening to the little girl.

I don't remember the movie very well because it wasn't that memorable. I will tell you the parts I do remember though. The movie begins with a family, a mother and a young daughter. The young daughter finds a ouija board and shows her mom. The mother is a little weary but thinks it is just a game. The girl knows otherwise and soon, the mysterious evil spirit that controls the ouija board, takes over her.

The best parts of the movie are yet to come. The girl, now possessed, walks into a party full of people and has an accident on the floor. The mother blames it on a disease. Actually, it is a disease. The thing that makes this movie good is the little girl. It looks like she has been put through an ordeal for this movie and it works. One of my favorite parts is where the girl is being thrown around on her bed. Another scene I liked was when the bed is lifted on the ground and wobbles back and forth. It is a cool special effect. However, the exorcism is the best moment of the entire movie. I would tell you the ending of the movie, but I don't want to spoil the surprise.

The performances are good, especially the little girl's, played by Linda Blair. The movie likes to thrill us with special effects, like when the girls head turns around, but the performances top it off. Unfortunately, the movie could have been better if it had told us more about the spirit. After the movie was over, I was still asking myself questions about it. That might have been the direction of the director, but I think it would have been better if he had answered some of the questions I had.

The Exorcist is rated R and it is appropriate. I was reading a review by Roger Ebert, who gave this movie 4 stars, and he says that it should have gotten an X rating. Since he must have reviewed that back when it came out in 1973, it probably was like that. Now, in 1996, the movie is almost a light R rating, but it still has a shock value and some harsh language, even said by the little girl. Still, the movie will entertain you when using special effects, but when it's not, it loses its excitement and horror.