Funny Scary movies 08/07/06

You know when you get so bored you think only a really scary horror film will give you a jump start. That's the mentality that went behind me deciding to lock myself in a darkened room and watch "The Exorcist(The Version You've Never Seen)" alone. Unfortunately I was laughing out loud at the fact these 70s era doctors repeatedly prescribed ritalin for the demon girl. Now that was understandable in the first few bits, but when she's scarred and moving objects across the room COME ON! Ritalin ain't gonna help Dr. Dumbass. That's where The Exorcist fell short. But it did have some scary moments added in and not in the original. Most of those moments were the subliminal flashes of a white demon face. See, the thing about the girl is that after a while we get to see her so much that the mystery is gone and therefore the scariness(not to mention a turn of the millenium audience finds some of the over-the-top special effects humorous), but the white demon face is only there for quick flashes giving it mystery and a great sense of eeriness. While it wasn't quite enough to give me a scare, however, the movie actually worked great as a drama. The reason being is that I actually gave a damn about the characters involved. Most scary movies involve some Ken/Barbie teenage couple that you know what, I'm glad Krueger killed 'em. Little bastards deserved it for subjecting me to that horrible 80s soundtrack they made out to. Not this time. This time, I hated the demon for what it did to the characters. Reagan, the possesed girl is very sweet. Her mother maybe not so much but damn is her mother fearless. I hate it when I'm called sexist for not agreeing that Elektra(Daredevil) has a strong personality and that no, she COULDN'T do that in heels or at all. Reagan's mother is the definition of a strong woman, going to all ends to help her daughter including visiting her demon self. Father Merrin is kind of the Gandalf of the movie if you will. He's got experience and he's got the whole cool old guy vibe. Now, we get to my very favorite character. Father Karras is a former boxer, now priest and pschyciatrist who is beggining to lose his faith after his mother's death. Later on he has to confront all his worst fears and gain faith again while facing the demon. I love the kind of priest that could kick your ass. Over all, how effective this is as a horror film depends on whether you find it shocking or funny how over the top it is. Or, you may find it scary if you believe the diary kept during the actual exorcism of the 14 year old boy this movie was based on. Those diary pages describe all the objects flying around the room and markings on the boy's body etc. but a lot of it may be explained through mental illness. Not to mention the fact The washington Post printed the wrong adress of the exorcism's happenings(it was Cottage City not a now empty lot). But if you want to believe in the Catholic church's 3 accounts of exorcism actually given credence to(hundreds upon hundreds of cases are dismissed as mental illness) then the movie gets some real life scare points. The movie is a very strong R and in the most disturbing scene we see the girl stabbing her genitals with a crucifix repeating "Let Jesus Fuck You!" The movie is very dependent on shock value for its scares. But, as much as I may not have been scared to death, I finally got to see a horror movie in which I really cared about the people involved. A classic and worth a look regardless of over the topness. Blogger's Note: If you want the better ending see the 1973 original. Trust me, there was absolutely no reason for the added jibberish at the end of "Version You've Never Seen" 4/5 Now I need to watch The Shining and It.