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Of the few truly iconic horror films, The Exorcist stands tall, partly for being unique enough as to not inspire as many follow-ups and rip-offs as, say, Halloween or Friday The 13th. Yes, The Exorcist had its share of sequels (and a dual sequel, to boot), but with the exception of a movie like Stigmata (which you remember, right? Come on, Patricia Arquette! Gabriel Byrne!), there aren't that many Exorcist would-be posers out there. Who knows exactly what it is about this 1973 classic that manages to make it both the so-called "scariest film of all time" and one so popular to unite generations; what I can say from my first viewing of the film is that it's possibly the slickest, most ridiculous horror movie I've ever seen.

Do not, by the way, take any of that as an insult to The Exorcist. I know, people get freaked out by the movie, and the image of poor young Linda Blair speaking with the Devil's voice is admittedly quite creepy. However, this is also a movie where a girl named Regan, while possessed by Satan, jabs a cross into her nether regions while shouting about letting a certain well-known religious figure...have its way with her mother. Yeah, I've diluted that line to its bare minimum, but even though I'm not a very religious person, I have a hard time even considering typing that phrase. When I watched the movie, I had to laugh, partly out of shock. For such a mainstream film, the adaptation of William Peter Blatty's novel likes to push buttons.

The plot, as you well know, is simple: a 12-year-old girl named Regan gets possessed by the spirit of a demon named Pazuzu, but by all other names, Regan got possessed by the Devil. It's up to two priests to exorcise the demon from her body before she gets killed and her mother loses what's left of her fragile mind. Aside from the stylish, well-paced direction from William Friedkin and the sterling, you-are-there cinematography by Owen Roizman, the best parts of The Exorcist are the quirky supporting performances. The shining stars here aren't Linda Blair or even Ellen Burstyn, as Regan's mom, an actress filming a role near Georgetown University. No, the best performers here are Jason Miller and Lee J. Cobb, as Father Karras and Lt. Kinderman, respectively.

I know what you're thinking: a movie like The Exorcist isn't about the performances. Still, I want to heap a bit of praise on Miller and Cobb, who decided to go the route of naturalism for their roles. Miller, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, is the heart and soul of the film, a conflicted man of the cloth who constantly questions himself for the way he's treated his elderly mother in her dying days. Once she passes away, his guilt becomes so heavy, you can almost see it weighing him down in the latter half of the film. Though his final act of sacrifice is almost ruined by the slightly cheesy special effects involved, Karras is a character you root for and sympathize with, even if you've never donned the garb of a priest.

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