thu 09/05/2024

The True Story: The Exorcist, 5 | reviews, news & interviews

The True Story: The Exorcist, 5

The True Story: The Exorcist, 5

Adam Sweeting reviews a TV documentary on scientific theories about the Exorcist

The Exorcist revisited - was it a case of demonic possession or a neurological disorder?

The recent low-budget hit Paranormal Activity has been laughably hailed by delusional critics as “the most frightening movie ever made”, but it barely scrapes the foothills of the hair-raising ghastliness depicted in The Exorcist. William Friedkin’s demonic-possession shocker was released in 1973, but even today you wouldn’t want to watch it without keeping a large brandy and the off switch within easy reach. This documentary in 5's series The True Story, which tries to find rational explanations for movies, sought to explore the real-life story that the movie, and prior to that William Peter Blatty's novel, was based on.

The recent low-budget hit Paranormal Activity has been laughably hailed by delusional critics as “the most frightening movie ever made”, but it barely scrapes the foothills of the hair-raising ghastliness depicted in The Exorcist. William Friedkin’s demonic-possession shocker was released in 1973, but even today you wouldn’t want to watch it without keeping a large brandy and the off switch within easy reach. This documentary in 5's series The True Story, which tries to find rational explanations for movies, sought to explore the real-life story that the movie, and prior to that William Peter Blatty's novel, was based on.

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