Taking Sides: William Friedkin's "The Exorcist" vs. Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining"

and, if so, we're arguing a point against itself. Both films seem to be about a kind of possession, no? To me though, the type of possession(if you want to call it that) that makes a man want to kill his family for no reason
(and this is something that has actually happened in my family IRL, not to be a downer here, but my great-aunt and cousin were murdered four years ago by another relative who was talking to thin air (ghosts? imaginary friends? Who knows?) and suddenly snapped and stabbed them both and then according to witnesses proceeded to tell the thin air "There! I've finally done it!", no joke, he's currently in a mental institution.)
is much more common than this literal "she's possessed by the devil, better call a priest" type thing. It's closer to home for most people, I'd say. That's kind of what I'm driving at.

Then again.. that exorcism was supposedly based on a real event...

but now you've made me feel bad for arguing.

The Exorcist is just silly. As I mentioned, unless you really, honestly believe the devil can lie strapped to a bed with holy water keeping it down then the film is farce.

But it's not the devil, C-man, it's a litle girl possessed by the devil.

Also, Kim Cattrall from Sex in the City. She was in PA.

The Mt. Rainier possession case sounds more like a classic "poltergeist" (supernatural manisfestations usually surrounding an adolescent) case than a "posession".

But these things don't exist....or do they? MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

-- Alex in NYC (vassife...), July 17th, 2004.

Is it ever proven to be the devil though? For all we know it could be just a random evil spirit. Maybe throwing up and making Linda balir curse is his way of saying "Howdy".

The Omen and Rosemary's Baby. The former just seemed like a cheap cash-in after the success of the Exorcist, whereas Rosemary's Baby (which predated the Exorcist) never seemed to deliver the goods. It was creepy, but more about a wacky conspiracy than anything else. Also, you never get to see the child.

I always thought the Omen was overrated. I remember my dad said that movie actually scared him, probably because he's a pretty devout Catholic. An antichrist taking over the world is something that is conceivable in his worldview I guess.

Especially at the end: all those people yelling "Hail Satan!" is classic.

"He has his father's eyes".

I'm not knocking Rosemary's Baby, but I just didn't find it as compelling (although it's a stressful ride). I don't mind certain films not "paying up" with the visuals (I think Blair Witch Project scores highest there), but it in Rosemary's Baby, just a glimpse might've been nice.

TS: Blatty's "The Exorcist" VS King's "The Shining"

"The Exorcist," however, I'd love to read. I haven't, of course, but some day.....

Rosemary's Baby is also bollocks. The Omen is the better of the three. It has nice cinematography and a couple of pretty strong shocks.

I don't HATE The Excorcist by the way - even in spite of itself it has some genuinelly good scares in there. The Shining on the other hand is a bore. So in answer to the question, Friedkin's film wins.

The Exorcist is still scarier. Some would argue that it's not so much the holy water that burns the devil as much as it is the faith behind the holy water.

Anyhow. I'm still voting for the Democratic ticket this year despite the alarming similarities behind this:

http://www.ibiblio.org/samneill/pictures/omen3/s-office.jpg http://www.insideedition.com/images/investigative_images/j-edwards.jpg

By which you mean the elevator scene.

Anyway, I find The Shining to be the more terrifying of the two. Because if the events in The Shining really happened it would mean that ghosts exist and they might kill you, and there's really nothing you can do about it. And you might become a ghost too, which doesn't seem fun. Whereas with The Exorcist witnessing the devil possess somebody means God certainly exists, in which case why fear ghosts and/or death?

In other words, while both would involve a catastrophic shift in worldview, The Shining just adds to the horror of death while The Exorcist confirms good and evil as forces external to humanity which gives you a plan of action... be good and God will look after you.

Shouldn't you be composing a thread about Wendy James' undercarriage by this point instead of showcasing your low standards?

This makes the movie for me. Especially the two dogs fighting under the Pazuzu statue. Isn't the new Exorcist film that Renny Harlin directed supposed to about young Father Merrin?

Or have you perhaps not even seen the thing?

My comment was more a flippant aside about your input to ILX as a whole, not about "Zombie Flesh Eaters" (which, though a classic it may indeed be, has a title that would suggest otherwise).

Seeing Zombie Flesh-Eaters doesn't make me feel more superior at all, but your dismissal of a film because of its title (is it really any more garish than - say - "Night of the Living Dead" or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"?) is rather ridiculous. Especially since you were attempting to place two films above it based on this alone.

Indeed, Zombie Flesh Eaters is the most anticipated DVD release of the year for horror fans. It's coming out in a two disc set which has been years in the making. You should pick up - the American title is just Zombie.

As far as "Day of the Dead" goes, I'm sorry to say that I simply didn't find it that compelling. Moreover, I don't place the opinions of "horror fans" (i.e. those who read "Fangoria" et al.) on an especially high pedestal.

That all said, your description of "Zombie" and/or "Zombie Flesh Eaters" does sound promising, and I do promise to check it out at some point. I think the basis for my initial comment (the one about you composing a thread about Wendy James' undercarriage) has more to do with your tirelessly negative comments. Fine. We get it. You don't like either "The Exorcist" or "the Shining". What more needs be said, then?

From The Kubrick Site ( http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/ ):

http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/0052.html

http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/0021.html

The original, famously banned 1973 trailer for The Exorcist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u15h02Y0MDY

Still one of the scariest things ever.