In 1973, the film adaption of William Peter Blatty's novel, The Exorcist, was released upon an unsuspecting audience. The macabre story deals with a young girl named Reagan, who is possessed by the demon Pazuzu. Father Karras and Father Merrin were then called in to perform an exorcism on the poor child. These scenes of exorcism depict horrid and perverse acts that no one would suspect to be released to the general public. Many people are dumbfounded by the fact that it was given an R rating rather than X.

When the film was released, it caused a massive uproar. Theaters were providing Exorcist Throw Up Bags upon entry. Ambulances would be waiting outside incase someone passed out or became ill. People were even making death threats against the actress that portrayed Reagan, so she was provided body guard service for up to six months prior to the debut. Viewers would be frantically smoking as they hesitated to continue looking at the screen. The general public in 1973 was considerably more sensitive than most people today, so a movie that displayed a demon-possessed girl vomiting on a priest was sure to cause an uproar.

However, the movie was not a poorly assembled piece of garbage with the sole intention of causing trouble. Critics highly praised the spectacle, with some even saying that it was the scariest film they had ever seen. It received reviews ranging from "pure cinematic terror" to "occultist claptrap." In the year that it was released, it was given ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Art Direction. However, it walked away with only two awards, Best Sound and Best Writing Adapted Screenplay. By 1974, the film had taken in over sixty-six million dollars from its theatrical release, making it the second most popular movie of that year. Today, it is common place to see The Exorcist in the top ten sections of several 100 Scariest Movie lists. It has become a staple in the realm of horror films, and is no less than a classic.

As with every successful horror film, The Exorcist inspired a mass of sub-par sequels, prequels, and knock-offs. Virtually all of these films were greatly overshadowed by the original in terms of profit and credibility. Even thirty years later, people are still trying to cash in on the original's fame by releasing alleged remakes, revisions, and other films of that nature. While some of these films may even taint the reputation of the original, it is quite respectable that so many people are interested in seeing more of the series after all of these years. Still today, people cringe at petrifying and twisted scenes in the masterful film. It has rightfully worked its way into the hearts of avid horror film lovers, and will continue to do so.