THE EXORCIST BROKE ME (First Time Watching - Horror Movie Reaction) 

50 years old and probably the most impactful horror movie in history. 💜💙🖤

Nominated for 10 Oscars including Best Picture but won for Best Sound Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay. RIP, William Friedkin, 1935-2023.

The acting is so natural, as you mentioned. A lot of the 1970s movies that hold up today have such great, realistic performances and dialogue. The scenes between mother and daughter at the beginning were so sweet, which makes everything that happens even more tragic. Highly recommend Exorcist III as well, it's really underrated. People hated part 2, understandable, but that meant that part 3 got skipped over too. It's great and weird

Your reaction when Father Karras sacrificed himself by jumping out the window to save a little girl he never really met was my exact reaction when I first saw it. I too wanted “to cry”.

This film means so so much to the horror genre it’s insane . From being the highest grossing movie ever made (at that time) to being the first horror film ever nominated for best picture at oscars . From being considered a “cursed film” due to deaths involved far too many to consider coincidences to being a film causing a major bunch of people to faint and even some miscarriages. It still is one of the highest grossing horror movies ever made and one of the greatest films in history of cinema . Also RIP to WILLIAM FRIEDKIN the director he died a month ago , he was one of my favourite filmmaker . I would recommend his film SORCERER if anybody wants to check him out .

MIKE LAWZ: Every young reactor misses several things in The Exorcist because of their (your) youth. When this movie was released in 1973, the tiny white pills Father Merrin was taking in the first & last scenes were nitroglycerin that doctors commonly gave their heart patients in tiny metal containers to put under their tongues when they had chest pains. The movie was telling us that Father Merrin had a serious heart condition the demon would later exploit to cause him to have a fatal heart attack. Back then, before this movie and its terrible sequels came out, hardly anybody knew anything or thought about, much less believed in, demonic possession, which made this movie far more frightening for us 1973 audiences than younger people can comprehend.

It’s a minor detail but at the end when the priest jumps out the window and the mother comes back in the room she holds back a long time before she goes to her daughter. She’s literally still too afraid to go near her until she’s sure her daughter is back.

Couple fun facts 1. The older priest was in his 40s. They made him look older with makeup and prosthetics 2. The demon possessing Reagan is voiced by a woman 3. One of the men working on the film (I can’t remember which one) was apparently arrested 7 years after this movie premiered for being a serial killer 4. In order to get the most genuine reactions possible, the director apparently jumpscared the actors by firing guns 5. The actress playing the mother complained about being yanked too hard on the wires and harnesses. The director lied to her and told her he would have them tone it down. In actuality, he ordered them to yank her harder. Hence why her screams of pain are so real 6. At the end of the movie, when the priest is crying over Father Karrass, he was having trouble with making his crying look genuine enough. As a result, the director slapped him as hard as he could, pushed him into frame and yelled “action” 7. The white face that flashes onscreen is originally just a shot from a makeup test 8. The green vomit was just pea soup 9. The opening scene what *actual* Iraq that the director got permission to film in 10. The demon is named Pazuzu

Almost 50 years after being released, "The Exorcist" to this day still remains the measuring stick to which all other horror films are compared. That is legendary.

Father Karras was a true brave hero to tell the demon to come into him, to take him. I think he sacrificed himself for Regan because he felt done with his life. Such a psychological horror film! I live near Georgetown and I walked up the famous steps Karras fell down. They are extremely steep!

58 years old and remember the tv commercials for the movie. It scared the hell out of me, until my older brothers and sisters all went to see it opening night . When they came come from the late night movie they wanted to all sleep together in the living room . I remember them telling our parents about the movie. I probably slept 2 hrs in three months

The fact that the demon's voice is actress Mercedes McCambridge - genius

This movie just goes so so hard. The practical effects plus the sudden bursts of violence in an otherwise quiet film really mimic the cycle of abuse. I feel like I have been in a fight after watching it.

I'm 50 and have been watching this since I was little. It took me until a few reactions ago to realize that when she spun her head around and said do you know what she did, that it was in Burke's voice and he was ratting her out. I can't believe it took so many decades to realize that. I just always took it as the demon voice, not Burkes.

Subscribed. Love your reaction. You really invested yourself in the film. Your thoughts afterwards rings true. “Brilliant”. The Exorcist is so much more than just a horror film. The Exorcist was not only a horror film but rather a film that depicted horrific events. It's horror/drama that is serious, relentless, and powerful. It's about doubt, faith, guilt, sacrifice, desperation, love, redemption, heartbreaking loss and science versus the human condition. A mother who has no religious beliefs, desperately seeks help from a guilt ridden priest who has lost his faith. The movie won the Oscar for best screenplay for good reasons.

I was reading the novel of this 20 years ago after I had already seen the movie plenty, but my dog came and scratched on my closed door when the noises in the attic were heard in that part of the book. It freaked me out for a second.

It's such an incredible film. I've watched it so many times, and it gets under my skin every single time. I've read the book twice, so terrifying!!

My mom said she saw this in theaters when she was a teenager and it was the only horror movie that actually scared her. This reaction was great. Can't wait for more reactions for the spooky season! 🎃👻☠️

This reaction is gold, and i literally watched this yesterday! ❤️

The demon stuff is terrifying but the idea of something being wrong with you/your kid and EIGHTY EIGHT doctors cant figure it out... That's real life scary shit. And then also her demon face and voice are terrifying too obviously 😂

Was this really your first time seeing this cursed pea soup classic? What an excellent day for a reaction! It's darn near impossible not to have a visceral reaction to this landmark film. Whenever I watch it, I am always moved by its intensity and the lived in characters. In college, my friends & I would randomly quote the iconic movie lines to each other, in the midst of other conversation, to hilarious effect.

Absolutely a masterpiece! Man watching this at 13 for my first horror movie man nothing else compares to this one! So glad you got it and enjoyed it so much!

Your little scream when her head turned around got me. Hahaha

Saw this with my brother last week. It is a slow movie but the atmosphere and creepiness of it makes this movie ahead of this time. Better than most possessions movies. Great video dude. Hope you have a good day Mike

Such a classic horror film that still low key frightens me a little today in adulthood 😂 this movie really messed me up mentally as a child! Now this shit is more funnier than scary to me... 😂😂 Great reaction and commentary brother your face expressions and banter get me everytime lol this movie is so gold, & so is your channel homie. ❤

When mom goes to inspect the attic: "No way mom is this brave at 2 in the morning." 😂💀

This was a fantastic movie! I was just blown away at the ending, didn't expect to see someone thrown out a window. Kind of makes me scared when I go ghost hunting though. 😬

the director´s cut is even better. that stairs scene...

Great reaction, That little scream you let out when she twisted her head round was hilarious 🤣

At the filming set, when you said "Who is this guy?" (talkiing to Burke). That's William Blatty. The author of The Exorcist. Fun facts.. :)

One of the best horror movies ever made this and Alfred Hitchcocks The Birds. The actress who plays Regan she's so good.

stopppppp. you had me dying the entire time ☠️. no business being that hilarious during the exorcist. subbed 🖤

After 50 years, The Exorcist is still the most shocking horror movie ever made

I walked down those stairs in Georgetown...it was weird. My favorite horror movie of all time still.

When she turns her head and speaks as Denning, “Do you know what she did? Your c**ting daughter?” I think there’s another line after that like something really horrible that could have been cut. Because the mother screams in the most blood curdling way after that.

I saw this movie when i was a kid, 9 or 10, terrified me for years, still does to a certain degree

"I fuhgawt ha had dat, his Adderall!" BWAAHAAA!😂 That killed me dude..too fucking rad! 😆

13:40 Shocking would be an understatement! Everything about this film gets better & better with time 😨😳💯🎬🍿

what of the best commentary i've watched of my favorite movie. You were so engaged in the story and so appreciative of everything. Makes me want to watch more of your commentaries man. Very good job.

I must have watched this movie 20 times and every time i watched it i always had the same scared reaction. Def one of the best horror films ever !

what you need is a super soaker full of holy water for some long-distance attacks. i haven’t watched this movie since middle school but now i need to watch it again. i personally like the omen (ive only seen the first one) better but this movie is obviously so iconic. great video, mike!

The doctor talkin to mom with the cigarette in his hand cracks me up😂 Im an RN and remember a time when we could smoke on the floor in a breakroom. Now u cant smoke within a mile of the hospital lol. We had a lung specialist who would smoke right at the nurses desk. The head nurse used to chew his ass everytime. Hed chart with a cig hanging out of his mouth. Back then all the nurses smoked and a lot of the Docs. Our break room looked and smelled like a pool hall😂

Whenever I watch The Exorcist or see clips of it after it’s over I feel completely drained. Emotionally, mentally and even physically. It affects me so deeply that most of the time I’m just rendered speechless and it’s extremely rare for a horror movie to do that to me. The praise that this film gets is well deserved. The acting, the writing, the directing the overall story It’s just perfect. The film is a masterpiece and it’s a movie that you don’t really watch but you experience. That is the best way to describe this film it’s an experience.

I remember watching this at uni back in 2000. It had recently been unbanned over here in the U.K. and the hype over it was huge. I don’t think it’s that scary but the doctors tests they put Regan through was very traumatic and I’m sure the language coming out of a child 50 years ago would’ve been super disturbing. Great film, well acted by everyone in film, a tense, chilling atmosphere throughout. One of the best horror films ever made. Jealous you got to experience it for the first time

Just discovered you, very genuine reaction and smart perceptions! Im a big fan of the movie, it really scarred me when i was a kid… but something came to mind very recently. The head spinning thing always got me, like, she couldn’t survive that. My thoughts on this are that the head turning doesn’t necessarily happened… it could be some thing to provoke horror on the priests just to destabilize them. Like when Karras sees his mother on the bed.. just a illusion…

Ok, I’ll give you my subscription. Apart from one or two (actually pretty innocent and non-invasive) quips, you didn’t take the piss out of the film but - impressively - respected it with a serious, thoughtful and intelligent analysis. Good one. Glad you enjoyed it and respected how skilfully it was put together. I’m also glad you didn’t watch the so-called ‘director’s cut’ that includes the deleted so-called ‘spider walk’ scene… a totally unnecessary inclusion that - regardless of many people liking its inclusion - serves no real purpose in enhancing the film but, in my opinion, pushes it to just over the limit of an otherwise perfect movie.

Bro That was the best reaction I've ever seen to this movie You paid attention and caught things that so many other reactors don't catch like The demon calling Marins name before he even showed up and that Marin was a total badass and he knew exactly what time it was because he had fought this demon before. Great reaction dude!

One of the doctors in the hospital scene was an actual serial killer at the time this film was made.

I saw this movie in the 70's at 13 and seeing the 50th anniversary re-release was awesome. I can now appreciate the cinematography that went into this movie and the amazing acting and non cgi special effects.

I've watched the exorcist 1973 years ago and I still haven't forgotten it. It's the number one horror movie of the century. Highly recommend this movie if you want to see how scary this is. It's brilliant . To anyone who hasn't seen it, make sure you carry a second pair of knickers, you will wet yourself or shit your pants. Pardon my foul language

I saw this when I was six in 1988. Now I wasn't aloud to see it, we had it on vhs that was kept high up on our bookshelf in the living room . But my mother was part of a gossip group in the 80's which most of the time meant she was on the phone for hours gossiping with women from the neighborhood or work but sometimes she'd go over to the neighbor for an hour or two leaving me alone for that time (it was a different time, lol) I had been told to never ever touch that tape so obviously it was the first thing to watch as soon as a possibility opened. The trauma I experienced that evening is something I will carry to the day I die. I slept with lights on for a year and still to this day while in my forties, I get sweaty with a nice little panic attack from just hearing the noises from Pazuzu. Another great reaction even if I had to skip some of it🤣

I love horror & sci fi films because of my mom. I dont know how she knew I could handle them but I was kindergarten & she took me to see ITS ALIVE. She never let me watch Jaws or The Exorcist, I waited until I was 10 to see them. I wish I would've see them on a big screen but they are 2 of my favorites! Maybe bcuz I was not allowed? My mom died 2005 & every movie that I watch now, I always imagine her watching w/me. Oct 14 2005. Thank you for watching it TheMikeLaws! It still holds up in 2023

Definitely add “Talk to Me” on your react list. New film that came out this year and it’s available to watch right now

This is the first time in my life I've laughed at this movie. I've always been terrified of it but your reactions are priceless. LOL

Im a HUGE Exorcist Fan.... I really enjoyed watching this guy watch it.... The BEST horror movie of all time. Its still relevant for anyone who hasn't seen it... Scarred me as a kid and now its my favorite. Have tons of high end Exorcist merch... Good job Mike.... Enjoyed this

I was 7 and my brother was 11 and we BEGGED dad to take us. So in a spooky 42nd street theatre that was built in the 1800,s and shown in 8mm it was absolutely surreal. We all loved horror movies so we thought this would just be another one. We were pretty mature but this stuck with us. Lol The texas chainsaw massacre scared me more because it was one of the first of its kind. But the exorcist will always reign supreme in effects, storyline, and execution because it was all done by human imagination and not CGI or greenscreen. Im still a huge fan of horror but this movie is my #1. I cant believe its been 50 years. But i do enjoy watching and hearing younger generations reactions to seeing it for the first time.

I mean wow watching this back when it came out must of been just horrifying beyond belief 😳😬 was honestly first of its kind! Can’t imagine the scarring on its audience it left behind when it first premiered!

This is the only movie I almost walked out of, and I only saw it in theaters during its rerelease. Absolutely terrifying.

You watched the original theatrical version. I saw it several months after it was first released. I was going thru boot camp at the time & never knew of it's existence. A fellow Marine found out & dragged me to see it. He wouldn't tell me anything about it other than it was kind of a scary movie. it left me completely traumatized.. The lack of any musical score did it for me.I sure got my money's worth.Scariest movie I'VE EVER SEEN

13:30 that was an actual injury caught on camera. The wire that was holding Ellen Burstyn was supposed to make her fly across the room and land safely on the ground. However the wire behind the wall behind her broke and she literally fell on the floor with a permanent injury

When mom was thrown against the dresser, she actually got hurt so the reaction is genuine

This movie and the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre will always remain as my two favorite and scariest movies I've ever seen. Absolutely love this masterpiece.

I saw it in like 2000 they did a 20 year anniversary for the first time in the theaters. To this day this is the scariest movie ive seen

Still, 50 years later, it's the best "horror" movie ever made.

I love watching you young people discover this movie. It’s so fun to see you freaking out when I know it’s only going to get worse 😂

Max von Sydow, Father Merrin, was only 43 when he was in this. The make up and visual effects departments aged him up so well that they weren’t far off from how he actually looked when he was older.

1. I was 13 when I saw this in the theater with friends. What rating system they had at the time wasn't really followed that closely. By word of mouth, I was aware of the head spinning, vomiting and language but what freaked me the most were the demon flashes.😱 2. When the doctor is looking at Regan's skull x-ray and says, "Nothing in there" I always 🤣 3. The spider-walk down the stairs was NOT in the original release. 4. The loud banging with the medical equipment is for our benefit. 5. Father Merrin and the demon/Pazuzu had a previous encounter where he almost killed the father. Merin doesn't acknowledge the receipt of the note and tells Karras there's no need for analysis. 6. Chris MacNeil/Ellen Burstyn actually broke her coccyx when the demon makes her hard fall. 7. The demon doesn't kill Merrin. From the beginning we know he has a heart problem most likely brought on by the previous encounter. 8. Karras doesn't kill the demon. He does manage to draw it out of her and sacrificed himself for her. 9 Karras is confessing and asking for forgiveness for his loss of faith. 10. RIP Willian Freidkin😇

First time watching one of your vids and I gotta say, your reactions were hilarious. I've seen The Exorcist multiple times so the scary doesn't really phase me anymore but I love watching newbies react, it's always amusing. On another note, I had to laugh at how your New England (Boston?) accent slowly revealed itself as the video moved forward.

I'm so glad that even today people watching this for the first time still get shocked from this movie! =)

The little girl actually did hurt her spine when she's flipping on the bed. Basically, the contraption that makes her flip back and forth on the bed well the contraption got loose and wat u see was the result. So in actuality, she was Never supposed to flip that hard cause in the end she did hurt her spine. The director didn't even let her go to the hospital. It's on 'Cursed Films' its on shudder and the actress who was the little girl even says the same thing. After filming she went back to school and everybody thought she literally was the devil she went through hell but now shes a animal rescuer so glad shes better after all this some things she wont even talk about but at least shes living a good life 😊. And the actress who plays the mom when the girl slapped her they also had a contraption attached to the girls arm. So the director told one of the staff members to pull the contraption back even further to give the slap more power and when she slapped the mom the actress actually hit the back of her head hard so that impact and her crying was all real. Watch 'Cursed Films' on shudder, and they explain everything that happened on set when making this film. Film was still amazing and scared the hell out me, but hearing how much of an ass the director was like dude take better care of ur cast members.

My favorite part of the reaction is @ 13:41! 😂

You shouldn't be bummed out. Karras sacrifices his life to save Regan.

The Exorcist 3 is DEFINITELY worth a watch . One of my all time favorites

You had the same reactions we all did. I saw this movie in Hollywood when it originally came out, absolutely frightening. 👍👍👍

Aw man! Your reaction cracked me the hell up!!! Thanks for sharing brother!

This is the best reaction ever! 🤣 Glad you liked the film. In my opinion one of the films with best direction, acting, camera work, writing and editing. It is so difficult for us to explain the effect this film had in people at a time the world was more naive, movies didn’t push it as far as they do now and without the references everybody now has about the movie and about the hundreds of movies The Exorcist inspired. Imagine you had 0 references and this was the first film ever you watched. The terror that room caused and the fear of being possessed by something that controlled you against your will were such a shock.

I love that you are young, but you MOSTLY get it. Your understanding of this movie is refreshing. You should check out THE OMEN, PSYCHO, CARRIE and THE SHINING, if you haven't already. I believe the older movies capture the real essence of what horror should be. It's not necessarily about killing and some unrealistic boogeyman. Good versus evil, possession, etc. are the things that truly horrify me. New subbie!!

My late mother went to see The Exorcist in 74 or 75 with a girl friend. Just the two of them. They were freaked out by the movie, and kept talking to each other on the way to drop of the friend... and then my mom was alone in the old Ford Capri on the dark back streets of Johannesburg. Now that there was no nervous chatter to distract her, my mom heard same noise the possessed girls neck made as it swiveled around, coming from behind her... The rear seat of the Capri was broken, which mafe the sound. My mother figured this out soon enough, but was also busy making that V6 engine growl as she fled home in record time. My dad was really angry with his wife when he found out how scared that movie had made my mom, but when she described the seat noise, dad couldn't help smiling... about 2 weeks later dad sold the Capri for a Ford Grenada. That's love for you. I missed the 8 Track from the Capri, though.

The best reaction. As weird as it sounds, I really enjoyed watching you watch this. Wish I could see The Exorcist for the first time again.

For some reason, the line that sticks with me most is, "What an excellent day for an exorcism." It's sounds so amused. Then it gives away it's plan. "It'll bring us together." "You and Regan?" "You and us."

My mom and her sister took us kids and cousins to the drive in movie theater to see this movie. We were like 11 and 12 and 13. We were terrified! This is the movie that cemented my love of horror films. There's a new Exorcist movie coming out soon. I'm curious to watch it as well. I just recently watched this with my 13 year old granddaughter and she loved this movie. I enjoy your reaction and commentary. New sub.

A time before slasher movies, before possession movies, and coming out of an era of Dracula, Frankenstein & other monster horror, I can only imagine what seeing this in 1973 was like. My sister was born that year and my mom & dad saw this in the theater. After, my mom was actually scared of the noises my sister would make at night, in the dark. I think it scarred her a bit.

There are several rally hood documentaries on this movie. The best covers the hysteria and popularity of this movie back when it was released in theatres. People leaving in ambulances or leaving in the middle of the movie

I appreciate your respect for this movie. Great comparison between boxing rounds and the exorcism.

Can we just acknowledge Mercedes mccambridge for her amazing talent she put herself through so much. God rest her soul

I've seen this movie so many times. You gotta check out The Exorcist 3 now. The Tv Series was also pretty good.

The fact is, Damien Karras sacrificed his life for Regan, whom he only knew as a demon. That's really sad, but beautiful at the same time. I love this movie.

I don't know if this came up anywhere in previous comments, but Father Merrin is not taking Adderal - he's taking nitroglycerin for his heart. Hope you enjoyed the film - it's my favorite "horror" movie and in my top four favorite films ever.

Great reaction my friend. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I`ll never forget when this film was released in the UK in 1974, the reaction it created was indescribable.

Your reaction to the Ouija board made me laugh so hard cause I knew you were in for a treat!

16:02 Ellen Burstyn truly deserved an Oscar for this

Holy shit this video didn't start off with 5 minutes of "hey guys I'm gonna tell you everything you already know" Thank you!

The great Swedish actor Max von Sydow (Father Mirren) was only 42 years old. The incredible makeup by legendary Dick Smith should have won an Oscar.

The medical procedure that freaked you (and everyone else) out so much is what a brain scan used to be before we had CT or MRI machines. The patient receives an injection of dye in the carotid artery, which leads to the brain. Then a series of x-rays are taken, and the dye shows up as a lighter color on the image. Then the radiologist can read it to see if there are malformed blood vessels in the brain, which would be an indicator of injury or disease.

I saw it in the opening week. Was just old enough to watch it. The audience reaction was unbelievable, we were really scared. You have to keep in mind that this was the first one of all the countless exorcism movies that would follow . It still works though I'm not scared anymore of a movie demon. When you're old enough you've met some in real life 🤣.

NO WATERMARK on this video for my patrons ➡ www.patreon.com/themikelawz

Definitely, the best horror movie in history. A true masterpiece of the genre.

Another little tidbit, the younger priest, near the very end, father Dyer, was actually played by Reverend William O’Malley SJ, an actual Jesuit priest, who was originally signed onto the project as a consultant, and was given a bit part in the movie. Until very recently, father O’Malley was an instructor at the Catholic Fordham Preparatory school in the Bronx.

To answer your question about what procedure they were performing when they stuck a needle into her neck, is called an ANGIOGRAM. The purpose of an angiogram is to shoot dye into the brain then Xray the subject at the same time to observe all of her arteries in her brain. I went through the same procedure except they do not stick the needle into your neck. They stick the needle into a vein in your pelvic region or near your groin.

Interesting facts about The Exorcist (1973) The hospital scenes where Regan gets an electroencephalography were filmed at an actual hospital and the actors were actual medical staff who worked there. (2) The archaeological site at the beginning of the film is the ancient city of Hatra near Mosul, Iraq. Friedkin had to negotiate with the Iraqi government in order to film. The ruins were preserved for centuries by various Islamic regimes and in 1985 were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (3) The substance used in the famous projectile vomit scene was actually Andersen's pea soup, mixed with a bit of oatmeal. Yum. Jason Miller's (the actor who played Father Damien Karras) disgusted reaction in the scene was authentic-Friedkin had told him it would only hit his chest.