Scratch "The Exorcist" off my Saturn Awards list

A couple of weeks ago in this space, I announced my plans to watch all of the movies that have received the Saturn Award for Best Horror Movie, in order, since the award was first given in 1972.
I made progress toward that end last night when I watched “The Exorcist,” which won the award in 1973.
Like most of you, I’d seen this movie a handful of times before, but I couldn’t be sure that I’d actually seen the theatrical release. Thanks to NetFlix, I no longer have a doubt. (I actually watched the restored version of the movie, which is sort of a director’s cut. And, for the record, I watched the movie late at night, alone and in a well-light room, armed only with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon to help my nerves.)
To sum the movie up in one sentence, it’s about a pre-teen girl, who has to have an exorcism performed on her after she gets possessed by evil spirit.
I think there is little doubt that this is one of the most unnerving movies ever made. (There’s even talk of an ongoing curse among the folks who were members of the film crew.) It’s frightening on an almost elemental level and seems to tap into humanity’s earliest fears from our prehistory. You’ll definitely never even want to touch an Ouija board after seeing this movie.
That doesn’t mean people don’t like it. “The Exorcist” is one of the most profitable horror movies of all time, having grossed over $440,000,000 worldwide, off set against the $12 million budget used to shoot the film. It has also been named the scariest movie of all time by Entertainment Weekly, Movies.com and AMC.
Those of you who have seen the movie will remember the now-iconic flight of stairs that lead up to the apartment where most of the movie is set. Those stairs are in Georgetown, just outside of Washington, D.C., and I actually saw them first hand when I was living in that area in 1995. “The Exorcist Steps,” as they’re now called, are at the end of M Street in Georgetown.
Many of you will also know that this movie is based on the novel by William Peter Blatty, which is supposedly based on the real-life exorcism case of Robbie Manheim. I read the novel several years ago, and it’s the scariest horror novel I’ve ever read, hands down. (My kids will never read it with my permission.)
In the end, this movie isn’t for the faint of heart. I recommend it only to people old enough to vote, who have a strong stomach, a taste for horror movies AND aren’t easily offended. (If you’re offended by the movie’s content, don’t say you haven’t been warned.)
With that said, I’ve scratched another one of the Saturn Award winners off my list of movies to watch. Next up is 1974/1975 winner, “Young Frankenstein.”