The Exorcist(1973)
1973 · William Friedkin · 122 min
When a mysterious entity possesses a young girl, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.
Horror
7.78.9k votes
TMDB score
5/5
Intensity
3/5
Gore
5/5
Stays with you
How The Exorcist scares
Dread builds slowly and heavily here, like watching something terrible happen in real time rather than being startled by it. The first half plays almost like a quiet family drama with a growing sense that something is deeply wrong, and the horror creeps in through small, unsettling details before it turns fully physical and shocking. Once it arrives, the fear is ugly and intense, mixing body horror with a real sense of helplessness and spiritual terror. This is a heavy, upsetting watch meant to unsettle you for a long time, not a fun scare to enjoy with friends.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, The Exorcist rates psychological 5/5, visceral 3/5, gore 3/5, lingering effect 5/5, and overall intensity 5/5.
- Psychological: 5 of 5
- Visceral: 3 of 5
- Gore: 3 of 5
- Lingering: 5 of 5
- Intensity: 5 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 10 of 100 — leans Slow burn
Supernatural vs Real-world: 10 of 100 — leans Supernatural
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 90 of 100 — leans Disturbing
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A slow, deliberate build through quiet unease that gradually tightens into a punishing, sustained climax before a brief release at the very end.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 0, 0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 3.
How scary is The Exorcist?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, The Exorcist rates 5/5 — one of the more punishing watches in the catalog, building its fear through slow-burn dread rather than shocks. The fear is mostly in your head — it unsettles far more than it assaults. Expect it to be moderately gory and genuinely disturbing. Expect it to stay with you for days.
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