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Pretty sure Holden was the only person to get either film from yesterday's hint (he got The Exorcist, I'm guessing from the confluence of "compelled" and "beware the stairs"). I really thought "tropical" would stand out so much people would fixate on it and inevitably figure out The Third Man, but since they didn't, I'm glad I included it.
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@cituzen rules is one of my favorite mofos, but sometimes I disagree with him so hard. The zither music in Third Man makes it one of the best and most memorable scores in all of film.
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Neither in my list.
Third Man is a decent thriller. I am not an expert on the technical side of things, but it was shot well. The underground scenes, despite being a black and white movie, look so good. I especially love the final shot. It is just beautiful.
The Exorcist hasn't aged well, but which old horror movie has? I have seen a documentary showing how big an impact it had on the public of that time. People fainting, going hysterical or being repulsed after watching it. It's an iconic movie for sure. And definitely a well told and well acted story.
I would recommend reading the book even if you have watched the movie.
Third Man is a decent thriller. I am not an expert on the technical side of things, but it was shot well. The underground scenes, despite being a black and white movie, look so good. I especially love the final shot. It is just beautiful.
The Exorcist hasn't aged well, but which old horror movie has? I have seen a documentary showing how big an impact it had on the public of that time. People fainting, going hysterical or being repulsed after watching it. It's an iconic movie for sure. And definitely a well told and well acted story.
I would recommend reading the book even if you have watched the movie.
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Of the last four I’ve seen Raging Bull and The Exorcist both of which I’d give +, the latter of which I’m very suprised to see in the top half of this list. While I really do respect the film for the horror it was at the time, I can’t say the scary aspect held up for me as much as a Rosemary’s Baby or The Shining. Or even a much lesser known When a stranger Calls, and frankly it suprises me that it does for other people, but certainly a great nostalgia piece of film.
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Seven films placed above The Excorsist in the horror countdown
1. Night of the Living Dead
2 The Thing
3 The Omen
4 An American Werewolf in London
5 Nosferatu
6 Psycho
7 Dawn of the Dead
I only think three of these will make it on this list, but I’d be shocked if The Shining (#10) misses out
1. Night of the Living Dead
2 The Thing
3 The Omen
4 An American Werewolf in London
5 Nosferatu
6 Psycho
7 Dawn of the Dead
I only think three of these will make it on this list, but I’d be shocked if The Shining (#10) misses out
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It’s been a while since I saw The Third Man and don’t remember a lot about it.
Whether The Exorcist is scary is a matter of opinion or situation maybe but it is still such a well crafted film that tells its story expertly. I don’t think it ever really scared me as I was in my 20s when I first watched it and had seen so many more horrific movies before it but I still loved it. It definitely deserves a spot on the top 100 but it just missed out on being on my list.
Whether The Exorcist is scary is a matter of opinion or situation maybe but it is still such a well crafted film that tells its story expertly. I don’t think it ever really scared me as I was in my 20s when I first watched it and had seen so many more horrific movies before it but I still loved it. It definitely deserves a spot on the top 100 but it just missed out on being on my list.
The Third Man - 7.5/10
The Exorcist - 7/10
Orson's entrance is probably the best one in movie history.
The Exorcist - 7/10
Orson's entrance is probably the best one in movie history.
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The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
1. Opening scenes in Iraq are a mini-movie introducing Father Merrin and his confrontation with Evil, represented by the demon Pazuzu. The pacing is slow, but the visuals and meaning are spectacular. Merrin fades away for about an hour then...
2. Transition from Iraq to Georgetown, Washington, D.C., is masterful. The "rats" in the attic are scary as hell, but meanwhile, the film is still pretty much presented as a documentary. We're introduced to actress Chris MacNeil (the incredible Ellen Burstyn, who was robbed of a Best Actress Oscar only to be "repaid" the next year). We also meet her daughter Regan (Linda Blair), her director (Jack MacGowran) and a pseudo-stalker who turns out to be a Jesuit psychologist priest, Father Karras (the wonderful Jason Miller).
3. The Exorcist has many creepy, disturbing scenes near the beginning: the bed thumping, the "hypnosis" scene, the medical tests, etc. They are very realistic, powerful and all add to a sense of dread which cannot seem to be resolved.
4. You don't have to believe in God, a "spirit world", or a Battle Between Good and Evil to know that The Exorcist is one of the most powerful films ever made about the fight to recover a girl from a world of darkness and try to return her to the land of the light. Whether you have strong religious or spiritual beliefs or not, a character such as Father Karras is a true heroic figure because he is torn by his own self-doubt and lack of faith yet still feels that he needs to help Regan return to some semblance of normal life.
5. Father Karras, himself, is one of he most-complex characters in film history. Karras is concerned with the weakening health of his mother, and the "Devil" or Karras's own inner demons realize that that's the easiest way to get through to him and try to get him to let his guard down in spiritual matters, which he has pretty much given up on when he becomes familiar with Regan MacNeil's case.
6. The "crucifix" scene still ranks to me as one of the most shocking scenes ever depicted in film. Much stronger than an R-rating, it pushes the envelope of what's allowed in an X-rated (non-porn, barely... ) scene, but wow! What a piece of cinema!
7. Lee J. Cobb is really excellent in his scenes with both Jason Miller and Ellen Burstyn. These scenes are very low-key and well-directed and both play out as the "calm before the storm". I especially enjoy Cobb's dialogue involving John Garfield and Sal Mineo, and then he goes into his "I could have you deported... " schtick. Terrific character and performance.
8. Max von Sydow's return in the taxi cab is one of the greatest scenes ever (again... ) Besides having one of the most believable makeup jobs in film history, von Sydow (who was 44 when he made the film) brings a level of an incomparable dignity and depth to his performance as Merrin. When he walks into the MacNeil's home, and the demon shouts out, "MERRIN!!!!", it always brings chills. Yet, this is where you actually realize how spectacular the acting is in The Exorcist, especially from Burstyn, Miller and von Sydow.
9. The Exorcism itself is one Hell of a scene. It's intense, profane, disturbing, funny, scary, surprising, and open to multiple interpretations.
10. Sacrifice, Love, and Faith are not the themes of most films, and when they are, they're often embarrassing. Now, I realize that some people will have problems with The Exorcist because they believe that it's phony, a violation of the laws of physics and biology and a dangerous way for allegedly rational people to look at the world around them. But let me ask you this then. Director William Friedkin just got done making a "realistic" cop flick (The French Connection) and won a Best Director Oscar to boot, and what did he do? He took on this film and made it as honest and realistic as he possibly could. I wouldn't sweat the 360 degree head swivelling too much since The Exorcist, at least to me, is one of the most honest films ever made.
1. Opening scenes in Iraq are a mini-movie introducing Father Merrin and his confrontation with Evil, represented by the demon Pazuzu. The pacing is slow, but the visuals and meaning are spectacular. Merrin fades away for about an hour then...
2. Transition from Iraq to Georgetown, Washington, D.C., is masterful. The "rats" in the attic are scary as hell, but meanwhile, the film is still pretty much presented as a documentary. We're introduced to actress Chris MacNeil (the incredible Ellen Burstyn, who was robbed of a Best Actress Oscar only to be "repaid" the next year). We also meet her daughter Regan (Linda Blair), her director (Jack MacGowran) and a pseudo-stalker who turns out to be a Jesuit psychologist priest, Father Karras (the wonderful Jason Miller).
3. The Exorcist has many creepy, disturbing scenes near the beginning: the bed thumping, the "hypnosis" scene, the medical tests, etc. They are very realistic, powerful and all add to a sense of dread which cannot seem to be resolved.
4. You don't have to believe in God, a "spirit world", or a Battle Between Good and Evil to know that The Exorcist is one of the most powerful films ever made about the fight to recover a girl from a world of darkness and try to return her to the land of the light. Whether you have strong religious or spiritual beliefs or not, a character such as Father Karras is a true heroic figure because he is torn by his own self-doubt and lack of faith yet still feels that he needs to help Regan return to some semblance of normal life.
5. Father Karras, himself, is one of he most-complex characters in film history. Karras is concerned with the weakening health of his mother, and the "Devil" or Karras's own inner demons realize that that's the easiest way to get through to him and try to get him to let his guard down in spiritual matters, which he has pretty much given up on when he becomes familiar with Regan MacNeil's case.
6. The "crucifix" scene still ranks to me as one of the most shocking scenes ever depicted in film. Much stronger than an R-rating, it pushes the envelope of what's allowed in an X-rated (non-porn, barely... ) scene, but wow! What a piece of cinema!
7. Lee J. Cobb is really excellent in his scenes with both Jason Miller and Ellen Burstyn. These scenes are very low-key and well-directed and both play out as the "calm before the storm". I especially enjoy Cobb's dialogue involving John Garfield and Sal Mineo, and then he goes into his "I could have you deported... " schtick. Terrific character and performance.
8. Max von Sydow's return in the taxi cab is one of the greatest scenes ever (again... ) Besides having one of the most believable makeup jobs in film history, von Sydow (who was 44 when he made the film) brings a level of an incomparable dignity and depth to his performance as Merrin. When he walks into the MacNeil's home, and the demon shouts out, "MERRIN!!!!", it always brings chills. Yet, this is where you actually realize how spectacular the acting is in The Exorcist, especially from Burstyn, Miller and von Sydow.
9. The Exorcism itself is one Hell of a scene. It's intense, profane, disturbing, funny, scary, surprising, and open to multiple interpretations.
10. Sacrifice, Love, and Faith are not the themes of most films, and when they are, they're often embarrassing. Now, I realize that some people will have problems with The Exorcist because they believe that it's phony, a violation of the laws of physics and biology and a dangerous way for allegedly rational people to look at the world around them. But let me ask you this then. Director William Friedkin just got done making a "realistic" cop flick (The French Connection) and won a Best Director Oscar to boot, and what did he do? He took on this film and made it as honest and realistic as he possibly could. I wouldn't sweat the 360 degree head swivelling too much since The Exorcist, at least to me, is one of the most honest films ever made.
Did I mention they didn't make my list? For shame.
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I'm wondering of all the folks here who are saying The Exorcist was laughable are perhaps too young to really understand just how different it was for the time. People completely freaked out over this movie when it first came out. And, for the time period, it was extremely shocking and scary. I didn't see it till much, much later, and it was still creepy and shocking, even then. (In the meantime, I decided to read the book instead. Much like Jaws, the book was still better.)
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Never seen Third Man, but dig the Exorcist a lot. Great atmosphere in that film with an iconic score to boot. Didn't make my list though, but would love to revisit it.
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I did find The Exorcist to be a solid horror movie even if it doesn't live up to the hype of "The Scariest Movie Of All Time". Max Von Sydow added gravitas as the head exorcist and it is a compelling watch.
The first time I saw The Third Man right out of high school, I thought it was alright but nothing special. Then years later, I gave it another go after being inspired by Kartina Richardson's take on At the Movies. And it was a lot better. The story of a man finding out the truth about his childhood friend was more compelling and the visuals were interesting. The scene at the ferris wheel was fascinating. It would make my top 100 list, but it didn't make my top 25 here.
Interesting, I didn't mind the zither score. I'd much rather listen to that one again than Goblin's score to Suspiria.
The first time I saw The Third Man right out of high school, I thought it was alright but nothing special. Then years later, I gave it another go after being inspired by Kartina Richardson's take on At the Movies. And it was a lot better. The story of a man finding out the truth about his childhood friend was more compelling and the visuals were interesting. The scene at the ferris wheel was fascinating. It would make my top 100 list, but it didn't make my top 25 here.
Interesting, I didn't mind the zither score. I'd much rather listen to that one again than Goblin's score to Suspiria.
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Looks like some of the venom I have towards the lack of Exorcist respect here was just sucked a little clean by the MarkF write up above. Someone gets it! I don't have to throw a tantrum.
The Exorcist was my #1, and likely will be forever. Some movies you see at a specific time and you'll never shake them. I saw The Exorcist very young, and there is zero chance any film will ever effect me as profoundly. And it never really was the 'horror' elements that landed it there, even if at first recoil it may have seen that way. Without the firm bedrock of truth that Friedkin lays down, none of it could work. And by proxy, the mundane takes on a sheen of the otherworldy or evil by simply being in the same film as headspinning and pea soup. It makes the world you return to after the film is over untrustworthy. What a wonderful thing for a movie to do!
And as for the film being dated, or being silly, the horror of The Exorcist very much happens to be how absurd its money scenes are, and how incompatible they are with the film that surrounds them. Horror often needs to flirt with the ridiculous to come out the other end towards the sublime. We shouldn't be able to believe what we are seeing. It needs to create friction against the trusted world of 'reality'. And inside of this reality in The Exorcist, is one of the most compelling and tragic narratives, ever, reeking with the rot of lost souls and the unfairness of a cold and dead world. The horror is just as much in the apartment of Father Karras' mother, or in the eyes of the derelict he spots in the subway. In a shakey cup of tea drunk in Iraq, or the sound of terrible machines scanning the maybe damaged brain of a little girl. To reduce any horror film worth its salt into whether it makes you jump, is to do a disservice to a genre which probably has more to say about the world we live in than your best dramas, and offers the cinematic malleability to bend to the whims of the most imaginative directors. It opens the door for pure cinema. As for the naysayers, watch the movie as a dramatic reading on faith in a faithless world. Forget about the horror. Recognize its greatness, dammit. It's perfection.
As for Third Man, I like it alot. But I'll just stop by to legitimately ask 'what's the problem with zithers'. Shakes head and wanders away to the exotic sounds of some other instrument equally despised.
The Exorcist was my #1, and likely will be forever. Some movies you see at a specific time and you'll never shake them. I saw The Exorcist very young, and there is zero chance any film will ever effect me as profoundly. And it never really was the 'horror' elements that landed it there, even if at first recoil it may have seen that way. Without the firm bedrock of truth that Friedkin lays down, none of it could work. And by proxy, the mundane takes on a sheen of the otherworldy or evil by simply being in the same film as headspinning and pea soup. It makes the world you return to after the film is over untrustworthy. What a wonderful thing for a movie to do!
And as for the film being dated, or being silly, the horror of The Exorcist very much happens to be how absurd its money scenes are, and how incompatible they are with the film that surrounds them. Horror often needs to flirt with the ridiculous to come out the other end towards the sublime. We shouldn't be able to believe what we are seeing. It needs to create friction against the trusted world of 'reality'. And inside of this reality in The Exorcist, is one of the most compelling and tragic narratives, ever, reeking with the rot of lost souls and the unfairness of a cold and dead world. The horror is just as much in the apartment of Father Karras' mother, or in the eyes of the derelict he spots in the subway. In a shakey cup of tea drunk in Iraq, or the sound of terrible machines scanning the maybe damaged brain of a little girl. To reduce any horror film worth its salt into whether it makes you jump, is to do a disservice to a genre which probably has more to say about the world we live in than your best dramas, and offers the cinematic malleability to bend to the whims of the most imaginative directors. It opens the door for pure cinema. As for the naysayers, watch the movie as a dramatic reading on faith in a faithless world. Forget about the horror. Recognize its greatness, dammit. It's perfection.
As for Third Man, I like it alot. But I'll just stop by to legitimately ask 'what's the problem with zithers'. Shakes head and wanders away to the exotic sounds of some other instrument equally despised.
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I liked The Third Man well enough and had a lot of respect for it on a technical level, but I was far from loving it and it never crossed my mind when compiling my ballot.
I've also seen The Exorcist. I think I watched both movies because they were on Camo's top ten at the time. My opinion of it was, uh, slightly less favorable.
My Ballot:
5. Her (#94)
9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (#92)
25. Clay Pigeons (One-Pointers)
I've also seen The Exorcist. I think I watched both movies because they were on Camo's top ten at the time. My opinion of it was, uh, slightly less favorable.
My Ballot:
5. Her (#94)
9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (#92)
25. Clay Pigeons (One-Pointers)
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48.
47.
47.
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Pretty sure Holden was the only person to get either film from yesterday's hint (he got The Exorcist, I'm guessing from the confluence of "compelled" and "beware the stairs"). I really thought "tropical" would stand out so much people would fixate on it and inevitably figure out The Third Man, but since they didn't, I'm glad I included it.
If you ask me, the hints are becoming too cryptid.
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Both are excellent, though I didn't vote for either.
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46 films left. The original prediction I made (and missed Chinatown and Rashomon which Holden reminded me of and I think will make it) has 51 films left. So 5 of those WONT make it. Wow
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If you ask me, the hints are becoming too cryptid.
Also, they get easier by their very nature as the list goes on, because fewer and fewer films could plausibly be that high on the list. We're already at the point where people can know, with about 90% certainty, which films remain, which makes guessing through brute force increasingly plausible unless the clues can apply to several of them. So they have to get broader. But there's usually still a dead giveaway. "Sweet science" only refers to boxing, and there was only one boxing film plausibly left, for example.
Anyway, my sweet spot is that at least one person guesses each film (but usually not both), and that's been happening most of the time. I take that as a pretty good sign re: difficulty. General goals like that are really the only measure I can use, because puzzle difficulty can only be measured in the aggregate. What's obvious to one person (I think you were the only one who got American Beauty) isn't to the next, even though the next day they might swap places.
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