Nicolas Cage Calls This Movie “Scariest Film in Cinema History”

Nicolas Cage knows horror movies. He’s been a movie fan for as long as he can remember and has seen enough to tell when a scene is truly scary.

When NME asked him which movie moment terrified him the most, Cage didn’t hesitate. “There have been many, but I think that The Exorcist really took it to a whole new level,” he said. “I think the final exorcism scene in that movie, I would say, would be the scariest film in cinema history.”

It’s not shocking that Cage picked a classic. The Exorcist, released in 1973 and directed by William Friedkin, was more than just a movie, it became a cultural phenomenon. The film tells the story of a young girl possessed by a demon and the desperate efforts of two Catholic priests to save her through an exorcism.

Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair star in the movie. The screenplay was written by William Peter Blatty, based on his own novel from 1971.

When The Exorcist hit theaters, audiences were shocked. People fainted, vomited, and ran out screaming. Even studio executives were surprised when the sneak previews ended, but they could see that everyone was still talking about the film outside the theater.

They decided to release it in limited theaters first, after Christmas, not fully knowing how to market it. Ellen Burstyn remembered seeing news reports of moviegoers lining up in Montreal at 4 a.m. in freezing weather just to see the film. In New York, people endured 6 °F cold, rain, and sleet to get tickets. Some had already seen it once but wanted to see it again. Crowds sometimes even rioted outside theaters.

Critics had mixed opinions, but many praised it. Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic called it “the scariest film I’ve seen in years—the only scary film I’ve seen in years.” Arthur D. Murphy from Variety said it was “an expert telling of a supernatural horror story.” Joe Dante of Castle of Frankenstein, who would later direct films like Piranha and The Howling, said, “an amazing film, and one destined to become at the very least a horror classic … there has never been anything like this on the screen before.”

Roger Ebert gave it four stars and praised the actors and special effects, though he admitted, “I am not sure exactly what reasons people will have for seeing this movie; surely enjoyment won’t be one … Are people so numb they need movies of this intensity in order to feel anything at all?”

The Exorcist also became the first horror movie nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, proving it wasn’t just frightening, it was groundbreaking. Modern audiences might not be as shocked, since today’s horror films use CGI and extreme gore, but back in the 1970s, nothing like it had been seen. For Cage, who watched it as a child, the final exorcism scene clearly left a lasting mark.

Even decades later, The Exorcist still scares people and shows how powerful a movie can be when it taps into fear.

First reported by NME.

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