exorcist Tagged Articles at Cinematical

December films can mean a lot of things. For critics, it's a marathon of award contenders, many of which seem important at the time and quickly disappear into the cinematic mists, but many of which catch on and last forever. It can also mean trips to the movies with family, breaks from shopping, ways to get out of the cold, holiday-themed movies, kids' movies, etc. Like the holidays themselves, December movies can conjure up many memories. It's also the last oasis before the January dump comes along (featuring the latest horror remakes, and Martin Lawrence and Larry the Cable Guy films).

1a. The Lord of the Rings (December 17-19, 2001-2003)
This just goes without saying, doesn't it?

1b. The Exorcist (December 26, 1973)
The Exorcist is a perfect Halloween movie, with its colored leaves and chilly autumn winds. But here's a secret: it opened the day after Christmas, 1973. I can only imagine: you and the family are slightly hung over from turkey dinners and an overabundance of gifts. You yawn, put down your empty egg nog mug, step over the discarded wrapping paper, move past the Christmas tree, past Grandpa Fred asleep on the couch, wrap up in scarves and hats, pile in the car, drive down to the movie theater, and buy tickets for... this? For spinning heads and pea-soup vomit? Yet it worked, and it was a huge hit. This was what people wanted to see that winter. Perhaps it was a reflection of those dark times. Just last year, during our own dark times, AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem opened on Christmas Day. I have an AVPR ornament on my tree to prove it.

When the guy who directed The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream decides he wants to share his five favorite horror films with the world, two things are certain: 1. Horror fans should probably sit up, take notice and jot the titles down (if they haven't seen 'em yet), and 2. The news will be carried in (of all places) The Wall Street Journal.

Yes, Wes Craven was asked to list his favorite fistful of fright flicks, and here's what one of the modern masters of macabre had to offer: the original Frankenstein (Craven's going out on a limb already -- although I do give the man credit for not going with the more popular choice of Bride of Frankenstein), Mervyn LeRoy's The Bad Seed (does that include the final scene, Wes?), The Exorcist (another potentially controversial pick), the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (darn good pick -- albeit another fairly obvious one) and Ridley Scott's Alien -- which, as anyone who reads Film Critic Hunk Magazine can tell you, is my very favorite film of all time, horror or otherwise. God I love that film....

And that's pretty much it! Tune in next month when John Carpenter tells us he loves Tod Browning's Dracula, Stephen King expresses some affection for Freaks, and Eli Roth breaks the news that the original Halloween "rocks!!"

Despite the often inflated sticker prices, I'm a huge fan of the "DVD box set." My very special "no touching" DVD shelf contains the Alien Quadrilogy, the Star Wars Trilogy, the Godfather Trilogy, Indiana Jones, Matrix, etc., etc. There's just something about getting the whole darn series in one slick box that makes for a happy movie geek. And with November's mega-cool Superman set on the horizon, it looks like a may need to invest in a new shelf.

But here comes word on an upcoming box set that, frankly, I can live without. Streeting October 10th is WB's Exorcist Movie Collection, and here's what's included:

• The original cut of William Friedkin's The Exorcist, a true classic in every sense of the word
• The extended "Version You've Never Seen" (which is a lie because I have seen it)
• John Boorman's frankly horrible Exorcist 2: The Heretic
• William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist 3, which has its fair share of supporters (one of whom is not me)
• Renny Harlin's Exorcist: The Beginning, which kinda stinks
• Paul Schrader's Dominion: A Prequel to the Exorcist, which (no kidding) might be the worst movie title I've ever seen

DavisDVD informs us of the impending release, but there's very little info on the actual platters -- most likely because this is not a newly-produced box set, but instead a slipcase filled with the exact same product you'll find at your local DVD shoppe. But hey, it looks like this set will cost only about 30-some bucks, so if you've got a taste for the Satanic sequels, I suppose it's a pretty good deal.