In 1973, William Peter Blatty's best selling novel was adapted and released as a film, becoming one of the decade's biggest commercial successes (perhaps helped by reports of people fainting in the cinemas). It was also a rare horror film to receive an Oscar nomination for best film and even today it is still profoundly unsettling. A 12 year old girl, Regan (Linda Blair), has moved to a Washington suburb with her actress mother (Ellen Burstyn). Meanwhile a detective (Lee J. Cobb) investigates a mysterious homicide that may be connected with Regan. Her behaviour gradually becomes erratic and disturbing. Her mother takes her to doctors and psychiatrists but they can't find anything physically wrong with her. When it becomes clear that Regan is possessed by Satan, her mother enlists the help of two priests to conduct an exorcism, father Karras (Jason Miller), who is struggling with his faith and the death of his mother, and father Merrin (Max Von Sydow). Mercedes McCambridge supplies the harsh, profane voice of Satan and there are levitations, swiveling head and projectile vomit. The extra 11 minutes of footage does not add anything of significance to the film (particularly the notorious "spider walk" scene cut from the original). However, the remastered digital soundtrack is extremely effective as the sounds of things going bump in the attic now appear to be coming from within the theatre. In case you are wondering, the Catholic Legion of Decency approved the film with an A-IV rating: "morally unobjectionable to adults, with reservations" (as opposed to Howard the Duck which was "condemned").

I often wonder what sort of childhood Roman Polanski had. Some people will tell you that it was the whole wife being brutally murdered by Charles Manson thing that made him a little warped, but Rosemary's Baby (filmed some time before the 'incident') tends to prove otherwise. Maybe it's because he's one of those funny little Polish people
Rosemary (Mia Farrow) has recently married a struggling actor. Together they move to a nice new apartment next-door to some friendly, if not a little nosy, old people. Shortly after the move, Rosemary has a peculiar dream about a big hairy fellow having his way with her. Soon after Rosemary finds herself pregnant (a pleasant surprise), her husband gets his big break (an even more pleasant surprise), and everything is just dandy. That is, until she slowly goes mad and becomes obsessed with the idea that people want to kidnap her baby when it is born. Hmmm, maybe there's something funny in the home-made vitamin drinks that nice lady next door has been preparing for her. Rosemary's Baby is psychological horror rivaling that of Hitchcock, horror without being horrible (at least not gory), and classic not to be missed (woo hoo clich((eacute))s).