THE EXORCIST

Prior to becoming a staple of after-school specials (Born Innocent, Sarah T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic) and B-movie box office bombs (Savage Streets, Roller Boogie) the pudgy-faced Linda Blair had earned her place in the cinematic pantheon as Regan MacNeil – the possessed little girl who became an inspiration to holy rollers and juvenile delinquents everywhere. Her head could spin. She found obscene uses for religious iconography. She could levitate, vomit green, beat a priest - what a teen! When scientific technology proves useless, her mother (Ellen Burstyn) calls in the big guns, namely retired Exorcist Father Marron (Max Von Sydow) and his bewildered assistant Damien Karras (Jason Miller), who prove no match for the scabby, trucker-mouthed hellcat. See Pazuzu’s pre-teen putti as she was meant to be seen – on the big screen! (writeup freely adapted from Alice Donut song lyrics)

A portion of the proceeds from the screening on the 29th will be used to support the Houston Film Critics Society.