This creepy stage production is never boring, says Alice Cairns...
OUR VERDICT
It’s strange to think that The Exorcist is swiftly approaching its 50-year-anniversary. When it was first released, it single-handedly spawned riots, letter-writing campaigns, legal disputes and rating controversies. Original cinema audiences were said to faint, throw up, or become hysterical during particularly gory scenes. Even the filming was reportedly cursed, with on-set fires, injuries and deaths during post-production. Whether you see it as a gory shock-fest or a grim parable about how adolescence makes monsters of us all, this subversive classic can still make most modern horror films look tame by comparison.
For those unfamiliar with the plot, here’s a brief run-down: 12-year-old Regan is all sweetness and light – until she stumbles upon a Ouija board in the attic of her sinister old house. After losing a game with a disembodied voice (probably a bad idea, on balance), she begins to act strangely. Her bewildered mother watches as her daughter transforms into an obscene, demonic presence who swears, projectile vomits green sludge and (to put it delicately) misuses crucifixes. As things escalate from bad to worse, the family is forced to call in the services of an enigmatic exorcist.
So how did I fare seeing the whole gory drama played out on stage? Luckily, the audience was a hardy lot, without a fainting fit in sight. Still, there were plenty of jump-scares that had us screaming, and Regan’s obscene language and creepy demon-voice provoked plenty of nervous titters.
Perhaps that’s my only criticism of seeing The Exorcist on stage. The original film was horribly, uncomfortably visceral – the kind of thing you watched from behind your hands. Somehow, that squirmy brand of horror becomes a little camp and silly on stage, provoking laughs as well as screams. Occasionally you’d catch glimpses of how an effect was achieved – a very ample wig was certainly complicit in the rotation of Regan’s head, her projectile vomiting was a little unconvincing, and a screen often got stuck during scene transitions.
Some other elements were more successful, though. Projections were employed to great effect to make Regan’s shadow move eerily behind her. Susannah Edgely was so convincingly childlike as Regan that her possession felt genuinely disturbing. Tristam Wymark also gave a great turn as Burke, a lovable family friend who meets a grim end.
Overall, this production is brilliant fun. It’s the edge of your seat stuff – you certainly won’t be twiddling your thumbs, waiting for the end of a lofty monologue. It may not have captured the same grubby, transgressive energy as the film, but it’s still a scream.
The Exorcist, New Wimbledon Theatre September 24th to 28th. Book here.
