The “completely flawless” movie Robert Pattinson would watch forever: “You’ll never, ever get bored”
If you’d have told someone back in the early 2010s that Robert Pattinson was destined to become a darling of the indie film scene, they’d have laughed in your face. Also, they’d have probably punched you. That’s because he was deep in his ‘sparkly vampire’ phase, as the star of the monumentally successful, yet routinely ridiculed Twilight franchise.
As melancholy as the saga was – and as frightening some of its dialogue is – you’d have a hard time convincing anyone they were horror films. However, as his career diversified once he’d hung up the fangs, R-Patz found himself on the set of some properly spooky fare.
He memorably starred opposite Willem Dafoe in Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse, a part he jumped into with both feet. Then, in 2020, he appeared in The Devil All the Time, which might be described as a “southern gothic psychological crime thriller”, but is basically just a horror set in Ohio.
It’s clear that horror has always been a key part of Pattinson’s moviegoing life. In an interview with SlashFilm to promote the very first ‘Twilight’ movie, the rising star was asked about some of his go-to watches. Alongside Jean-Luc Godard’s Prénom Carmen – which shows he’s always been a pretentious little bugger – he also shared praise for a staple of the spooky scene – William Friedkin’s The Exorcist.
“It’s a flawless movie,” he said. “You can watch it again and again and again and again. You’ll never ever, ever get bored with it. I’ve never got bored with it. Like every single about it is perfect and it shows why like the CGI should have never have been invented.”
Much has been written on the subject of The Exorcist and how it scared the absolute bejeezus out of everyone who saw it. From hysterical critics claiming the film itself was possessed to reports that a pregnant woman miscarried while watching it. Then there’s the reported on-set curse, which coincided with several cast and crew members mysteriously dropping dead.
As any of the hundreds of Exorcist obsessives out there will tell you, the film is a masterclass in practical effects. The famous moment in which a possessed Reagan’s head spins round 180 degrees was achieved through a remarkably lifelike animatronic of actor Linda Blair.
The young performer reportedly struggled to be in the same room as her synthetic double. A special harness was built to create the iconic ‘spider-walk’, but stuntwoman Ann Miles was so agile she didn’t need it. These flourishes didn’t always end well – Blair developed scoliosis as a result of being strapped too tightly to a mechanical bed – but they all played their part in making the film as demonic as possible.
The Exorcist was released in 1973, over five decades ago and, crucially, 13 years before Pattison was born. The fact that it still appeals to him and so many other horror fans, both much later, is a testament to its power. Its top-notch practical effects are just part of its enduring appeal. In over half a century, nobody has come close to making something that caused so much genuine fear.
