the exorcist

When the exorcist was first released there was a big uproar about it and a lot of people were not happy that the film was going to be shown to the public. This was because the film was quite ahead its time in terms of horror and the graphics were also very futuristic which made the film seem even more scary. The church complained about the film also and did not like the fact that the film seemed to make light of such exorcisms. Jon Landau felt the film was, “Nothing more than a religious porn film" The BBFC gave this film an 18 rating when first released but was banned for a couple of years and re-released in 1998. It was re-released because the horror genre had progressed and the public were now less shocked by this level of horror. The BBFC were hesitant to put the film onto VHS as they were worried about the film being viewed in homes and the impact it might have on people and it was also a worry that children and young people might get their hands on the film and be horrified/disturbed by the content. I think that there is still a need for regulations in film broadcasting, however i feel that the need is not as great as it was as young people today are surrounded by high levels of horror and violence from a younger age and so are a lot more used to it.