I’d like to point out that I’m writing this review at the tail end of July. But, in my defense, it’s never too early to prepare for my annual spooky/scary Halloween Throwback Thursday reviews. It’s become a tradition that I refuse to lose.

Since the start of these special reviews, I’ve been making my way through all the classics — since I used to avoid anything scary through most of my life.

One of those classics is 1973’s “The Exorcist,” which, notably, released another installment this month in “The Exorcist: Believer.” Even more exciting, this movie is actually celebrating its 50th anniversary, having been released in December of 1973.

The original movie is based on a book of the same name and follows young Regan’s (Linda Blair) demonic possession and her mother Chris’s (Ellen Burstyn) attempts at saving her with the help of two Catholic priests.

I’ll admit, “The Exorcist” started out a bit slow for me. However, I did try to remind myself (okay… my roommate reminded) that movies — especially supernatural horrors like this one — weren’t as fast paced as they are today. Or, at the very least, they wanted to take time to build up to the climax.

As I continued to watch, I grew to appreciate that. Regan’s possession wasn’t sudden. It began with little things, like developing an imaginary friend named Captain Howdy, telling her Mom she couldn’t sleep in her room because the bed shook and then slowly growing verbally and physically abusive to others.

All the while, Chris is trying to find answers from doctors and psychiatrists. Each one trying to tell her the 12-year-old is dealing with a psychotic episode.

Eventually, Chris is led to the Catholic church and local priest Dr. Damian Karras. Karras, who studied psychology before joining the church, tries to find a medical reason behind Regan’s horrible appearance and strange behavior. But after possessed Regan taunts him about his recently deceased mother he begins to realize Chris may not be exaggerating her daughter’s possible possession.

The movie leads up to the actual exorcism, performed by Karras and elder priest, Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow) — the only man to successfully perform an exorcism in modern times.

The special effects in this movie are really what makes it more believable. The make-up artists who handled Regan’s demonic possessed form, with sores and colored contacts, really hit the mark. I truly didn’t understand how — after all the medical tests came back clear — no one even considered the thought of possession. Because no 12-year-old should suddenly look like THAT while simultaneously becoming violent and speaking in tongues (also a clue).

The exorcism scenes themselves also utilized good practical effects. I really wish more movies today would rely less on greenscreens and CGI and get back into this form of media expression.

Overall, it’s no surprise “The Exorcist” did so well when it was released. It’s a chilling story, told in such a way that if you hadn’t read the book before its release, you’d be in for a horrifying ride.

There’s a reason “The Exorcist” managed to be a huge box-office hit when it was released the day after Christmas. Fun fact, it’s still the second highest grossing after Christmas release, after 1997’s “Titanic.” And, not surprisingly, Warner Bros. didn’t even put much stock in its success at the time (company executives know nothing about horror, that much I’ve learned).

Since its nearly year-long first run in theaters, which grossed $428.2 million, the movie blossomed into a franchise. I can’t wait to give the others a watch, and to see its latest installment too.

“The Exorcist” is rated R and may be watched on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV.

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Laura Jameson is Managing Editor of The Express.