GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
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Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #610 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

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View The Exorcist film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

Actress Chris MacNeil seeks medical and spiritual help after twelve-year-old daughter Regan undergoes terrifying physical and behavioral changes.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

While filming in Georgetown, actress Chris MacNeil watches daughter Regan develop violent seizures, altered speech, and impossible behavior that medical tests cannot explain. Troubled priest and psychiatrist Damien Karras is asked to investigate before veteran exorcist Lankester Merrin arrives.

Why it belongs

The Exorcist makes supernatural horror credible through medical procedure, domestic realism, sound, and Burstyn and Miller's exhausted search for help.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Ellen Burstyn and Jason Miller ground belief in desperation rather than certainty. Georgetown streets, hospital machines, cold breath, attic noise, bedroom confinement, Mike Oldfield's sparse theme, and practical effects assemble escalation from observed detail.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards2 wins1974 · official ceremony record ↗
Writing (Screenplay—based on material from another medium)1974 · William Peter Blattyofficial ceremony record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

Golden Globes4 wins1974 · official film record ↗
Best Motion Picture - Drama1974 · Exorcist, Theofficial film record ↗Best Director - Motion Picture1974 · William Friedkinofficial film record ↗Best Screenplay - Motion Picture1974 · William Peter Blattyofficial film record ↗Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture1974 · Linda Blairofficial film record ↗

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250240AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness7.7
Engagement8.0
Ease7.9

English · R
Narrative Feature
Mood: Dark & Intense