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• Adaptation Displacement: Not many people are aware that there was a novel first.
• Award Snub: Oddly, the actor with the most face time was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
• Awesome Music: The perennially-creepy Tubular Bells, courtesy of Mike Oldfield.
• Complete Monster: Pazuzu.
• Contractual Purity: The inverse happened to Linda Blair when she tried to break into romantic comedies.
• Fridge Horror: The spider-walk scene in the book is less terrifying at first than completely, inhumanly alien. Blatty's description doesn't sink in for a minute. Then it hits you.
• Hype Aversion: The cover art declares it to be "The Scariest Movie Ever Made." That can definitely turn people away or lead to disappointed viewers.
• Moral Event Horizon: If Pazuzu's possesion of Regan wasn't bad enough, when he posseses Karras at the end, he immediately moves forward to KILL Regan since he doesn't need her anymore. Bastard!
• Memetic Mutation: Ever saw a screamer? If yes, there's a 99% chance demon-possessed Regan jumped in your face at least once.
  • Or an image of Captain Howdy.
• Narm: Most people find it scary, but quite a few find it downright hilarious mostly due to just how over the top it gets: a good example would be the restored spider-walk scene.
  • The silver medal in that department has to be the "The power of Christ compels you!!" scene.
  • Some feel that the possessed Regan's voice has aged badly, since nowadays the voice of a Creepy Child often seems creepier than something inhuman. A good number of the comments to this video are saying that they find Linda Blair's real voice creepier than the dub.
• Nausea Fuel: Most people were physically ill and fled theaters during the medical scenes, especially the spinal tap.
• Nightmare Retardant: The Exorcist in 5 Seconds
  • Some find the effects work a bit outdated.
• Squick

• Ensemble Darkhorse: According to jabootu.net, a background prop they call the "Nut O' Fun."
• Memetic Mutation: "I will spit a leopard."
• Narm: The whole friggin' movie.
  Sandra: "What's the matter with you?"
  Regan (in a rather matter-of-fact tone): "I was possessed by a demon."
  <Sandra's eyes get as big as dinner plates>
  Regan: "Oh, it's okay. He's gone!"
  • The Babylonian god Pazuzu was actually quite a frightening figure. Shame his name sounds so silly.
• Sequelitis
• So Bad, It's Good
• Sophomore Slump
• What an Idiot: Most of the characters.

• Complete Monster: The Gemini Killer, with the second persona being even worse.
• Misaimed Fandom: In general, this seems to be averted; most viewers tend to see the Gemini as a terrifying villain, nothing more. However, this was played very straight with one person: Real Life Serial Killer Jeffrey Dahmer. According to forensic psychiatrist, Park Dietz, Dahmer viewed the Gemini as something of a personal role model because of the power he was able to wield over his victims and captors. He also liked the character of Emperor Palpatine for the same reason.
• Memetic Mutation:" It is NOT in the file! IT"S NOT!"
• Narm: It is NOT in the file! IT IS NOT!!
• Surprisingly Improved Sequel: After the embarrassment that was Exorcist II, The Exorcist III with George C. Scott turned out to be a pretty damn good little horror movie; some think it's horribly underrated; and a few (admittedly very few) even go so far as to say that it's both better and scarier than the first movie.
• The Woobie: Father Karras

• Surprisingly Improved Sequel: Some people say that it's this when compared with Exorcist 2, 3, and The Beginning.