The Exorcist

The Exorcist remains the most Academy-honored horror film, with 10 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, a feat unmatched by #1 The Shining. Its $441 million gross (adjusting for inflation) exceeds the runner-up Ghostbusters’ horror earnings and its portrayal of demonic possession traumatized audiences so deeply that 1973 saw a 30% drop in church attendance for months. Friedkin’s use of subliminal imagery set a technical standard for supernatural horror that persists today.