The Exorcist: parents' guide
Best for ages 17 and up. Rated R.
A landmark horror film that remains deeply disturbing, suitable for older teens at most. A 12-year-old girl is possessed by a demon, and two priests try to save her. The possession brings vomiting, grotesque wounds, violent attacks and a notorious scene in which the girl bloodily stabs herself between the legs with a crucifix and forces her mother's face toward her. Explicit sexual obscenities pour from a child's mouth, a priest grieves his mother's death, and two sympathetic characters die. The age reflects the sexual violence involving a child, the blasphemy and the sustained terror.
What's in it
Violence
StrongA possessed girl stabs her crotch with a crucifix until she bleeds, an act of sexual violence, then shoves her mother's face against her. People are slapped, hurled across rooms and killed, including a fatal fall down a long flight of steps.
Language
StrongNot constant, but extreme when it comes: f-words, the c-word, a gay slur and graphic sexual obscenities, mostly from the possessed girl at priests and her mother, plus 'Christ' and 'Jesus' as curses.
Sex and nudity
StrongNo sex scenes or nudity, but the crucifix scene is graphically sexual, and the possessed girl makes explicit sexual taunts and propositions to priests, including references to oral and anal sex.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
ModerateAdults drink at a party where one guest is very drunk, a grieving priest gets drunk, and some characters smoke. The girl is prescribed medication, and pills and pot are mentioned.
Scary or intense scenes
StrongRelentless and graphic: projectile vomiting, a girl's face scarred and decaying, levitation, a head turning backward, painful medical tests, and, in the extended cut, an upside-down crawl down stairs.
Sensitive topics
- Sexual assault
- Self-harm
- Suicide
- Death of a parent
Worth talking about
Father Karras is wrestling with lost faith and guilt over his mother. Talk with your teen about doubt, guilt and grief, and why the film ties them to the fight for the girl.
On our lists
Similar picks around 17+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, bbfc.co.uk, Wikipedia. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.