I hope I didn't offend at all with what I said! At the end of the day, there aren't a lot of people whose film opinion I respect more than yours. I've learned quite a lot from your writing. If you consider exorcist the greatest horror ever made, I assume there's probably just something I missed. I'd be happy to give it another revisit!

As far as practical effects vs. computer effects, that's an issue I fear I'll always have some trouble seeing the other side of lol. As a more modern viewer, it's pretty rare that makeup and practical effects alone can overcome the computer-generated scares of today, but I've definitely found some exceptions. I think that horror and action more than anything else tend to hinge on these modern effects.

Always enjoy hearing your thoughts! I hadn't realized that before about women and slashers actually, but that makes total sense. I never did enjoy those quite as much as the more psychological horror movies myself.