William Friedkin

What happened?

The Birthday Party (1968) -- A very faithful adaptation of the Harold Pinter play. The "menace" could be stronger, but it's pretty strong here.

The Exorcist (1973) -- The scariest horror movie, maybe the only scary horror movie (the only one that's truly scared me anyway). When I first watched it (alone), I had creepy feelings for a couple of days afterward. These days it's more watchable, but I still cringe a lot while looking at it (and listening to it, since the sounds are as scary as the images). Very realistic, smart, and well-thought out.