The Exorcist

Let’s talk about The Exorcist.

Before we get into the horror classic from 1973, I’ve been listening to a fun podcast of late called Little Bracket of Horrors ( https://www.buzzsprout.com/1903709 ). (For full disclosure, my niece is one of the hosts.) The hosts (Matt, Shelly, and Derek) sound like they are having a ton of fun talking, critiquing and analyzing different horror movies. To keep things random, they have a “Wheel of Death” that decides at random what they watch and discuss each episode. If you haven’t listened to them, please do. I think you’ll enjoy it!

I have found this to be an engaging idea and I think it will be fun to piggyback on their “Wheel of Death” and write my own critique of the movies that come up on their podcast. The latest role of the wheel gave them The Exorcist.

It seems during the 60s and 70s there were a lot of Catholic and Satanic horror movies ( The Omen and Rosemary’s Baby ) and movies dealing with body possession ( Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Village of the Damned ). I think this stems from the counterculture movement. Many were starting to stray from mainstream religion, looking for their spiritualistic ideals in eastern or “cosmic” religions. This made parents fear their children were being corrupted, similar to how their parents feared for them in the 50s. They began to envision their children where no longer their children but possessed by…something. The film industry, whether aware of it or not, took that and ran with it.

The Exorcist is the quintessential movie about this fear.

Regan, played wonderfully by Linda Blair, is on the cusp of adolescence. She’s a dutiful and loving daughter who is about to enter teenagerhood, a time when parents fear the rebelliousness of their children. So, of course, this is when the demon decides to attack. Of course, it doesn’t help that Regan has been playing with a Ouija board. It’s also not a coincidence that the demon (Pazuzu) is represented with a large erection.

The film, overall, is a masterpiece of fear. It starts slow but ominous, filling the viewer with a foreboding throughout. It builds beautifully to a violent, gross, and angry confrontation between literal good and evil.

It seems though the demon has infected every character in this movie.

Even the good here is a bit off. Father Karras, played by Jason Miller, is called in to be the hero and save Regan from this satanic horror but he too has a dark side. He holds a lot of guilt about how he handled his mother’s dementia and eventual death, a fact the demon uses against him.

Even Regan’s mother, played by Ellen Burstyn, isn’t the best person in the world. She is shown treating her servants poorly, chastising them for the smallest infraction and even dismissing their opinions. She and her friends, especially at the dinner party, seem to have a racist streak in them.

I’m sure this is intentional and it seems to make the audience feel almost like they are being corrupted as well. As Regan is changing, we feel like we are changing with her and that is what makes this film so frightening. It is brilliantly done and few horror movies have been about to match it.