The Exorcist
1973 Directed by William Friedkin
Horror Marathon Day 18 Film 28
Keeping the mini theme of Exorcist films -It's interesting to go back and watch a classic film that has more cultural awareness than others. That cultural awareness conjures its own mythology as to what happens within a film like the Exorcist. Everyone remembers the goopy pea soup and head turning, but most of the movie is much slower. It takes time to build up the idea of a crisis of faith. That the girl who becomes possessed is subjected to medical torture and analysis over and over until the mother has no other option. It's this aspect that William Friedkin focuses the narrative.
Modernity has been cracking- from the war in Vietnam to the household going through divorce- the struggle of society's heart is at the core of William Peter Blatty’s screenplay. The mother is incapable of really paying attention to her daughter as she's a famous actress- so some of the possession feels like the girl acting out. Another hideous image is of the blasphemy of a statue of Mother Mary splashed with blood and phallic protrusions. The introductory part of the film where the older priest wanders the Middle East and finds a statue of the demon Pazuzu. The film itself shows this, but doesn't fully link this finding to the girl in particular.
There’s also a visual motif of the steps in front of the house, giving a visual foreshadowing of the ending. But the moments with the priests shouting "The Power of Christ compels you" don't really last that long. When the older priest gets to the house the scene is full of wonderful shadow and dread. The older priest comments that the demon is a liar- the attack of the demon is psychological so any of the younger priest's psychological understanding of multiple personalities is a failure. The younger priest must rely on his faith to not listen to the taunting demon.
However for modern audiences a lot of the puked up bile and curse word vomit that comes out of the girl becomes comical. The ending is also very bitter and comes brutally as the exorcism is vigorous. I wish more could have been spent on creating a character from the demon itself too rather than seeming simply mischievously malignant. More modern films could take the time to contextualize faith and the demon itself before making another possession thrill ride.