There’s evil in this film

The greatest horror films are not typical genre films. Rather, they use the genre of horror to ask disturbing questions about the human condition. As a result, they resonate on a deeper level, stirring aspects of the psyche that we’d rather keep in the shadows.

The Exorcist cuts deep because an innocent young girl is molested by an unexplained evil force that the ‘experts’ cannot understand, driving her mother to the edge of sanity. Friedkin’s docu-realism makes it hit home, and the ordeal resembles mental illness, drug use, and the hormonal hurricane of adolescence.

Things then ramp up and we’re subjected to truly disturbing content, the likes of which I still can’t believe made it through the censors, peaking with Reagan violently jamming a crucifix into her groin and stuffing her mother’s face into the bloody mess, screaming ‘lick me!’

Not only is this shocking, it’s the height of depravity. To film that, exhibit it to the public, and put it into your head is in itself an evil act. The film molests your psyche the way the demon molests Reagan.

However, this is not without higher purpose. Blatty wanted to rub your nose in true evil so that you could consider the possibility of absolute good, and good comes in the form of our splendid spiritual footsoldiers - the priests.

With Reagan transformed into the most hideous creature from your darkest nightmare, andd her mother a hair away from complete mental and emotional breakdown, in come our army of clergy trying to do battle with the evil entity.

In the end, the Excorcism fails, but what does save Reagan is Father Karras selflessly challenging the demon to ‘take me’ and then sacrificing himself. Underneath the religious mumbo jumbo, is there something sacred about Christ’s sacrifice?

These are the ideas that Friedkin and Blatty wanted you to consider.