Original "Exorcist" Question.

[Inglorious]

I have a question about the origianl Exorcist.

TINY SPOILERS THAT EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT!!!

Why was Regan possessed? I watched this again yesterday, I saw no reason for her to have been possessed by the devil. She did nothing wrong, she was a sweet innocent little girl.

END TINY SPOILER EVERYONE ALREADY KNOWS ABOUT!

So does anyone know of any TRUE exorcism stories, that they found on the net, or from personal experience and what not? I love paranormal (TRUE) stories. They're always so fun/scary on this board.

P.S.- My reasoning for putting this in the General Horror section and not the Past Horror section is because of the question after the question about the movie.

[Duke Nukem]

You kind of answered your own question, Penut. The devil possessed Regan, because she was a sweet innocent girl. All in order to show that it can spread its evil to anyone it wants. That's my theory anyway. That is the only logical thing I can come up with, because I, myself, had always wondered why Regan was "the chosen one" for the possession. I keep thinking that the movie's opening sequence provides the answer, but there seems to be so much symbolism in that 10-15 sequence, I don't know what to get out of it.

[CrazyKillah]

Wasn't she possessed b/c she summoned the demon (can't spell his name so I'm not gonna try!) with a Quija board? In the beginning Regan and Chris are talking about her playing with it in the basement, I think.

[Duke Nukem]

I remember that, but I'm not sure about it. I think that was the first clue of any sort that something was up. Regan had recently used the Ouiji Board with a friend, and when she later used it with her mother, the eye-piece just swooshed towards Regan's hand when her mother was about to take hold of it. Defiinately a sign.

Question: the film's opening sequence where the old Catholic Priest (who would later come to try to save Regan from her possession) uncovers the devil head artifact and goes up to that Devil Statue...just when does that happen in contrast to when we are introduced to Regan and her mother? What if Regan was using the Ouiji board right around the time that the Priest went up to the Devil Statue with the artifect?

[ERIN_LoJ]

Regan was possessed by the demon ba____ whatever his name is, not the devil. Or was she actually possessed by a trio of demons of a sort??

[Tyler Durden10]

im pretty sure it was the demon pazuzu.. but im not sure how you spell it exactly

[halloweengal]

I agree about Reagan being possessed by Pazuzu. I think she was possessed because she was innocent also. That was the shock of the film that an innocent child could actually be possessed by a demon. The Ouijia board thing I am not totally sure of. i think it has some significance. Captain Howdy was the name from the Ouijia board.

[KillerKlown]

Originally posted by Duke Nukem
Question: the film's opening sequence where the old Catholic Priest (who would later come to try to save Regan from her possession) uncovers the devil head artifact and goes up to that Devil Statue...just when does that happen in contrast to when we are introduced to Regan and her mother? What if Regan was using the Ouiji board right around the time that the Priest went up to the Devil Statue with the artifect?



I think that Merrin uncovering the statue of Pazuzu just signifies that he will be having another encounter with the demon, as he had already exorcised this demon many years ago (which is the subject of the new Exorcist movie). I don't think it really ties in with what Regan & her mother are doing at that particular time.

As for the possession of Regan, I believe that it was the Ouija board that did it. As a kid I was always warned by my parents that if you toyed around with such an unknown/supernatural item you would wind up possessed. I suppose that was just a parent's way of making a child scared of doing something they deem as "bad".

[Duke Nukem]

What I was insinuating was that Father Merrin was facing the devil statue with the devil artifact (sounds like an intense good vs. evil standoff) at the same time that Regan had used the Ouiji board with her friend (an offscreen thing that Regan tells her mother when they use the Ouiji board), but I see what you mean. The opening sequence with Father Merrin probably just there to symbolize that his battle with evil is not over yet. They also probably opened the film that way to give the audience an idea of what kind of movie they are encountering...a creepy and atmospheric one.

[SonnyVanHelsing]

I'd like to know, though, how the Pazuzu head carving ended up on the Georgetown steps?

Also, the satanic desecration of the church - was that also intended to unleash the demon?

I always had an insane little theory that Father Karras did the satanic desecration. I don't know why exactly.

[angelinwhite]

Good thread and some interesting questions/answers/opinions.

Friedkin intentionally sets the audience up in this film. The main reason The Excorsist to this day horrifies is because Friedkin constantly keeps the audience off balance. Opening the film in Northern Iraq starts us questioning. What is this? Where the hell is this supposed to be? What are they doing? What is with all of this odd symbolism?

Before we the audience can start to make any sense of the Iraq scenes, Friedkin jumps to present day Georgetown where we are introduced to the main characters. You're thrown off slightly. Your mind is trying to fit the puzzle together but Friedkin really never allows the audience to get comfortable before throwing us a curve ball we can't hit. He wears down our defense mechanisms until, but the finale of the movie, we have nothing left to defend ourselves from the onlsaught taking place on screen (specifically, the horrific excorsism).

Some of you who posted that the whole point of the demon choosing Regan was to show that anyone, even the most young and innocent, are easy prey for the forces of evil, are correct. However, don't overlook the Ouija board. In the novel Blatty takes time to point out that the board was the portal through which the evil spirt(s) reached and eventually inhabit Regan. If not for the board, she isn't contacted and possessed by the demons.

Penut, to answer you question you don't have to look any further than William Peter Blatty's novel to find a true story of possession. The Excorcist is based upon a true story. Sorry to inform you of that. It was based on the events that took place in St. Louis in the early 50's. Except that it was a young boy. Blatty, in order to protect the identity of the family, changed the character into a girl and moved the story to Georgetown. Many of the things that are depicted in the movie and book really happened, according the priests Blatty interviewed for the book who were involved with the little boy's excorcism.
Hope that helps!!

[ScaryFreak1827]

I don't mean to get off-topic, but I took a bus tour all along Washington D.C. and one of our last stops was in Georgetown. The driver of the bus informed us on where the movie was filmed (we got to see the location and the steps) and he told us about the true story of the boy who was possessed. It seems it occured after his grandmother passed away and that's when marks began appearing on his skin and furniture began moving. Latin words soon began covering his body and crucifixes priests laid near his pillow mysteriosly moved to the foot of the bed (Blatty based some of the scenes of The Exorcist off this and some stories he heard. If you've ever listend to the commentary he explains all about it.)

[cYmOrG]

grrrreeeaatt movie.

i searched for "exorcism" on Yahoo! and found these sites:

http://www.stmichael.pair.com - lots of info in general about exorcisms

http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/e/exorcism.html and/or http://www.truecatholic.org/exorcismsimple.htm - how to carry out your own exorcism

http://www.catholicism.org/pages/aubrey.htm - the story/exorcism of Nicola Aubrey

[ERIN_LoJ]

Originally posted by KillerKlown75

As for the possession of Regan, I believe that it was the Ouija board that did it. As a kid I was always warned by my parents that if you toyed around with such an unknown/supernatural item you would wind up possessed. I suppose that was just a parent's way of making a child scared of doing something they deem as "bad".

I actually heard that if you ever played on the board ALONE too often it made you more vulnerable to possession, and if you were not a Christian you had no protection. That's how I see it.

I'm not wanting to get into any religious debates over it, lol, but from my viewpoint it showed a family very athiest from the mother's attitude, and we were shown that Reagan, at a very young and impressionable age, was playing on the board alone.

Just my take on the movie.


Also, the satanic desecration of the church - was that also intended to unleash the demon?

I always wondered what the hell the sybolism of that scene was. Perhaps just thrown in to further scare/disturb the audience. If you look at it from the possession/ouija/whatever point of me, that scene makes no sense, and living in the fantasy of the movie, wouldn't even be possible.

[Inglorious]

Originally posted by ERIN_LoJ
Regan was possessed by the demon ba____ whatever his name is, not the devil. Or was she actually possessed by a trio of demons of a sort??

No, the Pazuzu deal didn't show up tll the sequel. In the first it is claimed that she is possessed by the devil.
I've been out on vacation all week, so I'm sorry I haven't replied, but you schmoes have been great! As usual...;)

[PhantomOfTheParadise]

You must never have read the book or now the original story. The demon Pazuzu WAS the demon that possessed Regan in the original film and novel. Merrin had faced it before - giving significance the scene at the beginning of the film and novel. The whole "claiming to be the devil" is something familiar with most possession cases. Every demon is gonna claim to be the devil to scare you off.

[Inglorious]

Apon reading the book, I realized alot more is explained! The desecrations of the church, the possession it's self; it is a little more witty than the already brilliant film. I belive the book is good, and I can't choose which one (book or film) is better; considering I'm not fully finished with the book.

[NightHorrorChick]

glad u like the book Penut! let me know what u think of it when you're finished :)