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Exorcist subliminal messages11/30/2023 ![]() Earlier, when a re-released, more religiously infused version of the film appeared in 2000, Whitehead wrote an editorial to the Los Angeles Times (reprinted here) applauding The Exorcist for providing an “optimistic message: that people can transcend this world and reach a spiritual level dominated by good.”Īre we feeling good yet? If not, it could be because this upbeat perspective misses both the fear of female sexuality and of youth the story provokes. John Whitehead, founder of the influential right-wing Christian legal center, The Rutherford Institution, enthuses that the film “effectively halted the death-of-God movement that emerged out of the late 1960s.” The Exorcist currently occupies the number one spot on his list of top ten horror films. Many critics however, would stick with a religious interpretation of the film. Considering the world of teenage girls, where looks can be more important than they should be, I doubt her reaction stemmed from cosmic angst. Which description digs deeper into the heart of this film?Īfter seeing the movie at a sleepover, my friend’s daughter tried to avoid mirrors for a month. But setting aside the metaphysical gravitas, it would be equally accurate to summarize The Exorcist as the terrifying story of a young girl who becomes unbearably ugly. Ostensibly, The Exorcist portrays the archetypal struggle between good and evil, faith and apostasy, through the story of Father Karras (Jason Miller) and his spiritual contest with the devil. Unfortunately, what these anxieties reveal about our society is scarier than the film itself, because they are fueled by misogyny, xenophobia and the fear of a new generation rising up to take the old one’s place. Maybe the audience members around the world who have variously thrown up, convulsed or fainted watching this film were merely experiencing a good old “theological thrill,” but doesn’t that strain credibility just a bit? Instead, the longevity of this film’s appeal and its powerful impact on viewers suggests that, like many successful horror stories, it taps into pervasive subliminal anxieties buried deep within our cultural unconscious. Director William Friedkin prefers not to call his 1973 movie a “horror film,” but rather, reaching for a more transcendent term, a “theological thriller”. Keeping with the post-Halloween, post-election spirit, a freshly revamped version of The Exorcist has reared (or perhaps rotated) its ugly head for our viewing pleasure–this time as an extended director’s cut on Blu-ray. ![]()
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