''The Exorcist'' (1973)

By Crusader1307

 Warner Brothers 1973 classic and genre forming Film dealing with Demonic Possession, ''The Exorcist'' was based on the novel by William Peter Blatty. And while The Devil (Satan) had been a subject of many previous films, The Exorcist presented not only ''Him'' as a major antagonist, but the long believed theory that ''His'' Minions (Demons), could possess hapless humans for a myriad of nefarious reasons. The films received so much ''Hype Press'' when it was released, that Patrons to the movie were given ''vomit bags'' and in some cases signed ''warnings'' prior to entry into The Theater. This harkened back to the older William Castle films of the 1950s and 1960s, which used a similar ''tactic'' to sell tickets. The Exorcist was also the first ''Horror Film'' to be critically acclaimed by mainstream critics and reviewers alike.


Dealing with an aged Priest (one of the only surviving Church sanctioned Exorcists), who re-encounters a Demon He fought in His youth, The Entity invades a 12-year old girl with predictable end results. When the girls Family seeks Church help, they send a talented but emotionally (and faith) damaged Priest to save the ''earthly'' excuse of psychological issues. Unable to explain Her problem with traditional Medicine, The Church pairs Him up with the Older Clergy. After a terror filed session which leaves the older Priest dead, the younger ''Father'' casts the Demon into Himself and promptly throws Himself out a nearby window, to His death (killing himself and The Demon – supposedly).


In dealing with the subject matter, Producers covered the somewhat Ancient belief of The Catholic (and other) Churches, with specially trained Clergymen, who ''cast out'' or remove purported Demonic influences from suffering Humans. The phenomenon had been covered for centuries, but seldom ''spoke of''. The ''modern'' Church assigned a less ''Medieval'' view and more of a traditional Medical (Mental Health) rationale. The film caused such a renewal in the subject, that literally, an entire genre of Horror film was created, dealing with The Devil and His Demons attacking The World. The films spawned 2 sequels – with the 1978 second becoming a Box Office ''mega bomb''. A 1990 3rd, garnered a much more critical response. Several ''Prequels'' were offered in the 2000s, but these (perhaps unfairly), were torn up by Critics. 2023 is slated for a reboot (of sorts).