The Exorcist

This film is an adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name.

Some scenes look quite funny now — the film came out in 1973, and the technology of the time had its limits. But it’s worth noting that the acting, especially from the two leads — the mother and the girl — is very good, and so is the makeup!

It’s interesting that Pazuzu is portrayed as a purely evil figure in the film, essentially as the Devil himself possessing the girl — since his symbols are traditionally used as talismans against other evil spirits. This is even acknowledged in the film itself with the line “evil versus evil”.

The film was uncomfortable to watch at times — not because of any psychological impact, but because of the hypersexualisation of a child. There are several scenes where the girl speaks and even performs sexual acts, despite being 12 years old in the story (and 14 in real life).

That said, I think what scared people so deeply about this film wasn’t the horror on screen, but what it reflected about adult and parental fears. Demonic possession here reads as a metaphor for adolescence — the moment a quiet, polite child suddenly becomes a foul-mouthed rebel raging with hormones, and the parent loses all control seemingly out of nowhere.

I also appreciated the biblical reference to Jesus casting out demons and sending them into pigs (Matthew 8:27–33).