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It’s hard to overemphasize the monumental impact The Exorcist has had on American culture. The nation was captivated in 1973 when the film burst onto the big screen, terrifying moviegoers with the otherworldly story of a little girl who was “possessed by a mysterious entity.”[i]The success and immediate impact of The Exorcist was so jarring that the film caught the notice of outlets like the New York Times, with 1970s news reports detailing not only its popularity but also the pervasive problems the movie was creating. After the film’s release, a 1974 Times piece warned of “terrified teenagers and priests”...

The world’s leading psychiatric authority on demonic possession delves into the hidden world of exorcisms and his own transformation from cynic to believer over the course of his twenty-five-year career. Successful New York psychiatrist Richard Gallagher was skeptical yet intrigued when a hard-nosed, no-nonsense Catholic priest asked him to examine a woman for a possible exorcism. Meeting her, Gallagher was astonished. The woman’s behavior defied logic. In an instant, she could pinpoint a person’s secret weaknesses. She knew how individuals she’d never known had died, including Gallagher’s own mother, who passed away after a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer. She...

William Peter Blatty, an author whose novel “The Exorcist” and his later screenplay for the 1973 film about a demonic possession became a phenomenon and stirred fierce public debate about the occult, died Jan. 12 at a hospital near his home in Bethesda, Md. He was 89. The cause was a form of multiple myeloma, said his wife, Julie Witbrodt Blatty. Mr. Blatty was a junior at Georgetown University when, in 1949, he became mesmerized by a Washington Post story detailing the alleged exorcism by a Jesuit priest of a 14-year-old boy from Mount Rainier, Md. who was believed to...

The Exorcist: The Television Series Did anyone catch the premier of The Exorcist TV series this past Friday on Fox? I did and I was pleasantly surprised, despite the presence of Geena Davis in the cast. Here are some helpful links about the show: Official site, where you can also watch the episodes online. Wikipedia article IMDb page Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic

Iraq's 'Exorcist' temple falls into Isis jihadist hands Ancient pre-Christian temple in northern Iraq featured in film The Exorcist at risk of destruction by Isis jihadists An ancient temple made famous in the film The Exorcist has fallen into the hands of the Islamic militants who have taken over northern Iraq, the Telegraph has learnt. The pre-Christian worship complex at Hatra, a vast network of 200-ft high sun-god temples that is a Unesco world heritage site, features in the opening sequence of the 1973 horror classic. But it now lies in the territory claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq...

Ignore, for a moment, the pea soup. Forget the head swivel, the crucifix, those 75 stone steps that tumble from Prospect to M Street. Forget that demonic voice and what your mother may or may not be doing in Hell. The creator of the scariest movie of all time would like very much if you’d remember that he wrote the Peter Sellers caper “A Shot in the Dark,” that his early collaborator in Hollywood was the comedy director Blake Edwards, that an esteemed book critic once wrote that “Nobody can write funnier lines than William Peter Blatty.” This career in...

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” - James 4:7 On Wednesday, spurred by advance notice of that night's topic on Think Tank – a weekly vlog hosted by Wilson Orihuela on Vericast – I finally found time to watch The Exorcist, the famous film from 1973. The movie revolves around an irreligious, divorced woman and her daughter, who becomes possessed by a demon. The mother looks to science and medicine, but finds no true answer. Eventually, like the woman in Mark 7:25, the mother “whose little daughter had an unclean spirit” seeks the...

ne day, after speaking to a group of high school students about the dangers of dabbling with occultic activities, such as Ouija boards, I asked if they had any questions or comments. In a subdued voice — and without a hint of sarcasm or levity — one boy raised his hand and said, “I had something . . . happen . . . to my friend and me when we used a Ouija board.” The room of teenagers was hushed as he explained what happened. They had used the board “just for fun” and didn’t expect anything to happen....

While watching the "100 Scariest Movies" on Bravo, there was an interesting moment. John Landis was commenting on "The Exorcist" and said something like "It took a completely unbelievable situation and made it seem realistic, that the devil would take over a young girl and the Catholic Church would be the good protecting us from evil, when they weren't molesting young boys..." First, what an assinine thing to say, but typical for a Hollywood idiot. Now, I know demonic possession is not believed in by most people these days (myself included), but there are some who do believe in it...

Did the Classic Horror Flick Haunt More Than Just the Audience? When The Exorcist was released late in 1973, it sparked a visceral reaction from the public--literally. There were reports of people vomiting from the fright of a story about a young girl possessed by a demon. The movie went on to become a massive hit, but few of those who flocked to the film knew about its grueling, nearly yearlong shoot or the tragedies that befell some of the cast and crew. Misfortune also followed the movie's sequels, leading some to wonder: Was there a curse on The Exorcist?...

For a country recently purged of its chief tormentor, it is perhaps a grimly appropriate theme for its first new tourist attraction. American troops in Iraq have launched what has been dubbed "The Exorcist Experience", after discovering that the ancient ruins they were guarding provided the location for the 1973 horror classic's opening sequence. They now plan to help locals put the 2,000-year-old city of Hatra back on the international tourist map by marketing it as a future holiday destination to fans of the cult film. Using a modest $5,000 (£2,800) grant, the soldiers have recruited local guides and guards...