October 2011 marked the 40th anniversary of the publication of the supernatural thriller The Exorcist. The 1973 film version of the novel, starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair, became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time and inspired not only a series of less interesting sequels but dozens of other horror movies in the 1970's and 1980's. For many filmgoers and readers, The Exorcist set the bar for horror and, decades later, still sparks the occasional sleepless night.
Yet the novel's author, William Peter Blatty (who also penned the Academy Award-winning screenplay for the film), marked the 40th anniversary of the novel's appearance by writing a column for FoxNews.com, in which he reveals that "I haven't the faintest recollection of any intention to frighten the reader, which many will take, I suppose, as an admission of failure on an almost stupefying, scale." Rather, Blatty, the son of devout Lebanese Catholic immigrants, reveals "'The Exorcist's Secret Message": It is "a novel of faith in the popular dress of a thrilling and suspenseful detective story—in other words, a sermon that no one could possibly sleep through."
That is not, of course, the way that the novel and the subsequent film have been portrayed by either their fans or their detractors. Indeed, many Christians have accused Blatty of opening up readers and filmgoers to demonic influences—missing not only the point of the novel but misunderstanding Christ's own teaching regarding the principalities and powers of this world. Demons hold no sway over those who are firm in their faith; but they do, in the words of Pope Leo XIII's Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel, "prowl about the world, seeking the ruin of souls." By denying their existence, and treating the world of spiritual warfare as a parlor game, we open ourselves to their influence and even, in extreme cases, to possession.
That is why I find the most chilling scene in the film version of The Exorcist to be one of the briefest. It does not involve vomit or demonic voices or Regan spider-walking, but a simple Ouija board that Regan finds in the basement. While many viewers might well think that the scene would have been better left on the cutting-room floor, it is clearly the pivotal point of the movie, in which the demon finds his entrance. The spiritual horror of the moment is made all the greater by the fact that the scene is so understated, short, and lightly played.
In his column, Blatty does not directly address those who have, over the years, missed the point of his novel, but he does make a connection that I have made in reminding Catholics of the Catholic origins of Halloween (and the anti-Catholic attack on Halloween):
[E]very year on [Halloween] I put out the pumpkin with the cutout eyes and nose and face and the basket full of Snickers and Mars Bars beside it; but I do keep wishing—oh, ever so wistfully and—let's face it, hopelessly—that "The Exorcist" be remembered at this time of the year for being not about shivers but rather about souls, for then it would indeed be in the real and true spirit of Halloween, which is short for the eve of All Hallows or All Saints Day.
And in addressing the persistent rumor that he had based The Exorcist on a 1949 case of possession that occurred near Georgetown University while he was a junior there, Blatty makes much better a point that I tried to express in "Halloween: A Catholic View":
I remember thinking, "Someday, somebody's got to write about this, because if an investigation were to prove that possession is real, what a help it would be to the struggling faith of possibly millions, for if there were demons, I reasoned, then why not angels? Why not God?"
Blatty "in fact did not base my novel on the 1949 case," but the case led him to investigate the history of demonic possession and to the conclusion
that in every period of recorded history, and in every culture and part of the world, there have been consistent accounts of possession and its symptoms going all the way back to ancient Egyptian chronicles, and where there is that much smoke, my reason told me, there is probably fire—and a lot of it, if you get my meaning. Do you? My faith is strong.
"My faith is strong." In the end, that is the secret message of The Exorcist: The presence of evil in the world points also to the presence of good and indeed of God. The prospect of Hell spurs us on to seek Heaven.
As Christians, we reject Satan and all of his works, and all of his empty promises, but rejecting Satan is something very different from denying his existence. Reducing evil merely to the sins of man—or, worse yet, a sociological phenomenon—does not make us safer. Like Regan's Ouija board, it opens us up to the horrifying reality of evil from which only faith can save us.
“A sermon that no one could possibly sleep through” indeed! I began reading the book on a Sunday evening and finished at about 4:00am Monday morning and I had to be at work by 8:00am. I was deeply impressed with the Catholic message of love and faith. When the movie came out, I waited in line three hours to see it. At the time it sparked a lot of inquiries about the Catholic Church on the part of non-Catholics. Unfortunately, the sequels and imitations over a period of time caused the message of the original to be obscurred.
may God help us to know the difference
An excellent reflection.
I’ll never understand why it is easier for people to believe in “evil (Satan)” than in good (God).”
I think it is harder to be “good” than it is to be “evil.”
Do you really mean to run the add for an amulet as “protection from evil”?
I see it is no longer their. Than k you, Jesus.
Scott Richert, thank you for your lucid commentary on the book/movie The Exorcist as it relates to faith in God. …..Bravo.
I’ve read the Exorcist many times, the first time while in high school. I am glad that I’m not the only one who sees it as intended, a story of faith and hope. In the end, God will always prevail.
“…if there were demons, I reasoned, then why not angels? Why not God?”
I’ve been going at this the other way round for many years; it always struck me that so many people believe in angels and God but not in demons, i.e., the bad angels. And that the vast majority of Christian folks in this country who believe they’re going to heaven directly. Rarely does anyone think they’re going to the other places. I have told them that if there are angels, then there most certainly are demons, and that Satan is real, not a figment of some ancient mythological imagination. Furthermore that he exults in our disbelief. I’ve been recommending “The Screwtape Letters” to them accordingly, along with “The Exorcist.”
As an enormous fan of both the original novel and film, I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Blatty’s original intention in that the ultimate message in not just “faith,” but the “mystery of faith.” It is easy – far too easy – to get caught up in the film’s production visuals: the demonic make-up and voice, the language, the special effects, etc., but overlook that and you will find an incredibly deep, powerful (and yes, even moving) examination of the what the belief in God, his love, and power can achieve. As a Catholic, I honestly believe that the novel is far better than the film, yet the film is far scarier than the novel. Either way, the ultimate message is never lost; in fact for a further and much deeper study into Mr. Blatty’s examination on faith, I higly recomend some of his other works, “Legion, The Ninth Configuration,” and “Dimiter.” He words read and speak like no other. Thank you, Mr. Blatty for your gift (through literature and words) to your fellow Catholics/Christians. And Happy Birthday!