In today’s episode, we are finally tackling the film Roger Ebert called “a raw and painful experience” that “transcends the genre of terror, horror, and the supernatural.” We are, of course, talking about William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973). Based on William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name, the film is an acknowledged classic trafficking in body horror and demonic possession, scenes of which have morphed into head turning, pea-soup laced pop culture shorthand. But is there more to this story than meets the eye? We’re breaking it all down today with spoilers so stay tuned.
References/Mentioned in this Episode
Clover, Carol J. Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film-Up. Princeton University Press, 2015.
Collative Learning. The even darker underbelly of THE EXORCIST - film analysis. YouTube, 24 January 2017.
Ebert, Roger. “The Exorcist.” RogerEbert.com, 23 December 1973.
Happy Haunts Library, YouTube, 2023.
Heffernan, Ryan. “The 9 Most Hilarious 'The Exorcist' Parodies in Movies and TV Shows.” Collider, 9 October 2023.
Schuetz, Janice. "“The exorcist”: Images of good and evil." Western Journal of Communication (includes Communication Reports) 39.2 (1975): 92-101.
Williams, Marlena. Night Mother: A Personal and Cultural History of The Exorcist. Mad Creek Books, 2023.
Faces of Fear: Encounters with the Creators of Modern Horror. Berkley Trade, 1985, pp. 36-49.
Gothic Decay: Talking House of Usher (1960)
Born Bad?: Talking A Nightmare on Elm Street 1 & 3
Christmas Horror: Talking Better Watch Out (2016) and It's a Wonderful Knife (2023)
Sloths Gone Wild: Talking Slotherhouse (2023)
A Hand to Hold: Talking Talk to Me (2023)
Always Check Your Candy: Talking Trick 'r Treat
Flesh and Blood: Talking Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Blood in the Water: Talking Shark Night (2011) & The Shallows (2016)
Platformed Dread: Talking Influencer (2023)
A Disaster of a Movie: Talking Godzilla (1998)
Where are all the bodies?: Talking Barbarian (2022)
A Return to Nihilism: Talking Smile (2022)
Before Norman Bates: Talking the Spiral Staircase (1946)
But She's a Star!: Talking Pearl (2022)
A Divisive Slasher: Talking Sick (2022)
Time to Start Running: Talking Cirque Berzerk (2020)
Rewriting the Slasher: Talking They/Them (2022)
The Taboo of Aging: Talking "X" (2022)
The Other Bad Seed: Talking Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)
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