Exorcist Did Deal with Demon

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As we have discussed the metaphysical and theological themes present in other possession films—Insidious; The Exorcism of Emily Rose; The Devil’s Doorway; The Conjuring—I will use this essay to identify and discuss spiritual insights found in The Exorcist by viewing it through the lens of Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s “Rules for the Discernment of Spirits.” In the first section, I introduce the concept of discernment and provide an overview of the plot. Using Ignatius’s rules, attention will be given to how characters “Become Aware” of the metataxis of horror instigated by the demon Pazuzu.

Two years after the novel was published, The Exorcist was released in theaters as a motion picture. In the beginning of the film, Father Merrin finds a ruined statue of the demon during an archaeological dig in Iraq. The majority of the film deals with Regan's demonic possession by a being ...

I was enraged (in violent motion) ... narrated by him describes Pazuzu encountering other lilû demons in his travels, and breaking their wings, therefore preventing them from inflicting harm....

Exorcism (from Ancient Greek ... or spiritual practice of evicting demons, djinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be done by causing the entity ...

No deals with the devil. Satan is a thief. God, on the other hand, is infinitely generous. Accept what God sends you in humility and obedience. Believe that what God sends is truly best for you, regardless of what you want.

The credits fill the screen and we cut to Fr. Merrin at an archaeological site in northern Iraq. The priest unearths an amulet portraying the demon Pazuzu, foreshadowing his encounter with the demon later in the film.

It depends. Are there cases where people claim to be “demonically possessed” when they are in fact suffering from a trauma or some other type of psychological condition? Yes. Are there cases when con-artists are successful at duping gullible people into believing that they have a demon ...