The Exorcist (1973)
- Information at Internet Movie Database
- Hollywood Jesus visual review.
- Review, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Health - Spiritual Practices for Human Being.
- Themes
- Call
- Father Merrin and Father Karras are called to what they both seem to know will be their deaths in order to confront the demon.
- Father Karras' call/immediate decision to sacrifice himself in order to keep the demon from killing Regan.
- Confrontation with Evil
- Father Merrin and Father Karras confront the evil in Regan and the "demons" within themselves.
- Evil as "Possession"
- "Innocent" Regan (or Regan on the cusp of maturity), is possessed in order to attack Father Merrin.
- "I noticed that there are two pictures that Regan draws. The detective in the movie picks these pictures up and examines them. I noticed that one of them was a lamb with spots and a lion with wings, these are both beasts in Revelation. One of the priests asked Regan's mother that if they had any religious beliefs, and she said no. I took that into conclusion thinking that if she didn't have any beliefs she would have never thought about what Regan was drawing." (Patrick, Memphis TN)
- Sacrificial Death
- Father Karras sacrifices himself in order to keep the demon from killing Regan.
- Spiritual Struggle/Fighting Inner
Demons
- The demon uses the weaknesses of the priests to turn them against themselves and make them less able to fight the evil attacking Regan.
- Call