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It turns out in the novel that it was Regan possessed who did the desecrations. Blatty enlists Karras as a red herring suspect – Karras could have had a spite against the Church, he knew Latin and could have typed the blasphemous altar card insert, etc. But by the time the story is over, it’s clear that the real culprit was Regan possessed.
Ditto Burke Dennings’ murder: Blatty implies Karras as a suspect – Karras has an athlete’s physical strength, and knows about the “head-backward” method of witchcraft murder. But, as with the desecrations, by the end, we know that Regan, not Karras, killed Dennings.
Unfortunately this is one of the gray areas in the film that are not explained, unless you have prior knowledge from reading the book.
In an early scene in the film, Sharon took Regan out to the park, where she met a man with a horse. In the book the man lets Regan ride the horse, and Regan goes missing from Sharon for a period of time. It is presumed that it’s during the time Regan leaves the park on her own, she visited the church and committed the desecrations.
I have gone back and have taken my time to read the book, since this and other questions have been brought up from fans of the book and the movie.
As for the desecration of the chruch it was LT. Kinderman who brought this to light, by the clues he has gathered lets us know that it was Regan who had done the desecration and the killing of Burke Dennings . In the novel LT. Kinderman in the begining thought that it was Karl who might have killed Burke Denning since 1) he lied about his where abouts in the night in question 2) Dennings always messed with Karl of he being a Nazi and Karl insisting he was Swiss(in the party Karl and Dennings having a scuffle)
That road was quickly closed of Karl killing Dennigs when LT. Kinderman follows Karl to his jukie daughter Elvira’s apartment and there he realizes why Karl lied of his whereabouts that night.He lied because he wanted to protect his daughter and to shield her mother(his wife) , who belived Elivra to be dead and past all harm and degradation.
LT, Kinderman belived that the desecration of HOLY TRINITY Burke’s death were somehow linked together.Both involved witchcraft and the one who did the desecration could have been the one who murdered Denning.
Then LT.Kinderman notice that an expert on black mass,(FR. Karras)is making visits to the residence of Mrs. McNeil.
Another clue is the the prints that were recovered on the note left behind on the altar . One of the finger prints were Fr. Karras since he handled the note to translate the note but they were another set of print. Those prints that came from a smaller hand quite possibly of a child.
The typing on the altar card had been compared to a typed impression on a letter that Sharon had crumpled and was taken by LT. Kinderman.The report had come to the conclusion that the letter and the card were done by the same type writer but different person.The typist of the altar card had a much heavier stoke than that of Sharon it also was suggested that altar card could have been done by someone with extraordinary strength.
LT.kinderman always thought that Burke Dennings death was not accident that he had been killed by someone with alot of strength, he came with that conclusion by the way Burke Dennings head was. It was turned facing the wrong way.
The last clue was the airline reservation the Chris had take Regan to Dayton, Ohio . LT. Kinderman knew that Regan was ill and was being taken to a clinic. He put two and two together and he figured that Barringer would be the clinic she would be going to. A phone call was made to the clinic , they confirmed she had been seen but could not say for way she was seen for.He concluded that it was for a mental disorder.Serious mental disorders cause extraordinary strength , he thought to him self.
LT. Kinderman knew or felt that Regan was the one and the same responsible of the desecration and Dennings death. Those were the clues that the book gave us .I wonder what all these references are to mental disorders causing unusual strength. Does anyone know of a confirmed real life case where a mental disorder caused a child to have extreme strength?
The reason Kinderman was so obsessed with the little clay figures is because the same clay was used to make the pointed breasts and phallus in the church desecrations, also one of Regan’s figures shown in the basement near the Ouija scene shows a figurine with the same orange/red paint as the church desecrations.
At least this was the intention of the director, for the viewer to see the connection. But it isn’t as obvious as intented.
You are so right Nightboi, I had forgotten about that.
Yes, there is also somewhere in the book where it says that LT. Kinderman scraches some paint off the clay bird figure to have it analyzed. It it is later known that the paint used on the clay bird figure is also used in the church desecration.No, I’m not kidding. I have never heard of a real life case of a medical disorder giving a child extreme strength. I know the example given in the movie of the mother lifting the car, but in real life this is not something that could be sustained for a long period of time.
dseabroo
I have never heard of a case in my life of a child having a mental disorder giving him/her extreme strength,but thats just me telling you this never having worked in the particular medical field.
The only example i can give you that even comes close to what you are asking is the following.In my family we have a child born with down syndrome . So with that said, i can give you an example that may come close to what you ask.
I remember one instance not so long ago this child took hold of my car keys as most toddlers do and would not turn them
over for the life of me.I went to get the keys from this young child and tell you i felt brut strength.I have children of my own i can tell you i never recall my children having that much strength when they were his age.I must say i took a little harder tug on my keys for the child let go of the keys. I remember thinking” man that kid is strong” as i was trying to pry my keys loose from this kid’s grip.
I know that this not what you asked but thats the only thing i could compare it too.Great example, mad, and actually this is what I remember learning at the universities that I have attended … particularly in Human Anatomy & Physiology. Just as atrophy can take over, it would not be all to uncommon for the extraordinary strength to take over as in the case you mention.
Of course, we’re talking about Regan who’s possessed in the film and she is consumed by a master demon with great strength. It doesn’t matter that the body is a 12-year-old girl’s …
Its interesting that the Catholic Church lists super-human strength as legitimate evidence of demonic possess when in the film in at least one occasion a physician tries to explain it away. This is the line where he makes the example of the woman with a baby trapped under a car.
In real life stress hormones such as epinephrine or cortisol can cause physiological changes in the body. This can include short duration extreme strength. The problem is that this strength cannot be maintained or the person will rapidly die of exhaustion. (Is this why Regan is sick?)
In any case I don’t see how stress hormone could account for a child (who isn’t a bodybuilder) could have extreme strength that lasted for more than a few minutes per week for instance.
I was wondering if anyone had some insight. In the movie there are the desecrations committed at the Karras’ church. Was it supposed to have been Regan in some quasi-possessed state who did those? Would love to hear any deas on this. Thanks
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