[Jaygon]

I’m pretty sure that Pazuzu ended up in Georgetown because Regan was playing with the Ouija board. The reason it bothered with Regan?
Well, according to Blatty’s book, it was to make the world doubt that any god could exist, should such a horrible thing happen to a little girl.
The Heretic hints that pazuzu PICKED Regan because she is one of God’s special creatures, one of a few that can beat Pazuzu, therefore he is attracted to her and those others (“But perhaps the locusts come BECAUSE of the boy”)
Regan had probably been playing with the board for awhile.

The significance of the first scene, I believe, is Merrin coming face to face with an ancient evil.One he has met before.
The dogs fighting represent the sound of the beast and an animalistic lust to do harm to each other.

Of course, Exorcist:The beginning gave me shivvers when I first saw the possesssed Sarah and how similar she looked/sounded to Evil Regan. What a shock Merrin must have got when he first saw Regan.It must have been quite painful.

[Jaygon]

But to answer the original question I think the scene implied:
“Round 2”

[Benocles_Czar]

Jaygon,

You are absolutely correct. Pazazu possessed Regan because she played with the Ouija board…

Cheers & God Bless
Benjamin Szumskyj

[Regan]

The whole Iraq sequence you’re speaking of, is all foreshadowing the events that are to come in Georgetown. The dogs are symbolising the battle that’s about to take place between Merrin and Pazuzu in the future.

[cappy]

That’s right. Although, the dogs I interpreted diffrently; dogs are natrually friendly creatures. So when they fight near the statue, to me it symbolises how the demon’s spirit enters creatures and make them “animal and ugly”. It makes them turn against each other.

[magus]

It’s fun to note that the bigwigs at Warner Bros. were puzzeled by this sequence. They wondered about its real importance and inclusion in the final film!

[Father Merrin]

The whole opening scene is a symbolic prelude to what happens later. For example in the commentary Friedkin explains the two fighting dogs represents “The Dogs of War” & so lets the audience know this priest is going have a confrontation later on in the film:)

[oki9Sedo]

That’s right. Although, the dogs I interpreted diffrently; dogs are natrually friendly creatures. So when they fight near the statue, to me it symbolises how the demon’s spirit enters creatures and make them “animal and ugly”. It makes them turn against each other.

I always thought the same, although I don’t think his “spirit” has entered the dogs or anything, its just that the atmosphere around the statue drives them to become savage, vicious animals.

[ManInKhakiExorcist]

“Evil against evil.”

Whatever that means, I still don’t know. 😐

But the two dogs’ gnashing of teeth reminds me of this quote from later in the prelude.

M.I.K.E.

[granville1]

“Evil against evil” I think was the museum curator’s comment – presumably as a Moslem – that the ancients fought evil (sickness, etc.) with evil, i.e., demonic help as represented in the Pazuzu amulet. Also, and this is a stretch, I wonder if Friedkin was hinting that the Jesuits are less than holy. He managed to film Merrin and Karras in rather spooky light and camera angles. Maybe he was winking at the audience – it takes evil Jesuits to fight evil demons. As I said, it’s a stretch.

[Jason Stringer]

A big stretch – but nice thought. It’s possible. I always took Evil against Evil to mean exactly what you said, granville1 – that the ancients fought evil (sickness, etc.) with evil.

[pazrags]

hi i had 2 question in the beginning of the exorcist when merrin is in iraq and sees the statue of pazuzu and then the wind blows the sand and the dogs were fighting what exaclty happened there. can someone give me a full detail on this? and how did pazuz end up in georgetown anyway? Thanks a bunch in advance for any help given

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