[X]

There have been things about The Exorcist that I have always been curious about.

1. In the scene when Chris goes to the attic to investigate the sounds and check the traps with the candle in her hand, the flame of the candle shoots upwards and Karl flashes the light on her, she gets startled. Why did she not think that the flame jumping like that was worth questioning. Not even with the thought of something supernatural at hand, but wouldn’t she suspect a gas leak of some type? I know I would have. That is the only scene I personally would remove from the film; just Karl coming out unexpectedly should have been enough to make her jump like that. The candle flame jumping the way it did almost seemed like a cheap shot.

2. In the credits, Donna Mitchell is credited as Mary Jo Perrin, now we all know who she is in the book but she was never pointed out specifically in the film itself. Is she the strikingly beautiful, graceful, slim woman in the black dress sitting on the couch next to Father Dyer?

3. When Chris finds the crucifix under Regan’s pillow, she takes it with her asking the others who put it there..Kinderman shows up, she still has the crucifix, places it down and talks with Kinderman. After he leaves we all know what happens…but how did the crucifix get back into Regans possession (no pun intended)? Did Regan herself quietly sneak downstairs and take it; did Pazuzu magically bring it back upstairs; was it a different crucifix entirely? The idea of Regan sneaking downstairs and taking it strikes me as the creepiest.

Any ideas?

[Witch of Endor]

I would agree with you on the point about the candle being an unnecessary shot. It might had been from the book. Who knows. The gas leak idea is interesting. Does anyone have more experience with volatile gases? Would it cause a candle flame to behave like this?

Also, candle flames are somewhat unpredictable things. Is it possible for a candle to explode like this inexplicably in real life?

[fatherbowdern]

1. It wouldn’t be the same without the “flame-fest” shot. I don’t think it’s cheap, I think it was supposed to make the audience think about the supernatural at play whether Chris made a connection or not. Friedkin loved the build-up parts of this film and this was just one more attempt at bringing us closer in on the subject matter. If it was a gas leak, I think it would have been more volatile than just a jumping candle flame.

2. Yes to Mary Jo Perrin as Donna Mitchell. In believe there was a segment filmed with her and a part of the cast using the Ouija Board that was ultimately cut out. Donna was the one who introduced the Ouija Board in the film although it was ultimately shot with Regan discovering the Ouija Board in the basement closet well before the party. And, I guess if we think about, why did Chris have a Ouija Board at all?

3. I also assumed it was the same crucifix and that the possessed Regan went back downstairs during the Kinderman investigation with Chris. Same crucifix that Karl placed under her pillow (although Karl comes across as innocent).

[Author]

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