[X]

I am originally from Pakistan & I came to America in the summer of 1973, August 13, 1973 to be exact. Some of my family are very religious, traditional Muslims who believe in God, Satan, angels, demons, black magic etc. When we lived in Pakistan we were very poor and shared a house with quite a lot of extended family and one of the members of that extended family was a female cousin. Now supposedly she was possessed by a demon who called itself “Ram Lal”, which in translation means Prince Red, kind of creepy aint it? Anyway being as poor as we were I was born in the house where all of those people, including my cousin, lived. And in that house 3 exorcisms were held at different times through out her life well before I was even born, so I was raised on stories of such a nature.
1973, December in America, my father, who never bought into the whole cousin being possessed thing being the wise man that he was, went to see The Exorcist. He was a rational, level headed man who wasn’t afraid of anything, and who was empty of all superstitions, however, when he came home after seeing The Exorcist, and went to sleep, he suddenly awoke screaming like a child in the middle of the night and shivering (I was 4 years old at the time and I still remember that as if it were yesterday). He awoke not knowing where he was, and just utterly terrified almost on the verge of tears. Automatically my curiosity about the movie went through the roof and the very next day I began begging my parents to take me to see it. At first they said no but I guess they took into consideration all of the stories that my siblings and cousins would tell me of the possessed cousin and figured why the Hell not.
Jump to August, 1974, a drive in movie theater in Canada. We were visiting family (we lived in Brooklyn NY at the time) and we all decided to go see The Exorcist. I can’t even begin to tell you the impact it had on me. It was as if someone had given me a hit of LSD at 4 years of age. All of the stories I had heard, all of the fears I had about that house I was born in suddenly came to life infront of my eyes on screen. It was one of those defining moments in life – absolutely terrifying, to the point of bringing me to tears, and absolutely beautiful at the same time. One of the greatest memories I have.
After that night I was just never the same kid, I was consumed by fear most of the time, yet completely intrigued by it. Some would say that it was an unwise decision on my parents part, however, cultural & religious factors have to be taken into consideration, and according to the Islamic religion it is perfectly OK to expose a child to such subject matter in order to teach him/her about God and all things supernatural.
I personally don’t believe in anything like that anymore, no God, no Satan, no demons, no possession etc. etc., and I believe that my cousin was schizophrenic, but in the 50’s and 60’s, when these exorcisms took place, the concept of mental illness wasn’t in the least bit popular or accepted in Pakistan.
To make an already very long and very boring story slightly shorter, I apologize for the length (insert small penis joke here), the next time I saw The Exorcist was the night before the first day of school for the 5th grade, and it hit me ten times harder.
The Exorcist is just a stunningly beautiful work of art to me. I am deeply in love with that film because it has had such a tremendous impact on my life, and I find it to be a perfectly flawless film (coninuity errors excluded). Maybe if the topic ever presents itself I will write out the symptoms she had as well as the behaviour she displayed that led others to think she was possessed.

[fatherbowdern]

Both great stories here. Second-grader Marianna D was scared shitless (if she really saw it) or she’s a good mockingbird! 😉

X – I think your parents are a little twisted to take a 4-y-o to see this film at such an impressionable age regardless of religious beliefs. (X, this is not a slam to you or your parents, but did they know what they were going to be seeing?). I’m sure you were scared to death by the visceral experience alone because you couldn’t possibly understand the storyline at that age.

I was 12 and my dad was irrational in taking me to see The Exorcist at such a young age. He obviously had no idea what he was getting us both into. It really didn’t impress him either way, but it sure as hell put an impression on this little Catholic boy! 🙂

[Kinderfan]

Xmas came around, I ran to the tree, I saw the 3 items, laying there, just 3 tapes, not much, but I do remember the joy! I GOT WHAT I WANTED, YESSSS!
Item 1, Halloween on VHS
Item 2, HE-MAN figure (Manatarms)
Item 3, The Exorcist on VHS
Again people, I HAD NO CLUE of what this movie was all about. It was something promising, since my mother bolted from her room (the only room in the house with a TV) once I walked in, asking, “Can I watch my movie right now, please?
My mom kept on ranting onto my father now, “No way, in hell, may God forgive me! That I’m letting you guys watch that movie here!!”
My father tried to calm her down, but there was no use, she was not giving up.
The excitement grew from 1 to about a million after watching my mom react.
I was clutching that tape soo hard in my little hands it hurt!
I was afraid my mom was going to take it away from me, I ran to my father,
“Hey dad, what the heck are we going to do??, c’mon, do something daaad!”
After about 5 more minutes of that, he woke up called my uncle and had the conversation went like this:

-“Hey dude, yeah sorry, I know what time it is… listen, Santa brought the movie “The Exorcist” to the kid and…”
-“Yes I know… I know… but that’s not the point dude, anyway, he wants to watch it and Nora is not letting us, can we go to your house tonight and…”
There was a pause, I figured my uncle was telling my aunt that we where coming over that night, all of a sudden from where I was standing I heard my aunt screaming over the phone.
“On the Lord’s Birthday??? What kind of … no! no, no, no! not in MY house
with my uncle following,
“well you can go to their house and do the girl thing with Nora, go get ready as a matter of fact, you are leaving right now!!” (My uncle ruled his house with IRON fist)

My dad hung up the phone, looked at me, “Get ready, go change”
Still holding for dear life to the tape, I went to my room, got ready and was out in 5 minutes.
That Xmas weather was awful, very windy, crazy windy! When we got to their house, my aunt was about to leave to my house but she made sure to gave me a speech as of why it was wrong watching this movie. “I got it auntie, you don’t want us to see girls flashing their vaginas, too late, too late” Of course I didn’t verbalize this I didn’t want my aunt to rip off my mouth! I just thought of it of course…

To be continued… soon!
Kindy

[Father Merrin]

Great stories guys. X man I can’t believe you saw that film at 4!!! I’m guessing the only saving grace at that age is that you were probably too young to take it all in. But, I respect the fact you saw it in the 5th grade just to make sure the psychological damage all Exorcist fans have experienced was complete:)

& I’m loving your running narative Kinderfan, keep it coming.

My tale isn’t as heavy as X’s but I’ll share anyway.

Basically I’d been obsessed with this film years before I even saw it. From about the age of 9 I tried to get my hands on “the scariest film ever” but to no avail.

So I made do with the sequals which just feed my obession even more. I even tracked down the novel Legion which freaked me out & not because of the story. Nope what put the shivers down my spine was the fact that in the book instead of Chapters there were dates & the last date in novel is March 20th… my birthday!!!

Obviously being a rational 11 year old I became convinced after reading Legion that it was my destiny to watch this banned film. But, I was still unable to get my hands on it.

One Saterday me & my friend decided to visit a part of London we’d never been to before. In the town centre there was a book shop which had The Exorcist & I obviously bought. Sadly being a couple of dumb arse 12 year olds we didn’t know how to get back home & we ended up walking back home along a motor way for 3hrs. Which brings me to another point, The Exorcist kinda brings me bad luck, more of that later.

So I’m 12 & in high school & decided to put the word out about me wanting the film. After 2 weeks of no luck suddenly a mate lent me it. I was so excited I watched it first thing when I got home. & guess what, it wasn’t The Exorcist it was WWF, it turns out my mate was full of shit. I was not a happy bunny.

Anyway, all hope was dashed. I had asked the entire grade & nothing. Fortuantly there was one friend who had aunt who had recently came back from Sweeden with a VHS. My friend lent me this VHS promising it had The Exorcist on it & this time I wasn’t disappointed. I won’t bore you with the psychological damage it caused, we’ve all been there. But, after I watched the film like after I read the book I had a terrible run of bad luck. The very next day I was electrocuted from a wall socket, the day after that broke up with my girlfriend & the day after that I fell out with nearly all my friends.

I was happy as can be on the Monday after wathcing The Exorcist finally after so many years but by the end of the week I was as low as I’d ever been in my young life.

But, it all worked out OK in the end, thank god. I see the whole experience in a ying yang kinda way. I had the joy of the film but I had to balance it out with the pain afterwoulds, but it was worth it.

[fatherbowdern]

What enjoyable bevy of The Exorcist stories! Keep it coming gang!

[Kinderfan]

So finally, it was just the men! My dad, my uncle and my smart ass older cousin Guillermo (or as we call him, “Memo”)
Now see, my older cousin had this thing about keeping me on my toes. From watching movies together to driving with him, this prick was always finding a way to creep me out.
This time it was no different,
“So, let me see that tape!” he said (by the way, I got a pirate copy so I couldn’t read a synopsis on the back of the case).
I gave it to him and he just held it for a moment… he kept staring at it, not saying anything.

“You know that Satan is inside this tape, right??” he said

“Excuse me??”

“well yeah dick! this movie is about a girl who is possessed by the devil himself!” he smiled

“No is not! you are just making shit up! This movie is about girls showing tits my buddy! Like revenge of the nerds and Porky’s!” I reassured

I should had known better because he just looked at me, gave me the tape back and said:
“This is going to be interesting”

My uncle’s living room had the following set up, right in front of the TV set there where 2 recliners, my dad and him sat down on them. To the left and right sides, (facing each other), there were 2 couches I sat in one and my cousin in the opposite one.

“Hey!, hey!… so what do you mean the devil is in the tape dude??” I kept asking.
“Hey! no worries kid! It’s like Porky’s remember?” he smiled
(at the time I was still very into the whole heaven and hell, I was preparing for my first communion as a matter of fact)
“C’mon Memo don’t be a jerk, tell me!!”

But he didn’t say a word, my uncle popped in the tape, turned the lights off, volume turned up…
Opening sequence, Iraq… calling chants for prayer…
“this is not going to be like revenge of the nerds…” I sighed

As the movie went by I kept on sinking deeper and deeper into the couch.
Party at the McNeil house, “You are going to die up there!”
Regan was taken to her room, I knew something was coming up, I moved to the opposite couch next to my cousin, we where both lying down across the sofa. I was fixed on the TV.

“Is that stain coming out?”
“mooooooom, moooooooom!!!”
Chris ran to the room and opened the door, Regan’s bed was shaking, rattling the wooden floors.
At that point my asshole dad and uncle decided it would be funny if they held both end of the sofa and shake them up and down right when Chris opened the door to Regan’s room.
Memo pissed his pants, I screamed like a girl. I wanted to beat the crap out of my dad I swear, I was beyond pissed and SCARED shitless!

“Not funny guys! not cool! I’m telling my mom!
Memo was there standing like an idiot with piss all over his pants.
Movie had to be stopped, he changed, we made our parents sit on the couches right in front of us.
When the movie ended I was sweating, I was tired and scared beyond my wildest dreams. It took me about 3 years to get over that day. I had nightmares every day for about a year. Little by little I stopped being scared and became obsessed with all the complexities of the film. Not to mention Linda Blair’s face! I was sooo in love with her!
The very next day, the sun was shinning and I was never happier to see the light of day, everything was put in perspective, even at that young age I understood right there and then, that life is precious and short. Not to mention that happiness is something that can be snatched away from you at any given time.
That evil exists and is part of this world just as much as all that’s good and precious.

And that was how this movie got me.
To this day and forever I will keep “The Exorcist” as the only movie that rocked my soul and mind.
Thanks you everybody for not letting me know I’m not alone!
Cheers!
Kinderfan

[Kinderfan]

So after reading my last post here, I decided (and since I don’t remember if there is such a thread here).
Here it is! Kinderfan’s, smoke free! Unrated version of:
“The First time I watched The Exorcist”

I was in second grade at the time, I’m 33 so you do the math because right now, I’m just… a bit hazed out.
As a kid, I attended private school, no, my parents are not rich, but some of my classmates were… those little pricks had EVERYTHING!
I had to beg like an animal for my $hit, do chores, good grades, running errands for my mom. Almost not worth it…
Anyway, the desk in front of me, little Mariana D was that little bitch, the pain, the mean one… Yet! She was also the one who for some sadomasochistic reason everybody tried to please and befriend. Like Barbie she had everything, but the looks, she was ugly. Life is pretty curious, for lack of a better word.

That school year we didn’t get to pick our seats, the teacher assigned them so I was stuck with Mariana D and her snooty tuckus.
One Monday I overheard her talking to some other girl about the lavish list of presents she got for her birthday, but what got my attention was a comment she made about a movie she watched with her cousins called “The ExTortist, “or something like that”.
“It was sooooo gross, that girl barfed all over a priest and then showed her vagina to a doctor, ugh!!”
Well at the time that just sounded like something in the likes of “The Revenge of the Nerds” but a bit more hardcore. At least to me… it did. “I might wanna check that one out!” little Kinderfan thought.

Christmas was just around the corner and that year, yours truly was aceing second grade, and had a rackful of good behavior vouchers with my parents so X-Mas was promising to be a good harvest.
I had my list ready! 3 items carefully selected, plus since I knew they weren’t that much, my dad, I mean Santa, was for sure to get them all. No excuses, The letter to “Santa” was given to my father for delivery on December 1st. Santa had plenty of time to get his shit together.
“I don’t think Santa has access to this kind of movies son” my father said

“Oh I’m sure Santa will find a way, by the way here is my report card dad!
And have you looked inside my room?? Spotless huh!!??” and I walked way.
VINI VIDI F#*N VICI!!
(Actual facts)
to be continued…

[fatherbowdern]

We’re here, Kinderman … including God and Satan.

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