CaptainHowdy.com The #1 Exorcist Fansite Since 1999
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Good to know I’m not crazy! It’s an interesting read. There is an extensive article about the films run in England, as well as one about a murder trial concerning a man who became possessed . Brief interview with Linda Blair. I was glad I added it to my collection of Exorcist coverage.
I too want to take a minute to thank you for keeping this site going. It’s got to be a lot of work, but I would be so very sad if it were to vanish. So give yourself a pat on the back…your hard work and passion does not go unnoticed!
I have to say, I’m kind of excited about this. I love the book,and would really like to see a version that would be able to explore the book more fully without time constraints. Also, this does open the door for a Legion mini series that more closely follows the book,and would require recasting of Kinderman like the move did.
This is amazing. Thanks so much for posting it. Between this and the YouTube video showing audience reaction to the film I’m thinking a documentary , In the spirit of ‘Room 237’ would be amazing. I have always been fascinated by the way this film affected people the year it came out.
It’s funny, but Friedkin putting those effects in, and then taking them back out is more troublesome to me then if he had left them in. It’s tinkering rather then thoughtful additions being made. I expect more from him. What bothered me soooo much more then those “subliminals” is captain Howdys head sitting on the range top. That scene would have been greatly improved by having that face very, very slowly illuminate and vanish behind her, as though the demon was manifesting standing behind her….almost barely perceptible….like a ghost. The location and this quick flash bulb appearance so bothers me. I think that Captain Howdy observing, barely perceptible, almost strangely curious behind her in the back of the kitchen would have been chilling.
That said, none of the additions to that scene were in anyway necessary. I will say, to a person that had seen the movie a hundred times, it made the theatrical viewing that year kind of exciting…not knowing what was going to happen. That’s why I actually like the spider walk scene. Me and my three friends were sitting there, knowing full well what was coming. What we didn’t know was how the scene would finish, with the mouth full of blood, the sound Regan makes and the fade to black with the further sounds. I remember we all kind of giggled nervously and looked at each other. It was kind of a smaller version of the blindside that viewers were faced with when it originally came out. I think the spider walk begining could have been tweaked better, but the end of it was a good payoff in my opinion.
Regans features morphing in the hypnosis scene though….ugh.
Yeah, this is one of the only scenes that really, really nags at me…mainly because it looks exactly like The Joker. If it had been a flash of the statue with Captain Howdys face, it would have been so much easier to swallow. That said, I had never read or even heard of your theory ChristCompels, and I find it fascinating. A very interesting wrinkle to a film already filled with dread. Nicely done.
Nicely done JimBlake…especially for something written so quickly. It’s chilling to imagine what went on in that room between the two of them. His being semi conscious and it happening slowly is just terrifying.
I too being the consummate completist will purchase this. I’m glad to have The Fear of God on a blu ray. I would like it if they included the dialogue that plays after the commentary on the 25 th anniversary DVD. I also like this cover. It reminds me of a criterion edition.
Granville, that was the most fascinating answer/theory I could have hoped for. Thank you! I hadn’t thought of any of those things, and it brings a whole new level of creepiness to the opening. Teddy, you are indeed right…he was an old priest who had a massive coronary when Karras crawled out of his coffin. Karras then put Fain’s body in the coffin in his place. Fain had been loudly complaining to anyone who would listen about how he felt mistreated and was going to leave one day, so when he disappeared after preparing Karras body, no one found it unusual.
I actually sent Eric a message on Facebook about his book but he never replied. It’s a shame because I am very anxious to purchase this book. Hell, I’d buy a print on demand version from him, but alas, no response.
 I was just coming on here to write about this- discovered it today. Cant wait to see it in December. Its a 40.00 book so I suspect as well it should be very comprehensive.
To the original poster…thank you! What a wonderful read. I would love to see more like this here. Truly, thank you.
I too would love to hear your thoughts after reading the book. It is truly an amazing read, and one that makes me long for an HBO mini series that is a faithful adaptation of the book. My feeling in watching that scene was a glimpse of the human flaw that Karras shares with many of us. A flaw that his faith (or lack of) and his priesthood have not been able to enable him to overcome. I felt that he was disgusted with the man…much like Merrin says the demon is attempting to do, make us feel ugly and unworthy of God’s love. I felt Pazuzu chose to mimic that exchange to point out in a way that this priest, this man of God, was essentially reacting to Regans plight the same way…
My two cents
I Always thought the house itself could be the catalyst for a very chilling sequel. With the kind ofnevil that permeated that room, it doesn’t seem a far leap to imagine it remaining a very dark and sinister place that no one lives in for very long. Not a possession story as much as a haunted house story….
Okay, allow me to replace “my theory” with my opinion…and also reiterate that I can only speak to the conversations I have had in MY social circle. Also, as a Chatholic, being scared of demonic possession is not the same as being scared of a were wolf. One is an integral part of your religious upbringing, and the other is a fictional creature. Also note, I said my personal opinion, not that it was the one and only logical conclusion. I had hoped for a possible discussion regarding the belief system of younger generations of viewers and how that may affect their view of this film. I guess I should have just posted a link to an Exorcist sim instead…
Hi everyone ,
My theory on why the Exorcist doesn’t seem to have the same effect on younger generations today comes from my own limited experiences at work. I am 42 and most of the staff I work with are in their early to mid 20s. The majority of them consider themselves atheists or agnostics. Most of them don’t believe in anything spiritual or paranormal. I won’t even go into how troubling I find this…I grew up Catholic, which of course made the Exorcist far more frightening for me. My personal opinion is that if you don’t believe in God or the Devil, this movie will have little effect in you.
