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I always noticed the resemblance to The Joker, too.

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I once watched the film with a friend who spoke fluent Greek.  I believe one of the things she says is, “You are not my son!”  I think that was in the hospital scene.  I'm almost positive that The Demon says something about Karras looking as though he's cold, when he's speaking in her voice.

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Perhaps if he just just  used the words “Captain Howdy” in the description?  I don't think they've cornered the market on that phrase.

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Even as a newcomer, I've managed to spot a fanboyish argument or two!

 

That being said, I also feel that the demon is wreaking as much havoc as possible on Regan while still keeping her alive, while biding its time until Meeeeerrrrrrrrrin inevitablly arrives.

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I'm glad you got the reference, at any rate.  Fantastic job!

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Back in the 80's, Channel 56 out of Boston would show it every now and again, and it was always treated as a big event.  My family had a gathering, and treated the film with a grim reverence.  They tucked me away in my room, which was far from the living room, and told me NOT to come out under any circumstances.  This would be in 1982 or so, and I was 6 years old.

A couple years later, the same channel showed it again, and I actually managed to catch the ad they showed for it – and it TERRIFIED me, making a deep and lasting impression on my impressionable mind.

After that, I managed to acquire a copy of the book, and managed to read it (in bits and pieces – my mother would always confiscate it).  I don't think I managed to see the actual film until I was 19 or so, and by then I was rather fascinated by it.  I won't be one of the meatheads who says that the film doesn't scare me, as it is impossible to be unmoved by the sheer tension of the film, but as a non-believer, it didn't strike the same chord with me that it does with others.

However, what does strike a similar chord would be the sheer terror that the images seen in that first commercial inspired within me.  Within the context of the dream, the film frightens me more as a concept unto itself, as opposed to the events that occur in the story.  Therefore, the Exorcist-inspired nightmares generally start out as being about me watching the film, which always frightens me far more in my dreams than in reality.  Occasionally, I'll get “sucked into” the movie, and start interacting with the characters, etc., but it always starts with me dreaming that I'm watching the film.

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Admit it – you're totally Tommy Jarvis, aren't you?

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For what it's worth, I don't think that the similarities are coincidental.  The bird certainly shares the posture and general shape of the Pazuzu statue, not to mention the aforementioned similarities between the tortoise scuplture and the piece that Merrin unearths in Iraq.

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Father Bowdern said:

Hi peterbutT <<< I see what your name means in reverse,

I believe you are looking in the direction of a living, breathing physical creature. That is not the case for this novel or all five films in this series, all of which relies on the demon Pazuzu as the villain. I was actually addressing Amanda about the moniker and singling out this source, Pazuzu. Often, people who view the film the first time around think there are multiple spiritual entities or, in most instances, believe it is the devil himself inside of Regan (as suggested by Pazuzu to Father Karras in their initial meeting).

As far as Blatty or Friedkin going on record, it really does not matter. Based on the content of both the novel and films, it is what it is. Of course, you can always do some research and report back to us. 

Father Bowdern

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Father Bowdern said:

Hi peterbutT <<< I see what your name means in reverse, I believe you are looking in the direction of a living, breathing physical creature. That is not the case for this novel or all five films in this series, all of which relies on the demon Pazuzu as the villain. I was actually addressing Amanda about the moniker and singling out this source, Pazuzu. Often, people who view the film the first time around think there are multiple spiritual entities or, in most instances, believe it is the devil himself inside of Regan (as suggested by Pazuzu to Father Karras in their initial meeting). As far as Blatty or Friedkin going on record, it really does not matter. Based on the content of both the novel and films, it is what it is. Of course, you can always do some research and report back to us. 

Father Bowdern

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I wasn't thinking so much of a living, breathing, creature.  I merely thought that the use of the Pazuzu imagery was meant to be more abstract -  an ill omen in the Iraq sequence, and a recurring symbol of ancient evil throughout the film;  as opposed to being a direct calling card as to the identity of the demon.  But if Blatty has more or less said, “It's Pazuzu that's possessing Regan,” then I guess that's that!

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Father Bowdern said:

Amanda,

Regan is possessed by the demon Pazuzu. “In Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, Pazuzu (sometimes Fazuzu or Pazuza) was the king of the demons of the wind, and son of the god Hanbi. He also represented the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms and drought (Wikipedia).”

At times during the film, it can be confusing about who is inside of Regan due to the various voices used. For instance, differing singular or multiple vocal entities emanate from Regan at various times. These are merely a part of the intentional mental illusions that Pazuzu exploits onto his victims in order to reach his ultimate goal of the grand showdown with Father Merrin in the film’s final exorcism scenes.

This is the very same demon in the initial scenes in Iraq when Merrin uncovers the small amulet head of Pazuzu, thus, opening something akin to Pandora’s Box. We see this same demon a few minutes later when Merrin is facing the large statue of Pazuzu at the archeological dig site. That scene is a crucial point because Pazuzu lost the battle against Merrin’s exorcism that lasted for months in Iraq. Pazuzu merely uses Regan as his instrument to find a way to even the score with Merrin.

I hope that helps.

Father Bowdern

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Has Blatty or even Friedkin gone on record about this?  I always thought that the use of the Pazuzu imagery was meant more symbolically, as an omen of a conflict with an ancient evil.  To have Pazuzu be THE demon in question would be kind of heavy-handed, to me.

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