The Exorcist
Science vs. Religion

The St. Joseph’s medallion which was found at the same
time as the amulet of the demon Pazuzu. Pazuzu’s escape
is represented by the puff of air that is released as the
amulet is found. He is in the air that surrounds Regan
during the posession.

Strange occurrences in the night such as the shaking bed
prompts Regan to be taken to the hospital. The lighting
in this scene suggests normality within the household.
The positioning of her mother shows that she is still in
the safety of childhood and reason.

The blue wall could represent the coldness and
cleanliness of the hospital and of science
contrasting with the red of the Catholic Church –
evil is coming to challenge religion and faith.

The door could represent her wish to escape from
the facility and the pain. It could also show her
desire to close the gates of hell or to prevent them
from opening.

The white in this Hospital scene serves to emphasize
the paleness of Regan’s face. The gauntness of her face
also indicates the initial stages of her possession,
contrasting the greenish tinge that her skin takes later
in the film.

Reason and rationality come under attack due to
paranormal forces and disenchantment of childhood,
as Regan happens to be entering adolescence. The
body horror evident here displays the eyes rolling
back in the child’s head.

Science is still seeking to find a rational explanation
for the supernatural occurrences taking place. It
appears that the pain that the experiments are
inducing parallels that of the demon later in the film.

As the lights go out in the empty room and the
doorbell rings sending a shock turn of her head to
reveal the paleness of the demon’s face mirrored onto
hers, demonstrating the effect of evil. The monstrous
face of the demon portrays gothic horror, associated
with psychological fears.

The infamous spider walk displays body horror and
abjection. The stairs are featured in the film
frequently and this is the first abnormal event that
takes place on them. The twisting of the (spiral) stairs
also mimics the contortion of her body.

The bright red of the blood is symbolic of the danger
that is making itself manifest. Her face looks pained,
showing the slow progression of the possession. The
frame is cropped, focusing the segment on the bloody
mouth and unusual angle of the neck. This works to
create psychological horror, as it makes the audience
feel uncomfortable.

The sexual imagery of the demon mocking the Church
and the crucifix in addition to the body horror of the
twisted head creates a sense of wrongness/abjection.
Regan’s room contrasts the rest of the house, which is
pristine. This could also parallel the emotional tumult
that Regan is is going through in adolescence.

The ripping of Regan’s skin shows the demon
breaking through to destroy Regan and her
innocence.

This scene shows Karras reconsidering religion and
trying to reconcile his beliefs. Logic and science have
taken a back seat at the moment, but he does not
complete the ceremony and therefore still believes there
may be a logical explanation to what is happening.

The covering over the bed-frame and binding Regan’s
wrists to the bed indicates the attempts of science/
medicine to control events. The room at this stage is
still set up as a “hospital” – with medicines and
technology.

The bruises on her body demonstrates the power and
slow destruction of her fragile body by the demon. The
message, however, stipulates that Regan is still there
and trying to fight back but is not strong enough.

In this cropped frame, Regan’s eyes displays finally that
the demon has completely taken over her body. The
demon shows fear, evidenced by the constricted pupils
as it recognises that the Priest is on his way.

This cropped image shows two sets of eyes in her right
eye showing how Regan is fighting to break through.

This scene in the film depicts where the young priest
regains his faith in religion. Because the levitation
cannot be explained by reason and science, the only
alternative would be the supernatural. Thus religion
triumphs over science.