Billed as “The scariest movie of all time,” William Friedkin's horror masterpiece The Exorcist has been terrifying audiences since its release in 1973.
The supernatural flick follows recently divorced single mother Chis MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) and her 12-year-old daughter, Regan (Linda Blair). Chris begins to notice Regan behaving oddly and as her actions escalate, she consults medical professionals who can't get to the bottom of Regan's violent outbursts. They suggest she perform an exorcism, leading Chris to seek the help of two Catholic priests including an expert in the matter, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), and local clergyman Father Karras (Jason Miller), who is struggling with his faith since the death of his mother.
At the time of its release, the women's liberation movement had given rise to a generation celebrating their autonomy and the right to be free from the shackles of stay-at-home motherhood, should they want to. Women were able to decide between, or balance, being a parent with a career, leading many to be less dependent on their husbands, leading divorce rates to rise. The vision of the nuclear family unit was changing, and cinema reflected this in various pictures that used parenthood as a catalyst for horror.
Both then, and now, films use young people as agents of cultural change, ushering in a new era that threatens to leave those that do not adapt behind. But despite being released 50 years ago, The Exorcist still reflects many anxieties faced by modern parents in chilling clarity.
Among many milestones that parents may fear when it comes to their children, puberty often comes out on top. From the dreaded ‘talk' addressing sexuality and relationships to the ravages of hormones set to transform their darling youngsters into budding adults. Regan, on the cusp of womanhood, can be seen in The Exorcist undergoing the conventional transformations associated with puberty at their most extreme. We see the pre-teen project bodily fluids at an alarming volume, subject her mother to emotional outbursts, and engage in physical aggression.
In this, we see Chris mourn the loss of her daughter's perceived innocence and purity as she utilises excessively sexualised speech and actions. Regan's possession as a metaphor for puberty embodies the parental fear of children maturing and being faced with adult issues that they long to protect them from. In one scene, Regan questions Chris about her relationship with her director, Burke Dennings (Jack MacGowran). In it, despite Regan's questioning showing that she understands there is a sexual element to the relationship, Chris speaks to her child in a tone that positions her as much younger and deflects her line of inquiry.
In this scene, it can also be argued that it shows Chris' desperate attempts to retain control over her daughter who, like those embracing Women's Liberation at the time of The Exorcist's release, is beginning to explore her autonomy as she approaches womanhood. While the film does not portray Chris as a controlling or overbearing parent, more as a woman who enforces respectful boundaries with her child while providing a nurturing and loving home, it considers the terror of a parent being utterly hopeless when it comes to protecting their daughter from forces unknown.
As the demon Pazuzu begins to take hold of Regan, we see her subjected to a number of medical tests to get to the bottom of her behaviour. These scenes are in stark contrast to the rest of the film in that the sets are harsh and medicalised, flushed of any warm lighting or colour previously seen. Regan is framed in long shots rather than excruciating close-ups that make her appear vulnerable in her surroundings, as she watches two young boys play longingly. In this, The Exorcist considers the frightening reality that a parent cannot always soothe or protect their child as Chris is forced to endure the agony Regan's possession causes while not being able to comfort her or relate to her. The film shows in devastating detail that while a relationship between a parent and child may appear perfect on the surface, cracks can begin to appear that shatter the idyllic family home in a short space of time.
However, while the fear of a child straying away from their parents' control is present in The Exorcist, Friedkin's film also considers the horror some parents may fear in that their child will follow in their footsteps. The audience sees this when they are given a glimpse into Chris' strained relationship with her ex-husband and Regan's father, who is never seen physically in the film. She blasts her co-parent on a call to the phone operator as she tries to connect to his landline, shaming him for not calling Regan on her birthday. She becomes increasingly angry with the situation and begins cursing the existence of her ex and at the phone operator herself, all with Regan listening on unbeknownst to her mother. In later scenes, the possessed Regan's demeanour is reminiscent of her mother's fiery outbursts, and Chris' terrified response can be seen as a reflection of being confronted by her own negative traits through her own daughter.
The fact that the narrative of The Exorcist focuses on a single mother and her child can be seen to shine a light on the stigma many single parents face as a result of their status and the fear that a child may be inadvertently damaged by an absent parent. In the film, we see Chris enlist the help of Father Merrin and Father Karras, the latter of which has also been raised in a single-parent household and is struggling with the recent death of his mother. These men can be seen as filling the void left by the absence of Regan's father and fulfilling her need for a positive male role model as they exorcise the demon that has inhabited her body and restore tranquillity in the MacNeil household. While possessed, Regan can be heard saying Father Merrin's name backwards when a tape is played in reverse, which can be seen to suggest she is crying out for him and therefore a strong, male figure in her life as opposed to calling out for her own mother.
The Exorcist tackles many fears that can be experienced by parents, boiling down to the ultimate, stomach-churning notion at the centre of its narrative – that evil things can happen to children. It is something that happens every day and yet a topic that many do not want to conceive. Regan's characterisation as a shy, friendly girl who loves her mother and is curious about the world around her makes her the perfect target of demonic possession in the film, as it shows that even the most innocent and kind of children can be subjected to the most heinous of acts.
