'The Exorcist'

From the get-go I will tell you that this is not meant to be partisan in any fashion. I am not indicating that the writer or director is a darling of the American right. Nor am I saying that a liberal cannot enjoy this film. Follow me as I try to explain how this film tries to counter the post-modernism of America in 1973. I will note, I will be using the "Director's Cut" for my observation.

Attack on America

The first shot of the film establishes evil's attack on two long-valued institutions in America: One being the home and the second being the church. In our minds, these are the two safest places for people to retreat to. One may even argue that the attack in the home first begins in Regan's bed. When do we ever feel insecure in our own bed? As Chris MacNeil notes in the beginning that the problem is not emanating from anything psychological, emotional, or evil, but simply from her daughter's bed. It is not uncommon for a child to want to sleep in the bed of their parent, but hardly without reason. Remember Regan is a 12-year-old girl. By no means am I criticizing parents who may let their 12-year-old child sleep in their bed on certain occasions. Nonetheless, it is rarely ever heard of.

It should be noted the house that Chris MacNeil is staying in is of the federalist architecture. Hence, the house dates back to around the founding of America, during the Federalist Era of 1789 to 1801. A period we connect with America beginning its years under the newly adopted US Constitution, the great President Washington uniting and leading the country, establishing the presidency and what is to be expected of the office. President Adams evading war with France and peacefully passing the presidency over to a political rival.

What can we say is so great about America in the 1970s under Tricky Dick. He runs as the original law and order candidate. Much like presidents before had a name for their platform like New Frontier or Great Society, Nixon brings in New Federalism. Although a Republican and something of a conservative, you hardly ever hear of conservatives today trying to claim him as one of their own. Chris is even invited to the White House but shrugs it off as nothing. Vietnam is completely dividing the nation. Prior to this film's release is also Watergate, President Johnson's refusal for another term as president (a bold first), hippie culture, and riots. We even get a glimpse of this in the film Chris is starring in. American prestige is gone.

We all remember the infamous scene of the desecration of the Virgin Mary. Who could possibly do such a thing as this? It is not just the presence of blood, but how they in a sense sexualize the statue as well. The late 60s to 70s are a time in rejection of conservative values, in regards to more sexuality. We have the beginning of sexual promiscuity of women, birth control and the notion of open marriages. I will note that the film fails to truly note who committed this act. The book makes it clear it is the possessed Regan. A combination of both evil and the youth's rejection of the status quo.

Religion in 1970s America

Of course, religion plays a huge role within this film. From the founding of America to this time, our country has always been religious in nature. Manifest Destiny, President Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address to so much more. Now the United States is predominantly Protestant, culturally speaking and not Catholic. Nonetheless, this film comes after the presidency of America's first and only elected Catholic president. In addition, the term Christian is becoming something more of an umbrella term by this time.

From the 1950s to 1960s, roughly 98 percent of Americans identified as religious. By the time of The Exorcist, the average has dropped to 95 percent. This three point loss is by no means any scoffing matter. Catholicism was rising by roughly a point each decade. However, the proportion of self-identified Protestants averaged 68 percent in the prior two decades. Again, by the release of the film, it was roughly 62 percent now. Polls from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s show that 70 percent of Americans regularly attended church. By the seventies, this number began to dip under 70 percent. Religion also played an important part in peoples lives, again roughly 70 percent or more. But by the seventies this number was about 50 percent. What happened?

Answering this question can be difficult, with so many possible answers. The one possibility is how America began to enter this post-modernist age after World War II. We realized the world was no longer so black and white, which we had envisioned since we were young. We bomb Japan and now we go to war against Vietnam. As some believe, if there is this lost of innocence, then there can be no god. In addition, with the advance of science now, who needs god anymore? The youth and hippie culture begin to question our long-held beliefs and traditions. The modern, moral, status quo America is dead.

Two characters certainly represent this paradigm as well. First off let me say that Chris is not an atheist. Some people have assumed this, due to her lack of religious beliefs and her questioning of the crucifix. A lack of religious belief is not the same as rejection of religious belief. Director William Friedkin even states in the commentary that the character is indeed an agnostic. Besides, what devout atheist invites a Catholic priest to her party?

Father Damien Karras, a Jesuit and psychiatrist is losing his faith. We see the neighborhood he walks through to see his mother. The seventies is a time of rising urban crime. No doubt, Father Karras sees this and the homelessness. Adding to this, is his mother's deteriorating health. Why have any faith in such circumstances? It goes back to the notion that if god is all powerful then why is there so much suffering? Either god is all powerful but not innocent, or god is all innocent but not powerful. Father Karras is guilt-ridden throughout most of the film, due to the loss of his mother. Hence, he also loses faith in himself for failing his mother.

A Post-Modern America Response

What do we do with the problems embracing us in The Exorcist? One of the main problems of course is the young Regan. We notice she is on to her mother's relationship with the director, Burke Dennings. The young girl's bed, her complaint of noises and later on the use of obscenities. Now we know the real root cause of all of this. At the time though there are alternative responses and reasoning for this. Matter of fact, we still hold much of this reasoning today. Regan comes from a broken home it appears. Is Chris divorced? We cannot be too sure, given this is never clarified within the film, unlike the novel where she is. Divorce is more prevalent at this point in time in America. Priorly, divorce laws were stringent and relied solely on the husband. With no father, who else can be there to support her? Her mother's assistant, Sharon? Perhaps Karl can be the man of the house and the dominant male role in Regan's life? Doubtful! The traditional, American family is splintered in this and we see the effect.

Going off of this new family dynamic we witness Chris's use of expletives on the phone with the operator. In this scene we have a mother cussing and the realization of how she feels about Regan's father. You can find other examples of a similar scenario, but nothing prior to 1973. Hence, Regan is using profanity because she witnesses her mother use profanity. We cannot completely dismiss this notion, children are always known to imitate their parents. Combine this with the lack of a father figure and what we know in science now, we assume the problem is perhaps psychological.

The first response is the prescription drug, Ritalin, a relatively new medication at the time. Luckily, the drug is hardly the bull it used to be, as it became something overly prescribed. This is post-modern America though! The answer to this troubled child is not the lack of a father figure, lack of strict parenting or a lack of faith. The reasoning is something deeper, more complex and hidden somewhere in the brain. We try medication and even a cerebral angiography. Of course, this does not change anything. The next stage is a psychiatrist, again a more twentieth century development in America. Even Father Karras takes this approach as well. As a man losing his faith and more of a practicing psychiatrist, rather than priest, would prefer to see Regan in a more clinical manner. It cannot be stressed enough, that a man of faith is imploring Chris to reject the notion of an exorcism. One cannot help but feel this agnostic, scientific rationale has swept over everyone now.

Epilogue

Is this a win for traditionalism in America? Surface appearances alone, it seems like a big no. Father Merrin dies, we do not see Chris getting back together with her husband and of course there is Father Karras's fate. Nonetheless, there is some brightness. Father Karras, a man of guilt and anguish, a man who was willing to rely on modern methods, rather than traditional faith rescues the girl. His faith becomes so strong that he is willing to accept the demon, Pazuzu and sacrifice his own life in the process. In a sense, they are throwing the sexual, deviant, faithless, modern America out the window!

Next we see Regan kiss Father Dyer, after noticing his collar. In a sense, this means there is hope. Chris's generation is lost, as she most likely to retreats back to the liberal Hollywood, which will not change. America itself will change coming out the seventies. The American Right comes back with rising evangelicalism, reverence for traditional family values and patriotism. Whoever would of thought, it would come in the form of someone from Hollywood named Reagan!