In 1973, when The Exorcist hit the massive screens, the movie didn’t simply scare audiences, it sucked the life out of their residing, respiratory our bodies. The William Friedkin-directed cult basic was in contrast to something the abnormal individuals had ever seen earlier than – a younger lady, possessed, twisted by one thing historic and merciless, screaming obscenities whereas her physique contorted in inhuman methods. It was at the moment that many realized that horror had damaged its personal boundaries, and it wasn’t going again.
The Unearthed Curse Of Exorcist
Nonetheless, beneath the shrieks and spinning heads was one thing extra sinister and mythic. The demon behind the insanity wasn’t Devil, as many first believed. It was Pazuzu, a forgotten power from the windswept deserts of historic Mesopotamia. And fact be informed, he didn’t simply present up out of nowhere.
The movie opens removed from the younger Regan’s quiet house, within the sands of Iraq, the place Father Merrin uncovers a curious relic throughout an archaeological dig. The small amulet he finds, twisted and fierce in design, is tied to one thing far older and darker than what any priest may anticipate to face in a contemporary exorcism.
That relic isn’t simply set dressing. As Merrin faces down an enormous statue of the identical determine, silent and looming towards the desert solar, it turns into clear that this isn’t nearly a little bit lady in DC, and one thing previous and evil has stirred. Though the connection between the unearthed artifact and the occasions that observe is rarely spelled out straight, its affect drips by way of each body.
The movie additionally gives no consolation within the unknown. It’s obscure hints, silent statues, and the creeping thought that Merrin introduced one thing again with him, or worse, that he woke up it. By the point Pazuzu made its presence totally recognized in america, Regan was not herself. Her voice is warped. Her physique twists into inhuman shapes. She snarls filth at monks and bleeds from locations a toddler ought to by no means bleed. However the demon’s identify is rarely as soon as spoken within the movie, and that silence solely added to the phobia. Viewers assumed the worst, and plenty of took it to imply the satan himself had stepped into her pores and skin.
Captain Howdy Opens The Door
The Exorcist e-book makes clear what the film hints at. Regan made first contact by way of one thing rather more mundane—a Ouija board. She calls him Captain Howdy, a reputation harmless sufficient to disarm a toddler. However behind that playful moniker lurked one thing historic that had survived the rise and fall of empires. Pazuzu, demon of winds and plagues, didn’t simply discover his technique to Regan. He selected her. Among the many spirits stirred by the board, he latched on, maybe as a result of he wasn’t simply evil, he was dominant as properly.
Pazuzu: The Demon With Two Faces
Not like many horror villains, Pazuzu wasn’t invented for the display screen. His roots dig deep into Assyrian and Babylonian fable, the place he dominated the demons of the wind. His type, an unsettling mixture of man, animal, and bug, speaks to his chaotic nature—a canine or lion’s face, eagle talons, 4 wings, and scorpion sting.
He introduced droughts and illness, however paradoxically, additionally warded off different malevolent spirits. That duality provides a disturbing layer to The Exorcist. Pazuzu might have protected Regan from different demons, however solely so he might torment her alone.
Later sequels and spin-offs tried to dig deeper into his lore, however none carried the identical weight as the unique. Regardless of new interpretations, that first movie stays timeless, partly as a result of it refuses to over-explain. It leaves simply sufficient room for viewers to fill within the dread themselves. Whereas later entries and prolonged lore would affirm Pazuzu because the possessing power, the 1973 movie stored issues ambiguous, letting the worry linger within the unknown.
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