Regan's levitation and the subsequent appearance of Pazuzu are the one-two punch apotheosis of the horror of The Exorcist. Their near-total violation of moral, spiritual, and physical norms can only be described as obscene. Displaying nearly all the characteristics of the archetypal monumental horror-image, they clearly demonstrate the unforgettable power of such images to make "real" the unreal, the abnormal, the things that should not be. Their accompaniment by cataclysmic physical trauma to the bedroom reinforces the fashion in which such images rend the fabric of reality that Karras and Merrin have viewed as normal all their lives. Their exhaustion at the end of this scene stems not from any great physical ordeal, but from the tremendous toll these monumental horror-images are taking on "[their] value system, even [their] own sanity." Such are the effects of horror at its best (or worst?) - the horror of cosmic fear.
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Article comments
1 - Greg Hagin
Sean,
Great post on what I heartily agree is the definitive horror movie. Question: if the first flash of the mask of the demon (which I seem to remember occuring as Karras ascends the a stairwell early in the film) is the SECOND scariest image in film, then what do you regard as the first?
again, wonderful piece.
Greg