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Perhaps one of the best known, critically acclaimed and “Catholic” horror movie ever made, The Exorcist, is also the one that has the most profound theology to teach us. Because this is a theological review, and because of the age of the film, I will assume prior knowledge of the plot.
In some ways the obfuscation of sin has always been a temptation for humanity. In past eras we may try to hide one or two particular sins, but today it is the concept of sin itself that is hidden. The most personal and frightening reminder of sin is that which brought sin into the world, the devil.
There is no hiding of this reality in The Exorcist. Like many dramatizations, we want to invite the feelings of the “real thing” without the actual risk. We have a safe fascination with the extreme corruption of the soul that sin invites when we watch horror movies, especially the exorcism-related ones. But The Exorcism is not just about fear. It is just as much about faith.
While most of the attention is on the possessed girl, Regan, our true protagonist is Fr. Damien. He is a highly educated, but still faithful, priest who genuinely struggles. He struggles with the spiritual realities that his faith requires of him to reconcile with modern science, especially modern psychology, which is his background. He struggles with the classical problem of evil, especially in its manifestation in his mother and Regan.
The Exorcist has shock value, but not in the way one would expect in a horror movie. Typically, the shock comes from some form of depravement. What envelope pushing form of gore or grotesquerie can be contrived? Here, the shock is the ugliness of sin itself. It is discomfort and uneasiness that the best of the horror genre are able to produce without the reliance on jump scares.
Another underappreciated theological element of the book and movie, The Exorcist, is the wide academic and cultural expertise of the priests involved. As mentioned, Fr. Damien is a Harvard-educated psychiatrist who competitively boxed. The setting is Jesuit-run Georgetown University, so cassoked scholars abound. Fr. Merrin, who conducts the exorcism with Fr. Damien, is a professional archeologist whose expertise and deep faith play a role in the story as well.
Overall, the film The Exorcist provides rich theological conversation fodder between the considerations of faith and reason, the problem of evil both natural and moral, and the evangelical reach that faithful, learned priests can provide. its cultural influence is unmatched in the horror genre and its place in Catholic cinema is unparalleled.
Mike Schramm lives in southeastern Minnesota with his wife and seven children. There, he teaches theology and philosophy at Aquinas High School and Viterbo University. He earned his MA in theology from St. Joseph's College in Maine and an MA in philosophy from Holy Apostles College. He is also the managing editor of the Voyage Compass, an imprint of Voyage Comics and Publishing, and co-hosts the Voyage Podcast with Jacob Klatte.
