The Exorcist, William Friedkin’s pitch-black 1973 adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name, is rightfully considered one of the most frightening films of all time. Spinning heads, vile epithets spewed by a young girl, and yes, pea-green projectile vomiting are branded into our collective psyche. The possession makes for memorable set pieces, but The Exorcist slices deep on an existential level. Frs. Karras and Merrin stand against the shrieking, timeless nothing that corrodes all creation. The Exorcist terms this Pyrrhic struggle in Catholic metaphor; however, a viewer of any faith or none may recognize her own struggle for meaning, reason, and hope in the omnivorous abyss.
