Based on William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name; which in itself was based on the alleged real exorcism of Roland Doe in the nineteen-forties, The Exorcist is one of the most recognisable films of the horror genre. As well as being one of the most controversial films of the nineteen-seventies. Indeed the film has been analysed, praised, denounced, and parodied so much, that it is effectively ingrained within popular culture. Its release was unleashed to an already troubled society. The Vietnam War was still ongoing and Conservative policies had become more prominent, following the New Age occult wave of the sixties. With this divided society also came mixed audience reactions to the film’s distribution, as well as prominent media controversy.
The media of the seventies were already quite active in raising controversy on numerous other films trying to push the boundaries of what could be shown on screen. This was most especially the case following the end of the Hayes code and the introduction of film ratings, meaning censorship had now become far more relaxed. However, the controversy of The Exorcist became especially apparent amongst religious circles. In some cases, Christian viewers stated it to be a highly authentic depiction of exorcism and the reality of demonic possession, whereas other Christian paradigms decried the film and branded it as the work of the devil.
Outside of Christianity, Friedkin’s sensationalist religious horror also faced further controversy, with Tunisia going as far as to ban the film, calling it Christian propaganda. It can be argued that the production was very much mediated by Christian viewpoints. Especially with the factor of author William Peter Blatty’s spiritual intentions for the original novel, as well as the inclusion of two priests as stars and technical advisors who demanded that the film subject matter be taken seriously.
Of course, the very subject matter of the film is enough to spark controversy. The specific practice of exorcism involves the expulsion of the entities known as demons from a possessed host. Demons come up repeatedly in the worlds cultures, most prominently concerning mainstream religions, notably in this context Christianity. The history of which is enthralled with the hysteria regarding demons, witchcraft, and heresy.
Commonly the demon is seen as a personification of sin and evil within theological mythology, however, to this day there are still individuals who see demons as a real and factual presence. Friedkin also states, in his director’s commentary, that the film is ultimately a struggle between good and evil. With evil in this case being personified by the demon Pazuzu.
Pazuzu, however, is not purely a fictional character as people might think. The character very much has nothing to do with either biblical or satanic mythology. Pazuzu is a demonic deity from ancient Mesopotamian religion. In ancient times, Mesopotamia was a region, located roughly where modern Iraq and other parts of the Middle East are today. It played host to several different cultures, such as the Babylonians, Sumerians, Akkadians, and Assyrians.
As a result, there was often a crossing of culture most especially in terms of religion, which was polytheistic and contained many figures of worship within it, including the demonic deity Pazuzu. Who like many demons within the ancient religion was not seen as inherently evil as most religious culture assumes today, as British Museum curator Dr Irving Finkel discusses in season three, episode seven of the YouTube series Curators Corner (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOT75GB64Hw).
In the hands of Hollywood, Pazuzu suffered a great criticism, in fact, slanderous attack on his personality. Because there was a film once in which a girl, who looked like a perfectly normal girl, suddenly started spewing green things and her head went round on her shoulders, and the beginning of that film laid the trouble which beset this unfortunate girl at this demon, which you had to be there right at the beginning of the film to see this Pazuzu head on the floor, and Hollywood thought Pazuzu was wicked but in point of fact it’s just the opposite. – Irving Finkel, 2018, 3.50 – 4.23.
Ultimately Pazuzu is not a biblical demonic force, nor is he another personification of evil and the devil, like popular culture associates him with. Instead, his origins in Mesopotamian religion paint him as a force of destruction, rather than something inherently evil. This is indicated in the video when Finkel talks about how Pazuzu was often used to ward off another demonic deity, called Lamashtu, who was considered to represent the dangers of childbirth. Another such indication lies in Pazuzu’s connection with the West and Southwest winds.
It is written that these winds brought with them storms, famine, plagues and locusts, all of which are destructive elements of nature and not something that is inherently malevolent. In Mesopotamian religion, people would on and off fear and praise Pazuzu, to avoid their livelihoods being tarnished by such forces of destruction. Although there remains an element of fear concerning him, this demon is already vastly different to modern interpretations of the demonic. Notably, in the historical interpretation of demons, we see spread by religions such as Christianity and the modern depictions of the demonic we see within the horror genre.
These
two factors are an association that has been thrust on the Pazuzu deity, by
having it appropriated and displayed within a Christian horror film,
implemented through methods of genre sensationalism, that is tailored towards a
Western audience.
The idea of The Exorcist being sensationalist is one easily observed. Like most horror films it behaves in this manner by using disturbing elements to provoke an audience reaction. This convention can be seen in several scenes that contain particular heinous acts, that have been perpetrated by the film’s antagonist. This includes infamous scenes such as the spider walk or the even more disturbing crucifix masturbation scene.
Arguably in the case of The Exorcist, these scenes depicting the evil acts of Pazuzu serve a second purpose alongside provoking an audience into hysteria. The brutal depictions of such acts, especially after reading up on the stories original influence and observing interviews with Blatty and Friedkin, can be identified as both author and director, attempting to remain authentic to Christian interpretations of possession and demonology.
Alongside this knowledge, there is also the factor that two priests starred in the film and acted as technical advisors on the production, namely Father Thomas Bermingham and Father William O’Malley. This very factor demonstrates the clear Christian mediation that has shaped the narrative of the film. Where Christianity, a predominantly Western religion, acts as the force of good against the forces of evil, depicted by the eastern cultural element of Pazuzu. This as we have previously established is very different to the actual nature of Pazuzu, as depicted in his Eastern history within Mesopotamia.
This villainous portrayal of the deity is further explored in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977, John Boorman) and the 2004 prequel Exorcist: The Beginning (2004, Renny Harlin). Effectively these films combined with Blatty’s original interpretation has led to Pazuzu’s lore being re-adapted, to turn the deity into a villainous servant of evil. Alongside this portrayal, the films make serious inaccuracies in regards to Pazuzu’s lore. The most major example is that we see the deity originate in Africa, rather than the Middle East like the original film references, which is also accurate to Mesopotamian history.
From
the research gathered so far, it can be said that the inclusion of Pazuzu is
most certainly an overlooked controversy within The Exorcist, and
regrettably, with the issue not being addressed and openly discussed, this is
leading to serious damage being inflicted against a prominent historical
subject. Repeatedly within interviews and behind the scenes sources, Friedkin
and Blatty admitted to the inclusion of Pazuzu but have never explicitly
pointed out his distinct absence from the Christian theology that encompasses
the narrative.
There is admittedly acknowledgement of Pazuzu’s Mesopotamian history within the film, specifically the opening scene, where Father Merrin faces off against a statue of Pazuzu at an Archaeological dig in Iraq. In this scene the demon’s past is referenced but never fully explained; admittedly this is likely due to an establishment of visual storytelling that is an essential element of film production. Whatever the case, we find Pazuzu transported to the West where he partakes in the possession of an innocent child and effectively morphs into an adversary for the Christian faith.
Now admittedly, as creators both Blatty and Friedkin held the right to exercise artistic licence. Furthermore, the original intention of using Pazuzu may not have been a deliberate attempt to slander a non-Western cultural area, but the fact of the matter remains that a historical deity has been appropriated for Christian intentions. This may seem like only a simple case of borrowing history but doing so is highly damaging. This can lead to a historical source being re-interpreted or applied to another cultural element that it has no relation to.
As a result, Pazuzu is now ingrained within popular culture as a personification of evil and the satanic, with not everyone knowing his place within ancient Mesopotamia. Ultimately, this is a historical element that has been misshapen within Western society for the sake of a Christian narrative. Of course, many people, myself included, will still love this film for what it is, a very well-made horror film but a controversial one, and it cannot be denied that it is still a Christian horror film that has appropriated an Eastern historical element.
Even still today and outside of The Exorcist franchise, Pazuzu is still implemented as a prominent evil image within horror and pop culture. In episode four of season twenty-nine of the animated series The Simpsons (1989 – 2021, Matt Groening), the characters come across a statue of Pazuzu, which leads to the demon possessing Maggie. More recently the Dark Pictures Anthology game House of Ashes (2021, Will Doyle), has the characters encounter sinister other-worldly creatures within a Mesopotamian ruin and proceeds to suggest within the story that they were the inspiration behind the image of Pazuzu.
As well as these examples, in the next coming years it has been rumoured and possibly confirmed that an Exorcist re-boot or remake will be coming to cinemas; and more than likely will still include Pazuzu as the villain of the feature. All such examples will very likely intermix Pazuzu with modern cultural sources, which may only serve to breed more assumptions in regards to the deity and even further deviation from his historical lore.
If we
want to ensure that this piece of history is no longer damaged or buried under
mainstream assumptions, it needs to be properly addressed and brought to light.
We must acknowledge this appropriation of the Pazuzu deity, as well as the
stereotype and misconception brought against him.
Sources
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DawnofTheDead83. (2011). The Exorcist Merrin vs Pazuzu. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su4s7C1bEfY [Accessed 22/02/2021].
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist. (1998). [Film] London: Nick Freand Jones.
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The Exorcist Directors Commentary. (1973). [DVD] Georgetown: William Friedkin.
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Mark, J. J. (2017). ‘Pazuzu’. [online] World History Encyclopaedia. Available at: https://www.ancient.eu/Pazuzu/ [Accessed 22/02/2021].
Mark, J. J. (2018). ‘Mesopotamia’. [online] World History Encyclopaedia. Available at: https://www.ancient.eu/Mesopotamia/ [Accessed 22/02/2021].
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Wetmore, K. (2014). Colonial Possessions: A Fanonian Reading of The Exorcist and its Sequels. Social Research, 81(4), pp. 883-896. Available at: https://search.proquest.com/docview/1653103976/fulltext/E04847710B734D3DPQ/1?accountid=12860 [Accessed 22/02/2021].
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