The Exorcist Returns

Without a doubt, The Exorcist is the most frightening movie I have ever seen in my entire life. From the first time I saw this movie my definition of fear changed. Probably for ever. Before The Exorcist, fear meant Bigfoot, the creature from the black lagoon and the silver man. After the Exorcist, Possessed  Reagan, became the face of fear. When I was alone at night and all the lights were turned off, wondering what might be under the bed used to include a number of ghouls. Now, I knew exactly what was under the bed. Reagan! When the closet door was slightly ajar and only blackness was beyond, I knew what was waiting to jump out at me, Reagan! To be quite honest, I couldn't sleep alone for weeks after I saw that movie. I tried, but I couldn't do it. And, when I did start sleeping alone again, with the insistence of my mother, I left one or two lights on. As time went by it became easier to sleep with one eye open, so to speak. But, the thought of Reagan floating towards me in the middle of the night with that horrendous face and that demonic tongue wagging was well ensconced in my brain.

To this day The Exorcist remains one of my favorite movies. It's number 4 on my all time favorite movies. How can a movie that scares me so much be my number 4 all time favorite movie you ask? Well, I think in part it is because of that. It had a profound effect on my life. It remains the face of fear for me even now.

Why does the Exorcist scare me so much? I think it has to do with the fact that the subject matter deals with spirituality. The good versus evil. But more so, the vulnerability of us all to either witness or to be possessed by a foreign force. Psychosis? Maybe in many or most of the time that is the answer. However, as I believe in God and saints, I also believe that there lurks evil.

That's scary.