e-space
Manchester Metropolitan University's Research Repository

    ‘Somewhere between science and superstition’: Religious outrage, horrific science, and The Exorcist (1973)

    Chambers, Amy ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3801-3582 (2021) ‘Somewhere between science and superstition’: Religious outrage, horrific science, and The Exorcist (1973). History of the Human Sciences, 34 (5). pp. 32-52. ISSN 0952-6951

    [img]
    Preview
    Published Version
    Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

    Download (6MB) | Preview

    Abstract

    Science and religion pervade the 1973 horror The Exorcist (1973), and the film exists, as the movie’s tagline suggests, ‘somewhere between science and superstition’. Archival materials show the depth of research conducted by writer/director William Friedkin in his commitment to presenting and exploring emerging scientific procedures and accurate Catholic ritual. Where clinical and barbaric science fails, faith and ritual save the possessed child Reagan MacNeil (Linda Blair) from her demons. The Exorcist created media frenzy in 1973, with increased reports in the popular press of demon possessions, audience members convulsing and vomiting at screenings, and apparent religious and specifically Catholic moral outrage. However, the official Catholic response to The Exorcist was not as reactionary as the press claimed. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of Film and Broadcasting (USCCB-OFB) officially and publicly condemned the film as being unsuitable for a wide audience, but reviews produced for the office by priests and lay Catholics and correspondence between the Vatican and the USCCB-OFB show that the church at least notionally interpreted it as a positive response to the power of faith. Warner Bros. Studios, however, were keen to promote stories of religious outrage to boost sales and news coverage – a marketing strategy that actively contradicted Friedkin’s respectful and collaborative approach to working with both religious communities and medical professionals. Reports of Catholic outrage were a means of promoting The Exorcist rather than an accurate reflection of the Catholic Church’s nuanced response to the film and its scientific and religious content.

    Impact and Reach

    Statistics

    Activity Overview
    6 month trend
    428Downloads
    6 month trend
    203Hits

    Additional statistics for this dataset are available via IRStats2.

    Altmetric

    Repository staff only

    Edit record Edit record