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"What an excellent day for an exorcism."
For centuries, whenever a person exhibited bizarre or deviant behavior, such as violent outbursts or speaking in a different voice or language, they were often thought to be possessed by a demon or spiritual entity. When this occured, the community's priest, cleric, witch doctor or medicine man would typically be summoned to expel the invading spirit through a ritual exorcism. Exorcisms began to decline dramatically by the 18th century due to advancements in medicine, and they were all but unheard of by the middle of the 20th century, with the majority of so-called possessions diagnosed as mental illnesses like Tourette's syndrome, schizophrenia or dissociative identity disorder.
Considering how advanced our science, medicine and technology is now in the 21st century, you would think that ritual of exorcisms would be extinct like the archaic practices of bloodletting and trepanation, but exorcisms have been on the rise around the world for the past few decades. Claims of possession have gotten to be so numerous that the Catholic Church in the United States held a conference to prepare priests and bishops to identify possessions, while a priest in Columbia reportedly performs as many as 10 exorcisms per week. In Milan, Italy, so many people entreat The Church for help with possessed friends and family members that a special "exorcism hotline" had to be set up to deal with all of the claims.
Possessions on the rise around the world >> Posted 03.01.13 by BrentJS -
Few horror movies have reached the popular and critical status of The Exorcist. Nearly 40 years later Max von Sydow's exhortations to the devil possessing Linda Blair still creep us the hell out. And do we need to say anything about that canned laughter... wait, what? The Exorcist was an 80's sitcom? Well, it has been re-imagined that way by the good folk at Film School Rejects. Happy Halloween.
Watch the 80's sitcom version of The Exorcist Posted 10.31.12 by Jud -
Last year's thriller Orphan really upped the Evil Kid ante with "Esther," who caused all kinds of murder and mayhem. When that behavior includes beating a nun to death with a hammer, that's pretty evil.
But clearly trying to top her is Case 39's "Lilith" — played by Jodelle Ferland, building on her creepy kid behavior in Tideland. By the looks of the trailer, she could be the homicidal spawn of Esther and Damien. We survey Lilith's evil kid competition through the ages, highlighting these little monsters' Groundable Behavior and doling out wooden spoons with our Spanking Index.
see Evil Movie Kids Through the Ages >>
Posted 09.23.10 by reelz -
The movie may be called The Last Exorcism, but it certainly won't be the final chapter in demonic possession on the big screen. In this latest offering, a priest (Patrick Fabian) who's made a lucrative career from sham demon fighting invites a documentary crew to record his final "exorcism." No surprise, things turn diabolical. We look back at the movie The Last Exorcism will inevitably be compared with, along with the other high and low points in the "possession" genre.
view the Possession Timeline >>
Posted 08.27.10 by reelz -
Fans of HBO's Big Love know Patrick Fabian, but his face is sure to become more familiar after the highly anticipated horror movie The Last Exorcism opens in theaters next month. Shot like a documentary, the movie puts Fabian in the role of Reverend Cotton Marcus, whose faith is tested when he and a camera crew venture into a rural town to perform an exorcism on a young girl (Ashley Bell).
more from Fabian on this "creep-fest" >> Posted 07.16.10 by Ryan -
You may have heard the rumors regarding a potential "remake" of The Exorcist, a project that could involve the same creative duo as the 1973 horror classic. Director William Friedkin and writer William Peter Blatty, who also wrote the novel on which the movie is based, would collaborate on a TV series, and Bloody Disgusting writes that Blatty revealed some key details in an interview with Cemetary Dance magazine.
Specifically, Blatty mentioned details from the book he'd like to work in to the newer version, including the development of two minor characters, the housekeeper Karl and his daughter Elvira:
I would love to have been able to include the subplot involving Karl and his daughter Elvira which I did in my first draft, but that script ran to 172 pages, much, much too long. But I might have it my way in the near future, inasmuch as I've written an Exorcist miniseries script that not only faithfully includes all the main elements of the novel, but also some rather spooky new material and scenes, as well as a totally new (and perhaps much more satisfying) ending. I've also updated it. Billy Friedkin has agreed to direct.
We're not prepared to say that this is 100% confirmation that Friedkin actually is directing, but it does catch our attention. We'll have to wait and see whether Friedkin officially jumps on board.
Posted 11.17.09 by reelz -
Halloween is the time of year when horror movies are dusted off, rented from a video store, or placed in the queue for some late-night, pitch-dark viewing. But there are scary movies and then there are scary movies.
Check out 13 Actually Scary Movies for the top choices if you're looking for a true fright this season.
Posted 10.20.09 by reelz -
A foreign object in her eye, bugs in her bra, researching exorcisms on YouTube, and beheading porcelain dolls. They are all on the menu in a Fear.net interview with Odette Yustman about her role in The Unborn. Some of the more uncomfortable scenes to movie came as a bit of a surprise, she confesses. Director David Goyer sneaked in an eye speculum scene without much warning, and she had no idea that the potato bugs crawling all over her could bite. Not to mention the very real earthquake that happened during shooting. And when researching amateur exorcisms on YouTube she found out just how crazy some parents could be. Her childhood did give her a good background for horror though. She says she first watched The Exorcist at the age of 7 and dealt with a fear that her doll collection was possessed by beheading the lot of them with a hammer.
Posted 01.06.09 by reelz -
We brought you the Whack Jobs last week. This week's Halloween-themed list is a top ten of our personal recommendations for the darkest day of the holiday seasons.
Have more suggestions? Drop us a line.
Check out my favorite Halloween movies right here.
Posted 10.18.07 by reelz