Episode 31. The Power of Christ Compels You: The Exorcist (1973)

Keep a crucifix close and put some pea soup on the stove because Alex and Andrea are confronting their demons to talk about The Exorcist and why the scariest things are sometimes the most personal. REQUIRED READING The Exorcist. Dir William Friedkin, 1973. EXTRA CREDIT The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty.   The 1949 Washington Post piece on an exorcism in Mt. Rainier. The news article that inspired Blatty to write the best-selling novel.   History Today article on The Exorcist. Nick Cull explores how the smash-hit horror film exploited all the issues that most worried Americans in the early 1970s.   Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection by Barbara Creed. Creed’s seminal paper which explores the female body as a site of trauma and terror.   I Was There Too – The Exorcist with Eileen Dietz. Matt Gourley’s fun and informative podcast focuses on interviews with actors who were there for the great moments of cinema history. In this episode he interviews Linda Blair’s body and stunt double who was also the face of Captain Howdy, Eileen Dietz, who gives a personal account of the shooting of the film.   Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror by Jason Zinoman. The New York Times writer describes playwright Harold Pinter’s influence on The Exorcist’s original theatrical cut. COURSE NOTES  Intro song: Nail Ballet from Nightmare Picture Theatre, courtesy of James Zirco Fisher. LISTEN Right click or option-click here and choose “Save Target As…” to download the mp3.