Episode 6: The Exorcist

In the final segment of this episode of Booked and Banned,the host and guest Robert wrap up their analysis of William Peter Blatty’s horror masterpiece, The Exorcist. Moving beyond the visceral shocks of the novel, the discussion focuses on the deeper philosophical and psychologicallayers that have allowed the book to endure for over fifty years. The conversation highlights the struggle between modern science and ancient faith, illustrating how the novel challenges readers to look past their skepticism whenfaced with the inexplicable.A significant portion of the conversation explores thedynamic between Father Karras and Father Merrin. Robert highlights the specific moment when Father Merrin arrives and immediately cuts through Father Karras’s exhaustive psychiatric data and medical history with a blunt instruction toprepare for the exorcism. This interaction underscores one of the book's most resonant messages: the need to bypass over-analysis and indecision in order to take meaningful action. Robert suggests that Merrin’s decisiveness serves as areminder that, in moments of crisis, the most important response is to stopdebating and simply help the person in front of you. It is a call to move past the "meetings about meetings" culture and address the human need athand.The host also addresses the public reception of the book’smore graphic elements. While the novel is often remembered for its lewdness and shock value, the host argues that readers frequently fixated on those controversial details as a way to avoid the much larger, more uncomfortable questions the book raises. By focusing on the "lewd" nature of the possession, the audience could bypass the terrifying possibility of the supernatural and the weight of spiritual warfare. Despite some technical flaws and a slow start that focuses heavily on 1970s filmmaking, the novel’s legacyis undeniable. It established the standard for the possession subgenre and continues to influence how modern culture perceives the battle between the human spirit and the forces of evil.The episode concludes by looking ahead to the next selectionin the podcast's journey through banned literature. The next book featured on the show will be the classic novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.