TALK: Learning from The Exorcist
Colleen McDannell (History, University of Utah)
Wednesday, May 21 / 4:00 PM
McCune Conference Room, HSSB 6020
When The Exorcist opened in cinemas the day after Christmas in 1973, movie-goers ran from their seats in fear. Then, they could not get enough of the film – standing in line for hours to see a devil-possessed little girl battle a psychiatrist-priest. The special effects and notorious character of The Exorcist have not lost their power over the years. However, the realistic terror of the film has distracted viewers from its wider spiritual message set out by its producer/writer William Peter Blatty. The Exorcist is not merely a horror film. It is a Catholic horror film. And, more specifically, it is a Jesuit horror film. Colleen McDannell is professor of History and Sterling M. McMurrin Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Her publications include Catholics in the Movies, Picturing Faith: Photography and the Great Depression, and Material Christianity. She is currently working on a book about the American reception of the Second Vatican Council.
Sponsored by the IHC’s Catholic Studies RFG and the Department of Religious Studies.
