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American culture, framed in its most 

widely understood definition, is a culmination 

of the traditions, ideals, and behaviors of the 

people who live there. Naturally, the movies 

which are produced there are direct repre-

sentations of the current social and political 

environments. This paper analyzes how politi-

cal polarization presents itself within film rep-

resentations of demonic possession through 

natural opposites such as good and evil, tradi-

tionalism and modernism, and conventional 

and unconventional definitions of femininity. 

Works analyzed within include Annabelle: 

Creation, The Conjuring, The Evil Dead, The 

Exorcism of Emily Rose, and The Exorcist. 

The infiltration of political polarization into 

a typically unpolitical genre such as horror 

suggests that it not only culturally haunts the 

politics of America, but every other facet of 

American life.

Ashley Burns, Ball State University

Political Polarization and 
Demonic Possession: 
How American Culture is 
Haunted by its Own Fascina-
tion with Good and Evil

American culture, framed in its most widely 

understood definition, is a culmination of the 

traditions, ideals, and behaviors of the peo-

ple who live here. Those who consume pop 

culture with an intuitive eye understand that 

media directly reflects the political climate in 

America, including even those which claim 

no intended bias. One specific aspect of 

American politics that significantly impacts 

American culture and the media it produces 

is the concept of political polarization, or the 

divergence of political attitudes to ideolog-

ical extremes. In fact, political polarization 

haunts pop culture, as its consequential 

ideas and concepts infest and control the 

framework of what becomes popular, go-

ing beyond being simply influential in it. For 

example, as a result of political polarization, 

countless decisions about what and how 

concepts are presented in pop culture must 

be immensely considerate of how audiences 



Digital Literature Review 2
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will perceive them as a result of their conservative or liberal alignment, especially when it comes 

to what will be promoted and displayed in movie theatres across the country. Interestingly, the 

impact these ideological extremes hold on American culture resulting from political polarization 

extends its haunting influence into the horror genre, specifically in the form of depictions of de-

monic possession.

Historically, the polarization of politics means that the separation of two main parties be-

comes more concrete over time as the ideals held by both cement within the two sides, creating 

two naturally opposing teams. Research collected about the polarization of politics, as well as the 

ways in which pop culture reflects this polarization within the horror genre, suggest that the fas-

cination with demonic possession held by Americans stems from the growing separation of core 

ideologies. The resulting reflection of political polarization in media depicting demonic possession 

functions as a cultural haunting. The ways in which the film industry depicts certain situations in 

the horror genre during specific periods of American political history, however, in fact highlights 

how America culture perceives its own political atmosphere.

The concept of a cultural haunting in America as a result of this phenomenon is especially 

evident due to the fact that everyday interactions between American citizens are steadily more af-

fected as polarization increases, and more movies depicting demonic possession and introducing 

politically polarized metaphors are created and consumed. Many studies on political polarization 

have proven that Americans no longer view politics as a large intermixing ideas and beliefs, a shift 

which has become steadily more concrete since the 1970’s (Abramowitz and Saunders 542). There 

have always been separated parties with contradictory plans for the betterment of America, but 

never before has the way that Americans think about their opposing parties been so directly op-

positional. This ideological shift alters the way Americans create, share, and consume pop culture. 

As previously mentioned, however, political polarization does not appear exclusively in political 

themed dramas and contemporary storylines. As far as horror on the big screen, directly oppos-

ing groups find their representation in the everlasting oppositional archetype depicting the fight 

between good and evil through demonic possession. 

The 1973 film The Exorcist was arguably one of the first widely viewed American-produced 

movies depicting the grotesque and terrifying battle between supernatural good and evil, and 

the reaction from the public showed their shock and awe. According to a New York Times article 

by Roy Meacham, reports of younger audience members being removed from theaters and taken 

to hospitals were made within hours of its release, and many people left early with assertions that 

the film caused them to gag and vomit. In fact, critiques of the film described it as “obscene” due 



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to its language, violence, and satanic content; a term which used specifically in the time frame of 

its release further explains the backlash it received (Meacham). The movie’s catastrophic release 

and eventual switch from an R to an X rating, however, clearly did not curb the American fasci-

nation with demonic possession. As the political climate continued to separate and ideological 

beliefs became more decentralized, more movies depicting their own interpretations of demon-

ic possession hit the box office. Films such as The Evil Dead (1983), The Exorcism of Emily Rose 

(2005), The Conjuring (2013), and Annabelle: Creation (2017) would arguably still fall under the cat-

egory of “obscene” in the 70’s, and yet such films are watched by millions of Americans over time. 

As a result of this increased depiction of demonic possessions, the themes which are presented in 

these movies—including the unyielding fight against a perceived evil, the contradicting motives 

of traditionalism and modernism within society, and the inversion of the traditional definition of 

femininity—create the metaphor of a possessed society. Political polarization haunts pop culture, 

even within genres that are not expected to be political. Consequently, repeated depictions of 

demonic possessions mimicking political themes further cement the American fascination with 

polarized ideologies.

The Good and The Evil in America

In order to consider the ways in which polarization is demonstrated through pop culture 

representations of demonic possession, we must define what is considered “good” and “evil” in 

each pop culture representation. Good, in the context of the traditional teachings of the Catholic 

Church on demonic possession, is the fight for freedom from Evil. Freedom in this context means 

possessing the ability to choose good or evil. Evil, conversely, is having the ability to choose—and 

using that ability to choose—to be controlled by a force which exists only to negate and degrade 

God, or from a more general understanding, whatever is a constant “good” in a given situation. 

Good and evil, however, do not have to be considered through the lens of the church, 

though the inclusion of Catholic priests as main characters in movies such as The Exorcist and The 

Exorcism of Emily Rose leads to this assumption. For the sake of considering depictions of posses-

sions as metaphors for political polarization, however, it is more apt to consider good and evil from 

their philosophical definitions, which present them simply as natural opposites. Even in a movie 

like The Exorcist, “good” and “evil” are more accurately defined as two independent forces fighting 

for their own intentions. Both still directly oppose each other while remaining fully independent of 

the other force because neither one depends on the other’s existence. In fact, philosopher Fried-

rich Schelling, who considered the definitions of good and evil as being completely independent 



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of religion and rather something more accurately aligned with the concepts of ethics and morali-

ty, argued that “evil is not simply a privation boni (omission or negation of the Good), but an inde-

pendent power,” and furthermore asserted that evil “exists as a conditio sine qua non (unalterable 

presupposition) of human freedom” (Naegeli-Osjord 21). 

 Of course, this is not to say that those who visit the movie theatre to enjoy a scary movie 

about demonic possession consciously decide that their political party aligns with the all-knowing 

good and that those who disagree might as well be from Hell. “Good” and “evil” in a horror mov-

ie, however, can mimic the experience of a viewer living in a polarized culture since polarization 

creates a culture where ideologies present as opposites. Furthermore, “evil,” in this case those who 

align with ideologies opposite of the viewer’s, has its own independent reasons for its choices, 

hence the continuously ongoing battle that symbolizes the political opposition in a polarized so-

ciety. What is enticing about the fight between good and evil in movies like The Exorcist, The Evil 

Dead, The Conjuring, etc., is that what an audience deems as “the good” always conquers what 

they decide is “evil.” In other words, metaphors for whatever represents the opposite view from 

their own in the films is always defeated by the time the credits roll. 

The Turning Tide of Tradition

To accurately represent both sides simultaneously, these films need to contain certain 

aspects that align with both sides of the political sphere. Traditionalism and modernism as they 

are represented in movies such as The Exorcist, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and The Conjuring 

are examples of the powers of metaphor in pop culture, as they stand in for the polarizing groups 

of conservative and liberal-aligned citizens. As Bodo Winter explains, “cultural representations 

may strengthen metaphors in the minds of the people who witness these representations, which 

helps to keep metaphors alive” and furthermore, “cultural representations may elaborate on exist-

ing metaphors, enriching them with specific examples” (164). The “hero priests” and performing 

exorcists in these movies, whether they align with liberalism or conservativism, or modernists or 

traditionalists, in the minds of viewers, serve as metaphors for the continually polarized opinions 

on these concepts, and viewing these pop culture representations further cements the sense of 

polarization in those who consume them. 

In the case of The Exorcist, the conflict between traditionalist and modernistic ideals con-

tradict each other throughout the movie, mimicking polarized American ideologies. In the film, 

two priests are enlisted to cure the possessed young Regan, who exhibits behaviors that are 

complete departures from her norm. Regan, formally a sweet and well-behaved daughter living 



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a well-provided life, now curses, threatens, fights, and even urinates on herself due to a self-pro-

claimed infestation of demons. Despite the title of the movie, her mother and other close family 

friends consult psychiatrists first, including Father Damien Karras, who, contrary to his own title, 

not only separated from his former training and Catholic beliefs, but approaches Regan’s actions 

with the idea that they should hold an exorcism not to actually expel the demons, but in the 

hopes that playing along with her delusions will lead her to accept that she has been cured by the 

end of it. This ritual is handled with the utmost caution by bringing in the traditional priest Father 

Lankester Merrin, an experienced exorcist, who actually believes that Regan is possessed by the 

demons she claims inhabit her body. The film itself makes this possession hard to deny, especially 

when the words “help me” rise from within the girl and become etched on her stomach (1:31:40). 

Both priests, however—psychiatrist and exorcist—hold firm to their individual trainings in order to 

save the girl; traditionalist Father Merrin eventually dies from a stress-induced heart-attack before 

completing the exorcism, and modernist Father Karras dies in an act of self-sacrifice in which he 

demands the demon leave Regan and enter his own soul before jumping out the two-story win-

dow. 

 These representations are confusing yet apt, as it is natural for the audience to be unsure of 

who to “root for.” Regan’s actions, such as floating above her bed as if being carried by an invisible 

force (1:50:23), the words which appear on her abdomen (1:31:40), and the unbelievable transforma-

tion of her face from innocent child to milky-eyed mutation, lead the audience to understand that 

the traditionalist is correct in his understanding of Regan’s possession. Yet, it is only through a sus-

pension of disbelief that the viewers forget that, in any other situation, Regan’s actions are more 

than likely a result of a psychological imbalance. Both priests are “heroes” in this movie, called in 

to fight the true evil, yet both cannot be simultaneously correct in their approach at conquering 

said evil. Ultimately, Father Merrin is revealed to be the “correct” hero, approaching the situation 

with seasoned understanding and little time to explain to the lesser informed Father Karras. It is 

Karras, however, who eventually prevails in saving Regan, and through the most untraditional and 

sacrilegious, methods of accepting evil into his soul and then choosing to commit suicide.

 These contradictory characteristics represent the political climate at the time. In the years 

surrounding 1973, leadership and foreign policy become controversial topics between liberal and 

conservative-aligned citizens. Specifically, longstanding core values concerning nationalism and 

what it means to be a “good American” start to clash with modern political issues. Those who 

watched The Exorcist the year it was released would not have been surprised by the early scene 

which showed that the movie Regan’s mother starred in depicted scenes of student protests 



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(14:02), reflecting similar, real-life early 1970s student protests—this time against war. At this time, 

public opinion turned resolutely against American participation in the Vietnam War, but those 

with friends and family still fighting overseas faced the burden of remaining proud of their sac-

rifice and harboring hate for both the war they fought in and those who stand in protest of said 

sacrifice. Father Merrin thus serves as a metaphor for these individuals clinging to the traditional 

idea of nationalism in America, while simultaneously being challenged by the character of Father 

Karras, whose unconventional methods and eventual victory in the war against evil in the end of 

The Exorcist seems to foreshadow the political directions of the country. 

President Nixon haunted the minds of Americans at this time, causing an influx of distrust 

and paranoia among citizens concerning power positions in the presidential office. Nixon still 

remained in the office despite the Watergate Scandal, and mixed views as to whether he eventu-

ally should leave resulted in a ripple effect of the same distrust and paranoia in everyday interac-

tions between American citizens. Both priests in The Exorcist, backed by the power of the Catholic 

Church, act as metaphors for the confusing reliability of leadership during the years of its release. 

The Catholic Church relies heavily on tradition, and the eventual failure of Father Merrin calls to 

mind the question prevalent in the minds of many Americans at the time of Nixon’s presidency as 

to actual reliability of leadership, especially in the traditional definition of it, in the changing coun-

try. 

 As American politics continues to become more contradictory, the production and distri-

bution of movies involves current representation of the country’s polarization through depictions 

of traditionalist and modernist ideas. The Exorcism of Emily Rose, produced in 2005, brings the 

American court system into play as the same government declares a War on Terror, highlight-

ing specific areas considered an “axis of evil.” In the movie, young Emily Rose, previously heavily 

guarded by a faith-based upbringing and traditionalist family, enters college as a freshman and 

faces life away from her family’s secluded farm for the first time. This exposure eventually leads to 

her possession by demons, and, as a result of an exorcism enacted by the family and performed 

by Father Richard Moore, she dies of exposure and malnutrition. Father Moore gets arrested and 

sent to court. He pleads not guilty and accepts the help of ambitious lawyer Erin Bruner under the 

assumption that his explanation of what happened during the exorcism proves he was in fact not 

the evil entity which caused her death but rather the person trying to prevent it. 

What are deemed threats to American citizens during the making of The Exorcism of Emily 

Rose become more concrete as the War on Terror creates a monolithic enemy. Typical in a po-

larized society, however, not all of its citizens support this approach. Critics of the War on Terror 



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at this time claim that it foments an ideology of fear and repression that creates more enemies 

than what already existed for the country previously and promotes more violence than morally 

supportable by the country. This critique goes against the government’s position that their plan 

mitigates the acts of terror and strengthens security. The Exorcism of Emily Rose mimics the dis-

putation that the “axis of evil” poses a concrete threat to the country. By the end of the film, the 

perception that a demonic presence indeed controlled Emily Rose and that Father Moore simply 

could not both expel the evil from the family and save the life of the girl is as equally disputed as 

the War on Terror. Father Moore stays true to the claim that demons possessed Emily Rose, but 

he is left with a guilt-ridden conscience and the question of whether he needed assistance from 

a medical professional during the exorcism, rather than staying true to the traditional faith-only 

ritualistic practice. The disparity lies in whether the “evil” was a real as Father Moore deemed it to 

be, shadowing the doubts of American perception of what threatened them at the time. 

  A few years later, 2011 brought about the movie The Conjuring, as well as a new wave of dis-

trust in politicians, the immoral use of money in politics, and the blatant income inequality with 

the protest to Occupy Wall Street. The movie’s plot mimics the simmering anger in Americans 

at rampant economic inequality, and its release during the same year as the Occupation led it to 

become one of the most popular horror movies of the year due to its representation of the eco-

nomic status of the average American family. The middle-class family in The Conjuring gets mon-

etarily trapped in a house haunted by the demonic presence of a devil-worshipping witch who 

once lived on the property. Traditional systems of power fail both American viewers (resulting in 

the March on Wall Street) and the family in the film as the Catholic Church responds to the pos-

session of the mother, Carolyn Perrin, too late, and an un-ordained paranormal investigator must 

perform the exorcism in order to save her from murdering her own children. 

In The Conjuring, the traditional teaching that only an ordained minister of God can per-

form an exorcism is challenged when the lagging response from the Vatican, or the seat of power 

in the Catholic Church, forces Ed Warren to perform an exorcism himself for the first time. The 

Warrens eventually save Carolyn Perrin through this exorcism without the help from an ordained 

priest, suggesting that modern thinking and action outside the traditionalist Catholic Church, 

which firmly discourages un-ordained individuals from performing an exorcism, not only saved 

her from the demon, but also that the traditionalist approach would have been too slow to save 

her. Yet despite the fact that an unconventional decision saved Carolyn Perrin, Ed and Lorraine 

Warren remain steady in their beliefs and continual practices of the more traditional views of the 

Catholic Church throughout the length of the movie, and ultimately claim that an act of God 



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saved them all. Hence The Conjuring seems to please both sides of the political spectrum, mod-

ernists and traditionalists alike.

Waves of Feminism and Possession

The years between 1973 and the late 2010’s continued to reflect the polarization brought 

by the second and third waves of feminism. Despite the fact that what people usually highlight 

about these waves is the success that feminism provides women with over time, it would not 

have been a fight if there were not polarized ideas concerning whether or not feminism improved 

society. During these waves, movies depicting demonic possession mirror what feminism fought 

to change about society, as well as those who considered said fight to actually degrade what it 

means to be a woman. Movies such as The Exorcist (1973), The Evil Dead (1983), and Annabelle: 

Creation (2017) highlight that what others consider “evil” inverts what is traditionally “feminine” as 

well as anything which tries to take the control a woman has over her own body away. 

 In the case of The Exorcist, the specific attentions put on Regan’s bodily functions and 

movements, as well as the fact that Regan is a young innocent girl, portray second-wave femi-

nism in specifically obscene and polarizing ways. Arguably the most memorable scene from the 

movie is when the demon possessing Regan forces her to masturbate with a crucifix as a way 

of taunting her mother (1:18:34-1:19:34). The bloody, violent, and shocking scene shocked theater 

audiences. What made viewers so deterred, however, can be hard to pinpoint as the emphasis on 

polarization lies more in why the audience reacts so adversely to the scene rather than what the 

scene tries to convey. 

 The polarization shown through the famous crucifix scene depends on where “evil” lies 

within the scene for the viewer beyond the obvious demonic presence. Does “evil” reside in the 

notion that Regan’s masturbation and foul language directly opposed the designated proper 

topics concerning the female body, or in the fact that a natural part of the female body is being 

used against the young girl’s will? Feminism at the time of The Exorcist’s theatrical release was 

focused on what it meant for a woman to have control over her own body. During the “second 

wave,” feminist supporters worked to outlaw marital rape, built shelters for survivors of domestic 

violence and rape, and worked to raise awareness of—and put policies into place to stop—sexual 

harassment in the workplace. This wave also fought to eradicate widespread use of the term “girl” 

and replaced it with “woman,” emphasizing the power of terminology and labeling in situations 

concerning unequal treatment of the sexes. Feminism between the 1960s and the 1980s focused 

on these issues because the main concern for eradicating inequality between the sexes lay within 



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the ways in which femininity, including but not limited to the physicality of the female body, can 

be taken away, withheld, and controlled. The attention focused on Regan’s body, as in the cruci-

fix scene, the writhing motions during the possession, and the words rising from within her gut, 

mimics American culture’s own fixation on the female body because it portrays the lack of control 

many women feel they maintain over their own rights to their bodies, as well as the lack of control 

traditionalists feel they possess over the changing ideas of what “feminine” means.

 Special attention to the female body continues within movies containing demonic posses-

sion, continuing to represent the second and third waves of feminism present in American pol-

itics between the years of 1983 with the making of The Evil Dead and 2017 with Annabelle: Cre-

ation. During these years, the transition between the second and third waves of feminism meant 

that the same core issues addressed are readdressed with more tactical moves. In other words, 

“third-wavers,” as described by writer R. Claire Snyder, “embrace multivocality over synthesis and 

action over theoretical justification” (1). Progressively more evident in the years 1973, 1981, and 2017, 

feminists develop more tactical measures rather than theoretical arguments to approach the 

same problems. Through this, the act of being a feminist becomes an even more polarizing label, 

as the subject of feminism becomes both more mundane and more confrontational.  

 The Evil Dead, for example, is far less subtle in its symbolism over loss of control. As objec-

tions to rape and sexual harassment become more outspoken and frequent, The Evil Dead re-

flects the second-wave drive to recognize the brutality of rape, but also insists on displaying that 

brutality on the big screen. In the movie, a group of college kids are trapped in the middle of the 

woods. Possessed trees violently rape Cheryl, one of these college kids, in a horrific scene (24:41-

29:33). The film does little to hide the terribly horrific experience of rape, the action taken by trees 

rather than another human adding a terrifying and animalistic element to the act that caused 

many audiences to become sick in much the same way as The Exorcist. Upon its release, the film 

was given an X rating and deemed a “video nasty” for its violent depictions and pornographic ele-

ments (Kermode 65-67). Despite predictions of a horrified first reaction, director Sam Raimi stated 

that he wanted both the scene and the movie as gruesome as possible with little interest in fear 

or censorship. This approach, in turn, caused the film to be even more polarizing. Although the 

director made the scene as horrifying as possible in order to mimic the fear of women at the time 

and cause outrage by the thought that terrible people carry out such actions, many reactions 

to the movie deemed the scene more outrageous for its nonsensical nature and subsequently 

deemed offensive. The call for censorship, driven by both feminists and traditionalists alike, of the 

rape scene, as well as of many other scenes in the movie, reinforced the idea that society needed 



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to avoid discussing, displaying, or worst of all, reimagining such topics in a public setting (Ker-

mode 66). Despite this attitude, viewers continued to flock to the movie once word of its infamy 

spread, regardless of its lack of sensitivity to traditionally unspoken rules about appropriate topics 

to discuss concerning treatment of the female body, and film industries continued to create more 

movies that disregarded these rules. 

 Like in The Evil Dead and The Exorcist, Annabelle: Creation portrays unyielding examples 

of issues presented by feminism at the time of its release, this time with more focus on the inver-

sion of innocence and traditional femininity. Made over three decades later in 2017, Annabelle: 

Creation portrays another young girl of whom evil takes advantage. Evil, however, no longer mas-

querades as the traditional demon nor as a group of possessed tree limbs. In this film, the demon 

pretends to be the ghost of the lost daughter of a couple, Samuel and Esther Mullins, who recent-

ly opened their home to six orphans and their guardian Sister Charlotte. In this movie, evil hides 

behind the face of innocence and works to possess only young girls. The inversion of femininity 

is depicted through the way in which the demon pretends to be a young innocent girl and later 

a porcelain doll, as well as in the way that it focuses on tormenting and controlling other young 

girls.

 By taking classic symbols of innocence and young femininity, like the doll and the little girl, 

and turning them ugly and evil, the movie comments on the fear that feminism eradicates what 

femininity truly means. Just like in 1981, polarizing ideas on what feminism really means were alive 

in 2017. The third wave of feminism continued to find more ways to boldly present the motives 

of second wave feminists, and the objections stayed the same despite vastly changing tactics. 

In Annabelle: Creation, the young females fall prey to evil, and what makes them innocent and 

“feminine” is destroyed and replaced by a mirror opposite creature of evil and ill-intent. The girls, 

however, eventually save themselves from the possessed doll, but not by behaving helplessly or 

innocently. When Janice, one of the orphans, becomes possessed, the girls react violently in order 

to save themselves. For example, another orphan, Linda, whom the demon also torments, throws 

the porcelain doll down the well (1:12:25-1:12:37), and Sister Janet saves the girls by locking young 

Janice, the doll, and the demon in a closet until the police arrive (1:31:17). Meanwhile, Samuel Mul-

lins, previously expected to pull his weight in saving the girls, ends up defeated by the demons. 

The added fact that the girls must go against the traditional idea of innocence and femininity to 

survive contrasts the idea that feminism is attempting to destroy what it means to have feminini-

ty.  



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Infestation, Oppression, and Possession of the American Culture

Ed Warren, the un-ordained exorcist in the movie The Conjuring, describes the process of 

possession as occurring in three stages: infestation, oppression, and possession (44:37-45:07). The 

first stage, he explains, consists of subtle evidences of the coming evil. “That’s the whispering,” he 

states. “The footsteps, the feeling of another presence which ultimately grows into oppression” 

(44:41). Oppression continues the process as the stage in which the external force begins to target 

and affect certain members of the household more strongly, while others continue to notice its 

impending presence. Finally, possession occurs, the stage where the force ingrains itself not only 

in those it previously oppressed, but also in the household itself. 

 Through these stages, the metaphor of a possessed society becomes fully illuminated. Po-

litical polarization did not happen overnight, and it changed forms, tactics, and motives through-

out the years between the making of The Exorcist to the release of The Conjuring. Polarization be-

came stronger and ingrained itself further in society, resulting in more outward representations of 

its effect within “the household”—in this case, the United States. These outward representations, 

as is the natural process within a society, became the pop culture we consume, the continuing 

circulation of politically themed metaphors further cementing American fascination with polar-

ized ideologies. Indeed, the political climate has always haunted pop culture, resulting in a society 

where we feel its presence in every aspect of our lives. American society is possessed by the con-

cept of political polarization. The possession continues to seep more deeply into the foundation 

of American society: gradually with continual reinterpretations of the same ideas and the same 

citizens which flock to consume them. 



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Works Cited

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70, no. 2, Apr. 2008, pp. 542–555. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1017/S0022381608080493.

Annabelle: Creation (Blu-Ray). Directed by Peter Safran, et al. Warner Bros. 

 Entertainment, 2017.

The Conjuring. Directed by James Wan, New Line Cinema, 2013.

The Evil Dead (1983 Release). Directed by Bruce Campbell, et al., Elite Entertainment, 1983.

The Exorcist. Directed by William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty, Warner Bros, 1973.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Directed by Scott Derrikson et al., Sony Pictures Home 

Entertainment, 2008.

Meacham, Roy. “How Did ‘The Exorcist’ Escape an X Rating.” New York Times, ProQuest 

Historical Newspapers, 3 Feb., 1974, p. 109. 

Naegeli-Osjord, Hans. Possession & Exorcism. Oregon, New Frontiers Center, 1988.

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no. 1, 2008, pp. 175–196. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/588436. Accessed 6 Feb. 2020.

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