The whole scene where they are in the desert looking for artifacts and they come across the little statue and breaks it . It gives the movie a bit of a global feel as well since most of it takes place inside a bedroom. Aspects of Blatty's fictional novel were inspired by the 1949 exorcism performed on an anonymous young boy known as "Roland Doe" or "Robbie Mannheim" (pseudonyms) by the Jesuit priest Fr. Though The Exorcist launched Blair's film career, working on the film was no walk in the park. The film leaves a lot to interpretation when it comes to Father Merrin's passing. In the beginning of The Exorcist, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) discovers the amulet of Pazuzu on an archaeological dig in Iraq. Somethin like that. Was quite young so didn't have a full understanding. It's an artifact (of Pazuzu) they just uncovered and he's breaking the dirt off it. What was the significance of this? I like it as a little back story for Father Merrin recognizing what the artifact is because he’s been in the demon-fighting game for a long time and demons consider him an enemy. I always watched it after it’s been playing for a few minutes. level 2 Analytica0 Great movie! The beginning is Merrin realizing he is being called to be an exorcist. R/HORROR, known as Dreadit by our subscribers is the premier horror entertainment community on Reddit. A visiting actress in Washington, D.C., notices dramatic and dangerous changes in the behavior and physical make-up of her 12-year-old daughter. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. Pazuzu is depicted as a combination of human and animal with a man's body, head of a lion or dog, eagle talons, two pairs of wings, and a scorpion's tail. In his free time, he is a devoted dog dad to a high-spirited rescue pup named Peter Quill and enjoys volunteering with various animal rescue organizations. And he says it nearly killed him the first time. Later, Pazuzu takes up residence in Regan's house. Jack likes to travel and explore dark tourism-related and other various haunted locations. I took it as the statue is an idol of the demon that was worshipped by the ancient people who lived there. It is the scene where Fr. Merrin is shown resigned to this at the end of this sequence. The Exorcist, which is widely regarded as one of the best horror films of all time, features a strange relic that is connected to the film's main antagonist, Pazuzu. Pazuzu is the main antagonist in The Exorcist horror novels and film series, created by William Peter Blatty.Blatty derived the character from Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, where the historic Pazuzu was considered the king of the demons of the wind, and the son of the god Hanbi.In The Exorcist, Pazuzu … For more than a decade /R/HORROR has been reddit.com's gateway to all things Horror: from movies & TV, to books & games. Edit significance of the opening scene in the exorcist? He basically packs up and goes back to US and waits, then is fetched by someone for the deed. Part of this is due to the fact that, beyond being incredibly scary, it features rich, demonic lore and tells an incredible story. Press J to jump to the feed. Click the button below to start this article in quick view. However there were two version of the prequel to the Exorcist and it deals with Father Merrin exorcising the demon from a child before. He is a lifelong fan of the horror genre, and loves any excuse to discuss genre-related topics, since none of his friends dare challenge him in horror trivia. Upon rewatching, I did notice that Merrin coming in way later in the film after being absent is rather out of left-field, though. Its not explicitely stated until the sequel that that is the same demon possessing Reagan. Historically, Pazuzu is the king of wind demons in Assyrian and Babylonian mythology. He's considered to be an evil spirit, but also drives away other evil spirits. When the statue was exposed and broken it released the demon, maybe it was bound to it. Jack Wilhelmi is the horror features editor at Screen Rant, and has been with the site since 2019. He enjoys studying psychology, the paranormal, and will watch literally any schlocky B-movie on the planet for a laugh. Related: Cursed Films: The Exorcist Curse Explained That occurred in 2000, when The Exorcist was restored and released in a new cut, dubbed The Version You've Never Seen in contemporary marketing. What does that mean ? Exorcist: The Beginning is a movie prequel to The Exorcist (1973) (1973), which was based on William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel of the same name. At the time, children being put in harm's way was still somewhat of a taboo for horror films, so seeing a young girl vomiting slime and saying horrific things was certainly not for the faint of heart. The Exorcist III is a 1990 American psychological horror film written and directed by William Peter Blatty.It is the third installment in the Exorcist series and an adaptation of Blatty's Exorcist novel Legion (1983). The opening scene of Fargo's third season mirrors this, to the point of being set in Germany. Strange and catastrophic occurrences surrounded The Exorcist as well, which led many to believe the film itself was cursed. The storyline for this movie was taken from a screenplay co-written by writers William Wisher Jr, Caleb Carr, and Alexi Hawley, retooled from the already-completed screenplay for Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist … After The Exorcist, Blair starred in TV-movies that dealt with teen sexual abuse and drug addiction and soon after became a sex symbol, thanks to the musical drama Roller Boogie (1979). The Exorcist not only showed what were, for the time, incredibly violent and disturbing scenes of demonic possession and exorcism, but featured a possessed child, Regan (Linda Blair). Exorcist II, as bad as it is, kind of goes into it. The Exorcist is a 1971 novel by American author William Peter Blatty, who also wrote the film adaptation. Doe's family became convinced the boy's aggressive behavior was attributable to demonic possession… In the book, it is confirmed that Regan was possessed through use of a Ouija board. Essentially, Reagan was gifted with psychic abilities that allowed her to help people and demons like Pazuzu possessed them in order to destroy them. Exorcist II: The Heretic is a 1977 American horror film directed by John Boorman and written by William Goodhart, and starring Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Paul Henreid and James Earl Jones.It is a sequel to William Friedkin's 1973 film The Exorcist based on the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty and the second installment of The Exorcist … Then he turns and sees the full sized statue as the dogs begin attacking each other. The evil knows him and he it and the beginning signifies, with all the imagery entailed, that Merrin will have to face down evil throughout his life. . He's known for bringing famine during dry seasons and locusts during rainy seasons. This could explain how, when Regan used the Ouija board, though she communicated with multiple demons, Pazuzu was the one to connect. Ironically, Linda Blair’s agents … It’s been a while since I’ve watched it, but I think it was supposed to be an idol of the demon that possesses the girl, and by disturbing it they released/woke up the demon. The priest says it in the beginning of the movie when they decide to approve her exorcism. A one-stop shop for all things video games. I never liked the scene and felt we could have been thrown into Regan and Chris' life from the beginning. It's Pazuzu, who according to Babylonian and Assyrian myth is the king of demons of the wind (and arch enemy of Lilith, another demon from that period and place). Adding a full 10 minutes to the running time, that cut has since come to be known as … Exorcist: The Beginning is a 2004 American supernatural horror film directed by Renny Harlin.The film serves as a prequel to The Exorcist (1973). Related: The Exorcist: The Amulet Of Pasuzu's History Explained The Exorcist was overwhelmed by controversy when it was released in 1973. I've seen a lot stating the idol is actually a pantheistic deity that wards off demons. The films have grossed over $661 million at the worldwide box office. Such evil. The network TV version originally broadcast on CBS in the '80s was edited by William Friedkin, who also shot a replacement insert of the Virgin Mary statue crying blood, replacing the shot of a more obscenely desecrated statue.Friedkin himself spoke the Demon's new, censored lines; he was unwilling to work with … William Friedkin's 1973 classic, The Exorcist, features a strange relic known as the amulet of Pazuzu, which is closely connected to the film's demon. William S. Bowdern, who formerly taught at both St. Louis University and St. Louis University High School. Later, the statue comes into play during Regan's possession when it conjures the demon Pazuzu. Later in the film when Merrin reappears, there’s a similar contrast of his dark silhouette in the bright light coming from the window. 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