Look who’s back!
The power is in the repetition.
Ben Daniels as Father Marcus Keane, episode 1, ‘Chapter One: And Let My Cry Come Unto Thee,’ The Exorcist
Created by: Jeremy Slater
Producer: Jeremy Slater, Rolin Jones, Rupert Wyatt, James Robinson, David Robinson, Barbara Wall, Roy Lee, Sean Crouch
Starring: Alfonso Herrera, Ben Daniels, Hannah Kalsulka, Brianne Howey, Kurt Egyiawan, Alan Ruck, Geena Davis
First Broadcast: 23rd September – 16th December 2016
Trailer
WARNING – Contains spoilers for series 1. Spoilers are limited to one paragraph and the Notes section. You have been warned.
The Exorcist II acts as a sequel to the original. The Exorcist III ignores the second film, but acts as a sequel to the original. There are two alternative prequels to the original that ignore each other. This series acts as a sequel to the original film. With the new trilogy underway, acting as a sequel to the original, it seems like only the Halloween or Terminator series rivals The Exorcist for tortuous continuity reboots attempting to capture the magic of the original and good ones. In each case, it’s probably easier just to take each entry on their own merits, or lack of, individually.
A series like this could easily fall into what I think of as ‘Surf Dracula’ problem that seems to plague a lot of modern television, but as a horror show this delivers a least one horrific moment per episode, and the main subject of the possession, Casey, is already showing signs in the first episode of demonic torment; by the end of the fourth, she’s at home, in her bedroom, getting the exorcised treatment. However, if the series had remained focused purely on Casey, it might well have felt drawn out, so the series wisely expands the storyline to include demon obsessed cults murdering en masse, an attempt on the Pope’s life and the original exorcism back in the 1970s.
If it sounds over the top, then you’re in the right place. The concept of possession is fundamentally ridiculous, and there lies the fun of the series. Arguably, this is what led to the decline in quality as seen in The Exorcist II and the prequel films. They were focused on being scary or taking themselves too seriously, lacking the glee of the Friedkin’s original. In addition, revisiting the story as a TV series, in the age of the streaming miniseries and binge watching, seems a logical step for the franchise. However, horror as an ongoing series is always going to struggle with attempting to emulate the same tension a horror film can mange. Put simply, there’s just too much space to fill, and constant scares are simply not sustainable. Ash Vs. The Evil Dead succeeded by having short episodes and being a comedy; American Horror Story got around this issue by not being concerned with things like ‘quality.’ This first series gets around the problem of sustaining horror over a series by taking a leaf out of William Peter Blatty’s book and looking at the wider effects something like this could have on a family and the world around them.
The horror of Casey’s possession is the focus of the series, but much like the original story the horror is also in how it affects everyone else. The series creates strong characters to build drama around, and twists its way through in a logical way. Blatty did this purely through the lens of faith, but the series isn’t as interested in theological depth as the original. In some ways, that means some of the texture of the original version is lost. Replacing it with generational family trauma means the show is doing something different. The demon of the series is used a metaphor vehicle for different things. It can be generational trauma, sexual abuse, fear of youth, drugs – whatever you want it to be. Blatty had a very set idea for his use of the demon in his novel, deliberately investigating the power of faith and doubt. The purity of intention is lost here, diluted to become more malleable. There is still a religious element – it would not be The Exorcist without it – but it is no longer central to the discussion, used more to expand the world.
The loss of the theological element to the horror means the horror has been replaced. The original story is about desecration in a religious sense. Though there is an element of that with the cult summoning demons, which I’m sure would upset Blatty if no one else, religion is not treated with some reverence that Blatty does in his work. Part of what makes the original so shocking is seeing as an offence to God. Masturbating with a crucifix is horrible for so many reasons, so much so because of its deliberate offensiveness borne from respect. Compared to Casey’s (unseen, it should be noted) masturbation with a curling wand, burning herself in the process. It absolutely sets the viewer on edge, but not in the same way a crucifix does. It is removed from being sacrilegious taboo into sexual taboo. Still horrifying, but in a different way. Exorcism and demons have become the monsters, not about what it says about Faith.
This all serves to remove itself from the core of the original Exorcist, treating it less like a theological horror and more a horror franchise. The series expansion to include religious cults and demon conspiracy is exactly the kind of thing a series with an eye on there being future seasons would do. But it isn’t The Exorcist, and is part of the reason (amongst others) why The Exorcist II failed so badly.
But the biggest way it chooses to expand the series (here come those spoilers…) is by it being a literal sequel to the original story, with the mid-season twist that Angela Rance is actually Regan MacNeil from the original story. This is exactly the kind of twist to be expected from the series, and is by no means a bad thing. It’s not much to say it’s a better sequel than The Exorcist II, though that isn’t exactly saying much. But again, this signifies a significant shift in how The Exorcist is treated. There is less thematic importance to the story, and it takes on the sequel job of expanding characters and forgoing the thematic purity of the original.
And yet, despite all that, it’s not a bad show. It is respectful of The Exorcist, but has to make changes in order to be a sustainable series. I can imagine Exorcist purists would object to the existence of the series, let alone what happens within. I have sympathy to that view to an extent, because the show lacks that theological depth and texture that still makes The Exorcist unique still in possession and demon movies to this day. This plays much more within the framework of a modern demon possession story with the accoutrement of The Exorcist as a garnish. It may lack the depth, but it is still a generally enjoyable show.
The ‘Surf Dracula’ problem is not just about the problem with a show delaying gratification until the last possible moment. It’s also about the elevation of some material that simply cannot sustain that kind of prestige. The Exorcist does not have those some pretensions, It knows that everyone is here to see Ooky Spooky Demon Shit (technical term), and the series delivers that at least once an episode. A Jaws series would probably adapt the dumb mafia subplot from the book, when all we want is a shark attack a week, thank you very much.
Where The Exorcist book and movie are more like satisfying meals (served with communion wine? I’ll see myself out) where the series is a juicy burger. Sometimes though, that burger just hits right.
Notes (contains spoiler speculation)
This is a sequel to The Exorcist, but which one? Because the book and film are so close in story, it almost doesn’t matter. Even the Bible inscription dated to 1974 could fit within the slight timeline differences between the movie and book. Here’s my take. I imagine due to Chris’ hard pivot into being religious after her avowed atheism is more in line with her accepting Karras’ St Christopher medallion from Father Dyer from the end of the book (and The Version You’ve Never Seen!). This doesn’t happen in the film version. So for my money, this is a sequel to the book rather than the film! Not that it makes any material difference really.
The hardest part I find to believe is how Angela/Regan is able to remove herself from her mother Chris. Chris was a well-known actress in the book and film, and it seems unlikely that Regan would be able to disappear as easily. Is the series an extended metaphor about the dangers of fame, with the demons a representation of the paparazzi? No. Though it is only a small element of the original, it still is present and odd for the series to generally ignore. Even though Chris basically stopped working, she would still be subject to tabloid interest – look at someone like Shelley Duvall for example.
There are some elements that seem to be reworking or shoutouts to the original Blatty works. Aside from the original story being very much canon to the series, there are some other things going on too.
- Episode 1 has Angela muse on what motivates people to do things, in words that are very reminiscent of Kinderman’s similar musings.
- The same episode ends with a musical quote of Tubular Bells, the iconic score from the original film.
- Casey vomits in episode 2, having ingested holy water and what looks like split pea soup.
- The reveal of the mentally disturbed colony living underground in episode 6 feels similar to the demon’s use of the catatonic in Legion. The spider-walk immediately after is definitely a shout out to the original, infamous scene and (controversial opinion) is done better here than in the film.
- The demon’s use of ‘sow,’ to refer to Regan is the same as back during the original possession.
- There’s a brief reference to Burke Dennings, the director, in a flashback during episode 8, which is why the head turning things appears at all. Chris in a flashback discusses a directing gig she has been offered, which wasn’t mentioned in the film at all but was in the book. The basement looks incredibly like the one from the film, but the visual design of Chris and Regan is almost switched over from how they appeared there.
- The use of dogs to help locate demonic activity recalls the wild dogs from the beginning of Friedkin’s The Exorcist.
A fun thing I found out related to the ending of episode 6. The power of holy water itself cannot be diluted. If the water added exceeds the volume of the original amount, only then does it lose its sacramental properties. Therefore, the theological implications of Father Keane blessing Lake Michigan are wild.
UP NEXT: Onwards for another series of The Exorcist!
Deeper Thoughts for the Horror Inclined 