- Feb 5, 2002
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So many people flock to movies like ‘The Ritual,’ released this past week. But should they?
Given how utterly tired out the theme of demonic possession is in the movies, it is strange that almost every exorcism movie that comes down the pike gets the buzz that it does. The Ritual, starring Al Pacino and the ubiquitous Dan Stevens and released in theaters last week, is no exception.
But should Catholics take any interest in such dark narratives, whether historical or fictional? Do exorcism tales have a place in a spiritual strategy—or should they be repudiated as reducing spiritual warfare to evil fascination or even entertainment?
The OG of this overworn horror subgenre of demonic possession is (of course) 1973’s The Exorcist. Director William Friedkin broke the mold with Linda Blair’s horrifying head-spinning and projectile-vomiting and a memorable performance from Max von Sydow as the heroic Fr. Merrin. It was a shocker and earned its reputation, though it was firmly in the category of outlandish horror rather than strictly keeping to the facts of possession. But that’s the movies for you. They’re not always the best vehicle for accuracy or edification.
Though there have been some worthy mentions since The Exorcist—such as The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist III, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and The Conjuring—there really hasn’t been an original cinematic take on the subject of exorcism in fifty years. Even so (and perhaps strangely so), these movies still get noticed. Some might recall entries as recent as The Pope’s Exorcist and The Exorcist: Believer (both widely anticipated and poorly reviewed).
The Ritual purports to tell the story of the most documented exorcism on American soil, involving a girl named Emma Schmidt in Iowa, 1928. It is fine, if you go for this sort of fare. Far from good, though. Orthodox, but uninspired. Like nearly every possession film, it is a retread with nothing new to offer. It’s got all the apparently mandatory elements: the tormented girl restrained in her bed; the two priests, one wise, one wavering; the voices, the wall-crawling, the burning crucifix—all presented in a seeming cinematic naïveté that The Exorcist doesn’t exist. It may just be a shameless cash grab, with a studio sticking to the tried-and-true beats calculated to turn a profit, even if those beats were only tried and true once in 1973.
Continued below.
Why the Fascination with Exorcism?
‘The Ritual’ is the newest exorcism movie to hit the big screen. So many people—even Catholics—flock to these films. But should they?
