We Asked A Real-Life Priest: What Are The Most Unrealistic Aspects Of Cinematic Exorcisms?
by Devin Meenan · /FilmAdd SlashFilm on Google:
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The idea of a spiritual exorcism, the removal of a supernatural evil from a human being, goes as least as far back as ancient Egypt. Numerous lines in the Bible refer to Jesus Christ calling on his followers to "cast out" evil spirits, and the most literal interpretation of that is exorcisms. It's worth stressing that an exorcism is a real process sanctioned by the Catholic Church, which employs genuine exorcists. The Russell Crowe horror film "The Pope's Exorcist" is loosely based on the life of real priest and exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth.
Of course, the public perception of exorcisms is shaped less by real Christianity than by William Peter Blatty's 1971 horror novel "The Exorcist" and its 1973 film adaptation directed by William Friedkin. "The Exorcist" cemented the cinematic language of a possession, where a snarling demon puppeteers its host body, and an exorcism, where priests scream, "The power of Christ compels you!" as the demon writhes inside its possessed body.
Do real exorcisms even remotely resemble this? To find out, /Film consulted with Father Carlos Martins, a Canadian Catholic priest and a real-life exorcist. Father Martins is the author of best-selling book "The Exorcist Files: True Stories About the Reality of Evil and How to Defeat It," as well as co-host of the "Exorcist Files" podcast.
As someone who has devoted his life to the Church, it goes without saying that Father Martins is a true believer in God's grace and power. His answers are thus rooted in that belief, and the whole premise of an exorcism rests on spiritual faith, too. Think of the prayer of Saint Michael the Archangel, which pleads protection against "all the evil spirits who roam the world seeking the ruin of souls." To a faithful Christian, demons are as obviously real as air or water.
Hollywood exorcisms don't match up with the reality
We asked Father Martins about the most unrealistic things about Hollywood exorcisms, and he pointed to several big issues. All of them come back to the same point: A real exorcism isn't much of a cinematic event, so films invent dramatic stakes that misrepresent what an exorcism looks like. For one, Father Martins takes major exception to the default depiction of an exorcism as a supernatural battle waged by an ordained exorcist against a demon.
"An exorcism is not a contest between a priest and a demon. It is an exercise of the authority of Jesus Christ over a fallen angel. The priest possesses no supernatural power of his own," says Father Martins. "And the Devil is not Christ's equal. He is a creature, infinitely inferior to his Creator. The fight is absolutely unequal."
Compare this description to the climax of William Friedkin's "The Exorcist," in which Pazuzu, the demon possessing Regan McNeil (Linda Blair), takes the upper hand in the exorcism. Faced by two priests, he kills Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow) and then possesses Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), and Karras dies by his own hand to rid Regan of the demon.
Father Martins also highlights that, unsurprisingly, sights like the possessed Regan's head twisting 360 degrees in "The Exorcist" are not typical of an exorcism.
"Although unusual physical phenomena defying the laws of physics can occur, these spectacular manifestations are neither necessary nor characteristic of most exorcisms," Father Martins claims. He added that an exorcism can appear to be "surprisingly uneventful" and that "the most important events in an exorcism are often the ones the camera cannot capture."
Real exorcisms are not a single event
In a horror film, a single climactic exorcism is good narrative movie-making. But Father Martins says that a real exorcism "is a process, not a single event." An "average exorcism case" lasts about a year and a half, he says, and he notes it includes not only weekly exorcism sessions but also the possessed making spiritual changes in their own daily life to reconcile themselves with God. An essential part of that is the sacramental confession of their sins to a priest. "One sacramental confession is more exorcistic than 10,000 exorcisms," says Father Martins.
"I think this error [about the timeline of an exorcism] stems from a misunderstanding of what exorcism is. Properly speaking, the exorcist's job is not to cast out the Devil. His job is to find out why the Devil is there," Martins continues. Essentially, an exorcist's role is to help the afflicted reach spiritual reconciliation so as to remove the "rights" that allowed the demon to possess them in the first place.
"Demons are the most legalistic entities in the universe," Father Martins says, so the rights that allowed them to possess the victim must be rescinded by the victim for the exorcism to work. As for what bestows those rights in the first place, Father Martins claims that in his "experience and that of most exorcists, engaging in the occult and transgressing God's law governing the proper use of our sexuality are the most common ways people obtain demons."
Priests and exorcists are not supernatural superheroes
Pride is the deadliest sin of all in Christian teachings, and Father Martins says it's one that an exorcist should avoid; he must think of himself as only a vessel of God's will, not a savior unto himself.
"A stereotype I wish Hollywood would abandon is portraying the exorcist as a spiritual superhero, a man with extraordinary powers who goes into battle against demons through sheer force of will. This is a profound misunderstanding of exorcism, and it can be spiritually dangerous," says Father Martins.
Popular fiction does tend to depict exorcists almost like religious-themed wizards with a specialty in fighting demons. Think about DC Comics' John Constantine, a cynical con man and sorcerer often hired to perform exorcism jobs. John has no affiliation with the Church and is about as far from a model Christian as can be. "[A real exorcist] does not improvise magical formulas, negotiate with demons, or rely on his own personal strength," says Father Martins, and that kind of exorcism is exactly what John Constantine does.
On the contrary, Father Martins stresses that "the moment [an exorcist] begins thinking that he is personally powerful, that demons fear him because of who he is, or that his success depends upon his own abilities, he has fundamentally misunderstood his ministry. An exorcist has no power of his own. His authority is powerful because it belongs to Christ."
Father Martins adds that an exorcist must exercise obedience to Earthly spiritual authority as well. Exorcists are not "lone spiritual gunslinger[s]" or "isolated figures operating outside the normal structures of the Church," but serve under the authority of a chosen bishop. Exorcism cases are, as a matter of procedure, referred to a diocesan authority and can only proceed with the presiding bishop's permission.
Real exorcism procedure differs greatly from the movies
"In a horror movie, someone begins displaying terrifying symptoms, a frightened family calls a priest, and within minutes he's standing over the person with a crucifix, shouting commands at the Devil. The Catholic Church does not operate that way," says Father Martins. He stresses that the Church is highly discerning when investigating supposed possession cases, and does not attribute possession to what can be explained by natural illness, mental or physical.
"At the same time, it is possible to have both mental illness and be demonically afflicted. Thus, proper and careful discernment is key," adds Father Martins. An individual having a negative reaction to prayer or a sacred object such as a crucifix is considered an instance that "may warrant further investigation" into if an exorcism is needed. He further specifies that three particular signs are taken as signaling the presence of the Devil: if a victim possesses knowledge they cannot know, if they speak in a language they do not speak, and/or if they show superhuman strength. As these are considered impossible to explain through natural causes, the supernatural is then accepted as the explanation.
Once the presence of a demon is accepted, Father Martins says that the exorcism will still not be a "battle" in the spectacular Hollywood sense; the primary goal is to not simply excising the demon, but "replacing a relationship with a demon with that of God." In summation of the differences between Hollywood and real exorcisms, Father Martins concluded that:
"Hollywood is fascinated by the power of evil. It measures an exorcism by the violence of the confrontation. The Church measures it by the liberation of the person, now free to be truly human by loving and serving God."