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.
Why the Catholic interest in such stories? Is it for spiritual elevation or spiritualist entertainment? Catholics who are intrigued in films exploring this extraordinary form of spiritual combat (and perhaps have shied away from the more explicit entries) might find The Ritual watchable—but it’s hard to say that anyone would find it inspiring. Is it really of much spiritual merit to see such a rare and unrelatable struggle with demonic powers? Does it help people turn to heaven to see a depiction of what the minds and mouths of hell are like?
Encountering grim material like this (if not considered entertainment, as the movie industry invites) is somewhere in the category of uncommon spiritual exercise. Accounts of exorcisms are easily taken as a part of a sensationalized spiritualism, which stigmatists, mystics, and incorruptibles sometimes share. But many people have a penchant for the bizarre, and those appetites can find a foothold in mysteries ranging from demon possession to saintly miracles.
Exorcisms are hard for the common Christian to encounter properly. There are reasons that there are dozens of mainstream films about them, and those reasons are not necessarily good. Exorcisms are exciting, from a certain perspective, but excitement isn’t exactly the reaction they should elicit. As such, it is a question whether such stories are healthy for common consumption, given their intimate intensity and the depth of their darkness—let alone whether they could ever be called holy.
One argument for the existence of exorcism tales as entertainment is that the devil never wants to appear evil. He doesn’t want to be seen for what he is or to be the clear villain in any story, let alone in our lives. No person knowingly desires evil qua evil after all—we all desire the good. If the devil can make us misinterpret what is good, however, then he can gain the upper hand.
So even exorcism films like The Ritual can serve a kind of healthy purpose insofar as they dramatize the devil’s ways, which is totally against his modus operandi, and even offer what Thomas More said the devil, proud spirit that he is, cannot stand: mockery. But again, is that worth it? Some things should not be said or performed, for imitating blasphemy can still be blasphemous. Is it spiritually meritorious enough to run the risk of entering into the shadows and making oneself susceptible to the stickiness of evil?
Evil, once touched, can grow in its hold and manifestation, especially when the victim is unprepared for the potentially harmful spiritual infection over time. Given this insidious reality, films about devils and possession and whatever captivation they invite can hardly be worth exposing ourselves to, especially if the evil presented is actually accurate (which must be questioned in the over-the-top luridness of exorcism films, which are passed off as horror movies).
Exorcisms as entertainment are a double-edged sword when it comes to flirting with the fascination of evil, which can set hooks in the soul. Many people, like the possessed girl in the film, get snagged by getting too close to the shadows. Some even find themselves horribly and inextricably immersed in the occult when they were originally and consistently hoping to achieve some good, such as becoming a healer through “white witchcraft.” Getting too close is dangerous, even if that proximity is ultimately as silly as an exorcist movie.
Catholics should be more inclined and accustomed to seeing the devil as an insignificant enemy, one we can even laugh at, as the Curé of Ars did, playfully calling him a wrestling opponent whenever the prince of darkness descended upon his chambers to keep the saint from his rest in a life devoted to saving souls from hell’s clutches. Movies like The Ritual don’t belittle the devil in this way.
Belittling doesn’t mean underestimating. Catholics must be wary and ready for his attacks—even if they don’t amount to obsession or possession—but we must not fear. A horror movie, by its nature and tradition, wants to inspire a vicarious fear, and that is the wrong association when it comes to the devil. Demons may be entertaining in scary movies, but they are nothing to be afraid of.