To analyze The Exorcist, Cursed Films interviewed a real exorcist, but does it prove exorcism is real or does it only showcase the influence the film has had on popular culture?
Cursed Films on Shudder explores horror movies thought to be cursed. The first episode in the series is about The Exorcist (based on William Peter Blatty's book by the same name), a film notorious for its stories of on-set accidents and physical audience reactions. It discusses in detail the curse surrounding The Exorcist, including reports of audience members fainting and vomiting in theaters, as well as a mysterious fire that burned down most of the set as if to stop the film from being made. On top of that, the episode interviews a real-life exorcist.
In episode 1 of Cursed Films, a real exorcist by the name of Vincent Bauhaus is interviewed and shown performing exorcisms on camera. He is invited into the homes of people who feel that something dark has invaded their lives. He takes himself very seriously, and seems to believe every word of what he is saying. The people he visits also appear to be convinced they've been somehow been touched by evil. What's interesting is that this has very little to do with The Exorcist film or the curse surrounding it, so why is it a part of this documentary episode?
The Exorcist: Why A Real Exorcist Performs On Camera
Three different people are interviewed for Cursed Films: a woman who feels she is the victim of a witch's attack, a man who has been using an Ouija board to worship the devil and wants to be free, and another man who reports having been tortured by vengeful spirits after having a very rough childhood. Mr. Bauhaus then performs a ritual using language similar to what is seen in The Exorcist film. All three of the people react by shaking, growling, and coughing. The woman even vomits. It appears very real. However, the exorcist and victims alike could possibly just be riffing on a horror movie that has, admittedly, had a profound effect on American culture.
After Vincent Bauhaus is finished with his exorcisms, Cursed Films makes a point of interviewing him. He says that before he got into performing exorcisms, he made a living running a furniture company. It also shows one of the supposed victims paying him $500 in cash for each session. Doug Cowen, who is a professor of religious studies, talks about the availability heuristic, which is the idea that the more a person is able to bring something to mind, the more likely they are to believe it. The ideas and moments in episode 1 of Cursed Films uses the interview with a real exorcists to seemingly draw a connection to The Exorcist through showing how a horror movie can get under people's skin and change the very way they see the world.