HIPPIELUVN'S HALLOWEEN HORRORTHON 2023

[Andybev01]

It looks like an over-the-top modern slasher but with two girls and extra helpings of blasphemy. Nothing is subtle these days. The original is still terrifying IMO, because it largely takes place in my brain.

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, you're so right about the original. I showed it to my daughter after she graduated college, and she remarked that the most terrifying thing about it, to her, was the blindness everyone had to what was really going on. With their modern sophistication, they were all clueless about the spiritual realm.

It's embarrassing to admit, but I was well into middle age before I realized that the exorcist actually wins in that movie. His death isn't really the point of that battle.

[hippieluvn]

Oh, you're so right about the original. I showed it to my daughter after she graduated college, and she remarked that the most terrifying thing about it, to her, was the blindness everyone had to what was really going on. With their modern sophistication, they were all clueless about the spiritual realm.

It's embarrassing to admit, but I was well into middle age before I realized that the exorcist actually wins in that movie. His death isn't really the point of that battle.

Ahhh, interesting... But who is "the exorcist" in the original film--the old priest or the young priest?

[Murfreesboro]

Well, you're right that the elderly priest is the lead exorcist, but of course I was referring to the younger priest, whom I regard as the protagonist. He is the one experiencing a crisis of faith throughout much of the movie. The demon wants him to kill the child, but he resists that impulse and kills himself instead, a kind of sacrifice, and then is just conscious enough to acknowledge last rites from his friend. So I would argue that the younger priest is saved in the end. The battle was never about living or dying (we all die), but was rather about the fate of his eternal soul. The older priest dies, too, of course, but his faith is never in question.

I have thought for a while now that The Exorcist is a very Catholic movie, but before I asserted that here I had to go do a quick Google search on Blatty, about whom I know next to nothing. Sure enough, he seems to have been a very devout Catholic, so I guess I was right about that. The Exorcist makes a lot of sense if you view it through that lens. It's a horror movie, but it's serious about the spirituality it explores.

[hippieluvn]

Last night, I watched BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA (1992), concluding my Dracula Fest

[hippieluvn]

Well, you're right that the elderly priest is the lead exorcist, but of course I was referring to the younger priest, whom I regard as the protagonist. He is the one experiencing a crisis of faith throughout much of the movie. The demon wants him to kill the child, but he resists that impulse and kills himself instead, a kind of sacrifice, and then is just conscious enough to acknowledge last rites from his friend. So I would argue that the younger priest is saved in the end. The battle was never about living or dying (we all die), but was rather about the fate of his eternal soul. The older priest dies, too, of course, but his faith is never in question.

I have thought for a while now that The Exorcist is a very Catholic movie, but before I asserted that here I had to go do a quick Google search on Blatty, about whom I know next to nothing. Sure enough, he seems to have been a very devout Catholic, so I guess I was right about that. The Exorcist makes a lot of sense if you view it through that lens. It's a horror movie, but it's serious about the spirituality it explores.

I concur with your analysis.

[Murfreesboro]

And I also enjoy the Dracula you watched last night, though it's not totally faithful to the book. In fact, I'd say it's exhibit #1 for the vampire movies subsequent to Dark Shadows which pilfered that TV show's story line. It's a gorgeous movie, though, replete with "fin de siecle" decadence, as well as the movie making techniques of '30s horror films.

[hippieluvn]

Last night, I watched THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD

[hippieluvn]

Tonight, my wife and I will watch A HAUNTING IN VENICE

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, I haven't seen that yet. Tell me how you like it.

[hippieluvn]

Oh, I haven't seen that yet. Tell me how you like it.

My wife and I enjoyed this film, but we're already fans of Poirot, Venice, and spooky movies, so it wasn't a tough leap... Haha

[hippieluvn]

Tonight, I will watch Tobe Hooper's SALEM'S LOT (1979)

Was so hoping that the latest version would be on the big-screen for Halloween 2023, but no such luck

[Murfreesboro]

I expect I would enjoy the new Poirot. My daughter and I attended the two previous ones.

Would you believe I have never seen Salem's Lot?

[hippieluvn]

Would you believe I have never seen Salem's Lot?

[Murfreesboro]