Posted by
JP on Friday, November 09, 2007 10:49:10 AM
ExileStreet: the politics of culture | the culture of politics30 Days of Night:
The Problem with The Problem of Evil
by Marc T. Newman [media reviewer/critic] 11/8/07
When Damien Karras, the faith-challenged priest in The Exorcist,
decided to liberate Regan from demonic possession, not by invoking the
Name of his more powerful God, but by substituting himself for her, I
had a strange feeling that an important line was being crossed. If you
saw the film, you cannot forget the scene.
Karras walks into the room of that afflicted little girl and finds her
standing triumphantly over the fallen Father Merrin. Seeing Merrin
splayed across the floor in defeat is more than Karras can bear.
Knowing he lacks Merrin's faith, no supernatural help is likely to come
to his aid. So Karras reverts to what he knows: boxing. He attempts to
beat Regan senseless, and seeing that it isn't working, he simply
offers a sweeter deal to the demon inside her. He screams, "Take me!"
And once the demon changes residence, with the last ounce of his human
strength, he throws himself out the window, down the steps, to his
apparent death. [more]