Description
Book SynopsisSince the release of The Exorcist in 1973, there has been a surge of movies depicting young women becoming possessed by a demonic force that only male religious figures can exorcise, thereby saving the women from eventual damnation. This book considers this history of exorcism cinema by analyzing how the traditional exorcism narrative, established in The Exorcist, recurs across the exorcism subgenre to represent the effects of demonic possession and ritual exorcism. This traditional exorcism narrative often functions as the central plot of the exorcism film, with only the rare film deviating from this structure. The analysis presented in this book considers how exorcism films reflect, reinforce or challenge this traditional exorcism narrative. Using various cultural and critical theories, this book examines how representations of possession and exorcism reflect, reinforce or challenge prevailing social, cultural, and historical views of women, minorities, and homosexuals. In particular
Trade ReviewOlson and Reinhard offer a compelling look at the history and cultural politics of exorcism films in this well argued, adeptly researched study. -- Blair Davis, DePaul University, author of The Battle for the Bs: 1950s Hollywood and the Rebirth of Low-Budget Cinema
Possessed Women, Haunted States skillfully studies the cultural politics of an under-explored strand of horror cinema. Ranging from The Exorcist through to recent ‘found footage’ movies, as well as taking a very welcome, inclusive approach to parody, Christopher Olson and CarrieLynn Reinhard exercise impeccable critical faculties throughout this impressive analysis. -- Matthew Hills, University of Huddersfield, author of The Pleasures of Horror
Table of ContentsChapter 1 - Introduction: The Politics of Possession Chapter 2 - The One That Started It All: Feminist Tensions in The Exorcist Chapter 3 - Rip-offs and Homages of the 1970s: Spotlighting Exploitation with Abby and Şeytan Chapter 4 - Revisiting The Exorcist: Challenging and Extending the Traditional Exorcism Narrative Chapter 5 - Keeping the Devil at Bay: Slashers, Parodies, and Satirizing Religion Chapter 6 - Dangerous Boys and Rebellious Priests: Possessed and the Real Story of The Exorcist Chapter 7 - True Stories and Found Footage: The Exorcism Cinema Resurgence Chapter 8 - From Reaffirming to Challenging Tradition: Comparing The Last Exorcism and The Last Exorcism Part II Chapter 9 - Conclusion: The Resiliency of Tradition
