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Watch the unedited video of the discussion:
Mark, Lawrence, Sarahlyn, and Al talk about the original 1973 film (and the 1971 novel), the new Exorcist: Believer, with some talk of the early sequels. What makes the original film so scary? Its adjacency to real-life parental fears? Does the new film really dialogue intelligently with that original, and how was this challenge different from the one previously faced by David Gordon Green’s filmmaking team in creating new entries in the Halloween franchise? Is demonic possession an inherently problematic plot device?
Lawrence recommends When Evil Lurks.
Some articles we looked at include:
- “The Exorcist review – Friedkin’s head-swivelling horror is still diabolically inspired” by Peter Bradshaw
- “Rats in the Attic: William Friedkin’s ‘The Exorcist’” by Tim Pelan
- “NYT Horror, Hysteria and a Spinning Head: Reconsidering “The Exorcist” at 50” by Jason Zonman, Manohla Dargis, Eric Piepenburg
- “‘The Exorcist: Believer’: Satanic Possession Ain’t Just for Catholics Anymore” by Rich Juzwiak
- “How ‘The Exorcist’ Ended Up With Two Prequels Less Than a Year Apart” by Matthew Mosley
- “The Exorcist, Differences In The 50th Anniversary Director’s Cut, Explained” by Matt Walker
- “No One Hated ‘The Exorcist II’ More Than William Friedkin” by Liam Gaugham
- “What the Ever-Popular “Exorcist” Says About Female Sexuality” by Ms. Magazine
- “The Short-Lived ‘Exorcist’ TV Show Is the Perfect Binge Before ‘Believer’” by Brandon Moreno
Follow us @law_writes, @sarahlynbruck, @ixisnox, @MarkLinsenmayer.
Our Aftertalk was very beefy, and we’re sharing it just with you, the listeners on this site and the PMP feed. We talk about spoilers, about the book Nightmare Fuel and the varieties of horror, Killers of the Flower Moon, Hijack, Blood Red Sky, The Fall of the House of Usher, Frasier, The Simpsons, Futurama, Doctor Who, and Yellowstone.
Get similar bonus talking nearly every episode at patreon.com/prettymuchpop, or you can sign up directly via Apple Podcasts for a subscription for ad-free and bonus material for three of Mark’s podcasts together on the Mark Lintertainment Podcasts Channel.
Audio editing by Tyler Hislop of Pixel Box Media.
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