For the last 10 days of October, Im going to countdown my current Top Horror films with a short reason why. I missed yesterday, so Im going to start there. No particular order given or implied. Day 22: William Friedkins The Exorcist (1973) Back in early 1991, my mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor which necessitated surgery. Jacques Baron and I were besides ourselves with fear and concern for our mother. Uncertainty is the most frightening thing in a situation like that. Being 13 years old and trying to wrap my head around the ramifications of what could possibly happen gave me countless sleepless nights. I remember vividly praying to God to let my mother survive the ordeal and continue being the woman who raised us. Every possible scenario played out in my mind - from nothing but a mild scar, to being incapacitated and requiring constant care, to everything worse. Id lay in my bed and look out the window each night begging God to have mercy on my mother, and in turn, on my family. I swore to give up my life and raising a family if she was spared. Every night the same fear, the same promises, the same doubt hanging over my head. When the day came for her to finally have the surgery, she suggested that Jacques and I both bring books to read in the waiting room because her surgery was going to last roughly eight hours (give or take). I cant remember what Jacques brought (I believe it was either something about the Chicago Bulls or wrestling), but I grabbed WIlliam Peter Blattys The Exorcist. Id been a horror nut since I was a little kid and thought that a good, scary book would take my mind off what was going on down the hall. Jacques and I sat in the waiting room at University of Chicago hospital with our father and maternal grandparents from 6am until 4:30pm. During that time I read a story that was not about the horrors of the Devil possessing a young girl, but about a young priests personal loss of faith after his mother passed away. Father Karras ultimately finds spiritual redemption because of the ordeal and sacrifices his own life to save that of an innocent - the perfect example of the Golden Rule. Mom made it through that day (and still thrives to this day) by the grace of God/Allah/Jehovah/Yaweh/Fate/Nature - whatever you want to call it. A few weeks later, while she was on the mend, Dad took us to the video store and we finally rented the film. I remember we started watching it real late on a Saturday night. No one fell asleep, and I had the same pleasant dreams after watching it that I did after reading the book. In the past 20+ years, Ive seen the movie at least a dozen or so more times. Every time I watch it, I pick up something new. Every time I watch it, I catch a different nuance in Jason Millers performance as Damien Karras that I missed the last time. Its arguably my favorite performance in any film Ive ever seen. Moral conflict, regret, guilt, apathy - everything shows on his face in every scene hes in. The scenes with him are my favorite parts of the movie (sorry, Linda Blair). I consider it not only one of my favorite horror films of all time, but of the films that have had the most influence on me and my life. Pretty deep for a horror movie Id say. Obviously, I didnt give up having a family as a sacrifice for my mother surviving her ordeal. God has blessed me with a wonderful wife, perfect daughter, and more than I could ever hope for. Im not a good person, but I am thankful for everything I have. Ive had my epiphany of what is good and what sacrifices need be made to achieve that. Its not about being a Bible thumper or Jesus crispy, its about doing what needs to be done to make sure good wins out at the end of the day. Thats what Karras did, and thats what I need to do, too.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 19:10:59 +0000
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