31 quotes
Avoid Conversations with the Demon
Father Merrin
Especially important is the warning to avoid conversations with the demon. We may ask what is ] but anything beyond that is dangerous. He is a liar. The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us. But he will also mix lies with the truth to attack us. The attack is psychological, Damien, and powerful. So don't listen to him. Remember that - do not listen.
[to Father Karras; [relevant]
Desperation and Pain in a Haunting Moment
Regan MacNeil
OH PLEASE MOTHER, MAKE IT STOP!!! IT'S HURTING!!!!! Keep away! The sow is mine! Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me!
[as she is being thrown about on her bed; possessed voice, after a doctor tried to hold her]
A Struggle Between Duty and Family
Karras
It's my mother, Tom. She's alone. I never should have left her. At least in New York, I'd be near, I'd be closer.
Tom
Could see about a transfer, Damien.
Karras
I need re-assignment, Tom. I want out of this job. It's wrong. It's no good.
Tom
You're the best we've got.
Karras
Yeah, not really. It's more than psychiatry, and you know that Tom. Some of their problems come down to faith, their vocation and meaning of their lives, and I can't cut it anymore. I need out. I'm unfit. I think I've lost my faith, Tom.
The Power of Belief in Exorcism
Dr. Barringer
There is one outside chance for a cure. I think of it as shock treatment - as I said, it's a very outside chance...Have you ever heard of ]? Well, it's a stylized ritual in which the rabbi or the priest try to drive out the so-called invading spirit. It's been pretty much discarded these days except by the Catholics who keep it in the closet as a sort of an embarrassment, but uh, it has worked. In fact, although not for the reasons they think, of course. It's purely a force of suggestion. The victim's belief in possession is what helped cause it, so in that same way, a belief in the power of exorcism can make it disappear.
[[w:exorcism|exorcism]
Chris
You're telling me that I should take my daughter to a witch doctor? Is that it?
Suspicion Surrounds Mysterious Death and Illness
Kinderman
It's strange. The deceased comes to visit - stays only 20 minutes. And leaves all alone a very sick girl. And speaking plainly, Mrs. MacNeil, it isn't likely he would fall from a window. Besides, a fall wouldn't do to his neck what we found, except maybe one chance in a thousand. Nope, my hunch, my opinion - he was killed by a very powerful man - point one. And the fracturing of his skull - point two. Plus the various other things we mentioned would make it very probable, probable, not certain, that the deceased was killed and then pushed from your daughter's window. But nobody was in the room, except your daughter. So how can this be? It could be one way. If someone came calling between the time Miss Spencer left and the time you returned...
[about Burke]
Chris
Judas Priest. Just a second.
Vulgarity and Anger in a Frightening Moment
Regan MacNeil
Stick your cock up her ass, you motherfucking worthless cocksucker!
[possessed voice, to Father Merrin]
Debate on Regan's Multiple Personalities
Karras
I think it might be helpful if I gave you some background on the different personalities Regan has manifested. So far, I'd say there seem to be three. She's convinced...
Merrin
There is only one.
The Struggle Between Despair and Divine Love
Karras
Why her? Why this girl?
Merrin
I think the point is to make us despair. To see ourselves as... animal and ugly. To make us reject the possibility that God could love us.
Exploring Abnormal Strength in Crisis Situations
Dr. Klein
She's heavily sedated. She'll probably sleep through tomorrow.
Chris
What was going on in there? How could she fly off the bed like that?
Dr. Klein
Pathological states can induce abnormal strength. Accelerated motor performance. Now, for example, say a 90 pound woman sees her child pinned under the wheel of a truck. Runs out and lifts the wheels a half a foot up off the ground - you've heard the story - same thing here. Same principle, I mean.
Chris
So what's wrong with her?
Dr. Klein
We still think the temporal lobe.
Chris
Oh what are you talking about, for Christ's sakes? Did you see her or not? She's acting like she's fucking out of her mind, psychotic, like a... split personality or ...
Dr. Klein
There haven't been more than a hundred authentic cases of so-called ], Mrs. MacNeil. Now I know the temptation is to leap to psychiatry. But any reasonable psychiatrist would exhaust the ] possibilities first.
[[w:Dissociative identity disorder|split personality; [w:somatic|somatic]
Chris
So, what's next?
Dr. Klein
A ], I would think. Pin down that lesion. It will involve another spinal.
[[w:Pneumoencephalography|pneumoencephalogram]
Chris
Oh, Christ!
Dr. Klein
What we missed in the ] and the ] could conceivably turn up there. At least, it would eliminate certain other possibilities.
[[w:Electroencephalography|EEG; [w:Angiography|arteriograms]
Desire for Exorcism Explored in Dialogue
Regan
What an excellent day for an exorcism.
[possessed voice]
Karras
You'd like that?
Regan
Intensely.
Karras
But wouldn't that drive you out of Regan?
Regan
It would bring us together.
Karras
You and Regan?
Regan
You and us.
Karras
Did you do that? Do it again.
[Regan murmurs; Karras pushes the drawer closed]
Regan
In time.
Karras
No, now.
Regan
In time. Mirabile dictu (Wonderful to relate), don't you agree?
Karras
You speak Latin?
[starts recording their words on tape]
Regan
Ego te absolvo. (I absolve you.)
Karras
Quod nomen mihi est? (What is my name?)
Regan
Bonjour. (Hello.)
[in French]
Karras
Quod nomen mihi est? (What is my name?)
Regan
La plume de ma tante. (The pen of my aunt.)
[croaks out a laugh]
Karras
How long are you planning to stay in Regan?
Regan
Until she rots and lies stinking in the earth. What's that?
[Father Karras pulls a vial from his pocket]
Karras
Holy water.
Regan
You keep it away... IT BURNS! IT BURNS!
[Karras sprinkles the holy water onto Regan, who starts screaming]
A Mother's Concern for Her Daughter's Health
Chris
What made you say that, Regan? Do you know, sweetheart?
Regan
Mother? What's wrong with me?
Chris
It's just like the doctor said. It's nerves, and that's all. OK? You just take your pills and you'll be fine, really. OK?
A Desperate Plea for Sacrifice
Father Damien Karras
You son of a bitch! Take me! Come into me! Goddamn you, TAKE ME! TAKE ME! NO!!!
[to the demon, after Merrin's death; becomes possessed, tries to strangle Regan; throws himself out the window]
The Burden of Feeling Like a Fraud
Father Damien Karras
There's not a day in my life that I don't feel like a fraud. Other priests, doctors, lawyers - I talk to them all. I don't know anyone who hasn't felt that.
Identity and Trust in Crisis
Karras
Hello, Regan. I'm a friend of your mother's. I'd like to help you.
Regan
You might loosen these straps then.
[possessed voice]
Karras
I'm afraid you might hurt yourself, Regan.
Regan
I'm not Regan.
Karras
I see. Well then, let's introduce ourselves. I'm Damien Karras.
Regan
And I'm the devil. Now kindly undo these straps!
Karras
If you're the devil, why not make the straps disappear?
Regan
That's much too vulgar a display of power, Karras.
Karras
Where's Regan?
Regan
In here. With us.
Karras
Show me Regan and I'll loosen one of the straps.
Regan
Can you help an old altar boy, Father?... Your mother's in here with us, Karras. Would you like to leave a message? I'll see that she gets it.
[in the voice of a bum he saw on the subway; possessed voice]
Karras
If that's true, then you must know my mother's maiden name. What is it? What is it?
Exorcism Confrontation Between Merrin and Regan
Merrin
I cast you out, unclean spirit!
Regan
Shove it up your ass, you faggot!
[possessed voice]
Merrin
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is he who commands you! He who flung you from the heights of heaven to the depths of hell!
Regan
Fuck him!
Merrin
Be gone...
Regan
Fuck him, Karras! Fuck him!
Merrin
...from this creature of God!
Merrin
Be gone! In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
Debate Over Playing a Game
Chris
] board] Wait a minute, you need two.
[about a [[w:Ouija|Ouija]
Regan
No ya don't. I do it all the time.
Chris
Oh yeah. Well let's both play.
Chris
You really don't want me to play, huh?
Regan
No, I do. Captain Howdy said no.
Chris
Captain who?
Regan
Captain Howdy.
Chris
Who's Captain Howdy?
Regan
You know, I make the questions and he does the answers.
Understanding Brain Disturbances and Hallucinations
Dr. Klein
It's a symptom of a type of disturbance in the chemical-electrical activity of the brain. In the case of your daughter, in the temporal lobe - it's up here - in the lateral part of the brain. It's rare, but it does cause bizarre hallucinations and usually just before a convulsion...the shaking of the bed. It's doubtless due to muscular spasms.
Chris
Oh no. No, no. That was not a spasm. Look. I got on the bed. The whole bed was thumping and rising off the floor and shaking - the whole thing, with me on it!
Dr. Klein
Mrs. MacNeil, the problem with your daughter is not her bed, it's her brain.
Chris
So, uhm, what causes this...?
Dr. Klein
A lesion. A ] in the ]. It's a kind of seizure disorder.
[[w:lesion|lesion; [w:temporal lobe|temporal lobe]
Chris
Now look Doc, I really don't understand how her whole personality could change.
Dr. Klein
The temporal lobe is very common...It could last for days or even weeks. It isn't rare to find destructive, even criminal behavior.
Chris
Hey, do me a favor, will ya? Tell me somethin good.
Dr. Klein
Don't be alarmed. If it's a lesion, in a way she's fortunate. All we have to do is remove the scar.
Confronting Fear and Confusion in Crisis
Regan
Dimmy, why did you do this to me? Please Dimmy, I'm afraid.
[in Karras' mother's voice]
Karras
You're not my mother!
Merrin
Don't listen...Get out!
A Weak Will in Temptation
Chris
Would you like some brandy in that, father?
Merrin
Well, the doctors say I shouldn't, but thank God... my will is weak.
A Disturbing Challenge to Faith and Authority
Regan MacNeil
LET JESUS FUCK YOU! LET JESUS FUCK YOU! LET HIM FUCK YOU!!! LICK ME! LICK ME! You know what she did?! Your cunting daughter?!
[possessed voice, as she masturbates with a crucifix; pressing Chris's face into her groin; spins her head 180 degrees]
Memory and Its Absence in Trauma
Chris
She doesn't remember any of it.
Father Dyer
That's good.
Inappropriate Advice on Personal Boundaries
Chris
Well give me an example, like what specifically did she say?
Dr. Klein
Specifically Mrs. MacNeil she advised me to keep my fingers away from her goddamned cunt.
Conflict Over Possession and Mental Health
Karras
Look, I'm only against the possibility of doing your daughter more harm than good...I can't do it. I need evidence that the church would accept as signs of possession...like her speaking in a language she's never known or studied...Look, your daughter doesn't say she's a demon. She says she's the devil himself. Now if you've seen as many psychotics as I have, you realize that's the same thing as saying you're Napoleon Bonaparte. You asked me what I think is best for your daughter. Six months, under observation, in the best hospital you can find.
Chris
You show me Regan's double, same face, same voice, everything. And I'd know it wasn't Regan. I'd know in my gut. I'm telling you that that thing upstairs isn't my daughter. Now I want you to tell me that you know for a fact that there's nothing wrong with my daughter except in her mind. YOU TELL ME YOU KNOW FOR A FACT THAT AN EXORCISM WOULDN'T DO ANY GOOD! YOU TELL ME THAT!
Questioning Identity and Inner Presence
Psychiatrist
When I touch your forehead, open your eyes. How old are you?
Regan
Twelve.
Psychiatrist
Is there someone inside you?
Regan
Sometimes.
Psychiatrist
Who is it?
Regan
I don't know.
Psychiatrist
Is it Captain Howdy?
Regan
I don't know.
Psychiatrist
If I ask him to tell me, will you let him answer?
Regan
No!
Psychiatrist
Why not?
Regan
I'm afraid.
Psychiatrist
If he talks to me, I think he'll leave you. Do you want him to leave you?
Regan
Yes.
Psychiatrist
I'm speaking to the person inside of Regan now. If you are there, you too are hypnotized and must answer all my questions. Come forward and answer me now.
Psychiatrist
Are you the person inside of Regan? Who are you?
The Complexity of Seeking an Exorcism
Chris
How do you go about getting an exorcism?
Karras
I beg your pardon? Well, the first thing - I'd have to get into a time machine and get back to the 16th century...Well, it just doesn't happen any more, Mrs. MacNeil...since we learned about mental illness, paranoia, schizophrenia...Since the day I joined the Jesuits, I've never met one priest who has performed an exorcism. Not one.
Chris
Someone very close to me is probably possessed and needs an exorcism. Father Karras, it's my little girl.
Karras
The Catholic Church insists on proof that the devil is really in a person. Then that's all the more reason to forget about exorcism...To begin with, it could make things worse. Secondly, the church before it approves an exorcism conducts an investigation to see if it's warranted. That takes time...I need church approval and that's rarely given. I will see her as a psychiatrist.
Chris
Oh, not a psychiatrist. She needs a priest. She's already seen every fucking psychiatrist in the world and they sent me to you. Now you're gonna send me back to them? Jesus Christ! Won't somebody help me?...Can't you help her, just help her?
Confrontation of Faith and Insult
Regan MacNeil
Your mother sucks cocks in hell, Karras, you faithless swine.
[possessed voice]
Discussion of Desecration and Its Implications
Kinderman
Well, this desecration in the church. Do you think this has anything to do with witchcraft?
Karras
Maybe. Some rituals use the Black Mass. Maybe.
Kinderman
And now, Dennings, you read how he died?
Karras
In a fall.
Kinderman
Let me tell ya how, and please Father, confidential. Burke Dennings, good Father, was found at the bottom of those steps leading to M Street with his head turned completely around - facing backwards.
Karras
It didn't happen in the fall?
Kinderman
It's possible. Possible, however -
Karras
...unlikely.
Kinderman
Exactly. So on the one hand, we've got a witchcraft kind of murder, and on the other hand a Black Mass type desecration in the church.
Karras
You think the killer and the desecrator are the same?
Kinderman
Maybe somebody crazy. Somebody with a spite against the church. Some unconscious rebellion.
Karras
A sick priest - is that it?
Kinderman
Look, Father, this is hard for you. Please, I understand, but for priests on the campus here, you're the psychiatrist. You know who was sick at the time, who wasn't. I mean, this kind of sickness. You'd know that.
Karras
I don't know anyone who fits that description.
Kinderman
Ah! Doctor's ethics! If you knew, you wouldn't tell, huh?
Karras
No, I probably wouldn't.
Kinderman
Not to bother you with trivia, but a psychiatrist, in sunny California no less, was put in jail for not telling the police what he knew about a patient.
Karras
Is that a threat?
Kinderman
No, I mention it only in passing.
Karras
Incidentally, I mention it only in passing. I could always tell the judge it was a matter of confession.