Depart, Satan! What the Surge in Exorcism Movies Says About America
In a period marked by rapid technological transformation, social atomization, and the weakening of institutional religion, the exorcism film functions like a dark mirror held up to the viewer’s own unease. Even those who profess no religious belief are susceptible to the primal fear these films awaken—the idea that one’s mind, body, or loved ones could be seized by something invisible, incomprehensible and malevolent. In this post, we shed some light on what the surge in exorcism movies says about America.