What's the deal with Burke Dennings? Theories on his demise. What was she thinking leaving her alone with the Drunk diddler.
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What's the deal with Burke Dennings? Theories on his demise.
As you said, the popular theory is that he’s a pedo who’d sneak in Reagan’s room to molest her. With her exorcism being some manifestation of that and her absentee father, coupled with her puberty blooming. As for his death, hmmmm. One way or another, a demon killed him
On a side note, pic related is very pretty and a lovely presence and aid to the exorcist. Rip mr.director
I haven't read the novel but in the film it sounds like there was a period of time when (the possessed) Regan was alone in the house, sleeping in her bed. Then Burke comes in and gets defenestrated. Probably Regan twists his neck first, then pushes him out the window. (Recall that Regan now has physical strength on par with that of a large man). This would seem to make the most sense as a series of physical actions.
Oddly, the idea of Burke being a nonce never occurred to me until you brought it up, but it certainly explains how he came to be in Regan's room while no one else was around. Someone he has access to. It's an amusing idea because this would mean both that the demon actually did something good on one occasion, and the slow pondering of what the hell Burke was doing in that bedroom adds to Chris' already considerable psychological torture. The lead actress did a wonderful job with portraying intense, extreme psychological suffering, and this just adds to it.
Something else I find mildly interesting: there's a bit of a trope about the written plea "HELP ME" in horror films. Exorcist couldn't have been the first to employ it, but it's one of the better known instances. The sign is written using Regan's own body parts, is inscribed on her stomach. In Hellraiser 2, arguably the most memorable shot in the film is the skinned man who has written I AM IN HELL HELP ME on the wall, again using his own tissue-his blood. And in Se7en, when they find the fingerprints on the wall which read out HELP ME, this is again a usage of body parts (and the traces that they leave behind) to write the plea.
Some other anon had the theory the demon was seducing Burke by saying suggestive things. But like I said when Chris goes in to check on Regan the window is open. So she might have opened it to get Burke up there because of the chill.
Sharon leaving Regan alone with Burke is a real head scratcher. Where the frick was Karl?
Even dirty c**ting Nazi huns need a little time off once in a while. And Regan's situation has everyone distracted and on edge, we're advancing into the second act and they don't exactly know what's going on just yet, only that Regan is out of her gourd. Wanting to get the damn medicine ASAP (I think this is what Sharon was doing) makes sense, just get the happy/sleepy pills that will manage the child.
I'd have to re-watch but IIRC Sharon specifies that she briefly left the house, but she was aware that Burke came around at some point(?) Maybe she called Burke and just left for a few minutes, hoping that Burke would show up (thereby defeating the purpose of a babysitter if there's a period when the child is alone in the house?) Sharon was on some sort of a clock to get the medicine, and she clearly wanted to shoot on it. Also Kinderman's later explanation of the sequence of eventss. Both moments are very important to this nonce theory so I'll have to re-watch them. If Sharon invited or expected Burke then this is at least an excuse, as opposed to Burke just getting into the house by himself.
Either way, Burke could have abused Regan. He wouldn't dare to do it(?) while Regan is in her right mind, but with Regan's mental illness.... yes! That's it! She's gone crazy and is doing lewd disturbing things, so even if she does accuse him, it would be easy to play it off as her mental illness! That was Burke's plan, to prey on a mentally ill girl! See, NOW I'm thinking like Albert Fish!
Keyed reply my man
When Chris ask's Kinderman if he would like another cup of coffee and he says yes. The look of despair on her face is priceless. I hate that Ellen Burstyn came back for this shitty re boot.
Friedkin's commentary track is interesting to listen to. He identifies the coffee/tea scene as one of his personal favorites in the entire film, if not THE favorite. And of course, Burstyn's whole character brings to mind this particular anime gif.
I sort of registered that I like the scene myself, before listening to the track. It's a different scene in the movie. The main thing that I like about it is just that the house/set looks cool as frick, real sensible upper class digs. There's a study with pictures but nothing too gaudy or tryhard, real china, it's a great place for entertaining which is exactly why Chris throws a party. She's in a nice little palace in the center of earthly power, and she's powerless before this demon.
It's a very quiet scene, which also sets it apart. The detective is slowly and patiently turning the screws, causing her to realize things but being very sweet about it. I watched it closely once, and there's these two shots where the camera slowly zooms in on one character and then slowly zooms out on the other, underlining Chris' "oh shit..." psychology at this point. She finally gets this god-damn man out of her house...
and then, Regan screams.
Billy's smooth voice while watching the film is so comfy. I'm watching it two times in a row faded for Billy. Lee J. Cobb is so insidious to Karras and Chris just a real manipulator and great Detective. His folksy charm is kind of off putting and both characters get the jump on him.
Once I actually watched Exorcist III, although I found things worth liking about it, I also dismissed it as "reddit", largely on Scott's subpar performance. The original Kinderman was subtle, careful, quiet, a real Columbo in his own way. Scott's take on the character is totally off from this (and overall I didn't care for it, a real bad thing for a lead role), he's either simply observing a crime scene without doing much detecting, or else he's losing his temper and screaming, which gives the actor a chance to act. Nothing at all like the original portrayal of the character.
The absent father is also an extremely interesting non-character. Regan clearly absorbs the "negative energy" when Chris explodes at the operator as dad forgets her birthday, and when Chris is quietly muttering to someone on the phone, it isn't explicit, but she's clearly talking to the father (because Karras comes in just after and presses her about whether her dad knows what's going on). The first episode is part of Regan's "oppression" before her possession, while the latter is a sort of quiet resolution of this unseen character. Out of the picture, a non-participant in the drama, as far as we know.
Yeah I love G.S.S but he kind of mailed it in. The book Legion is really freaky and I think Blatty kind of captured the tone of the book, he wrote it.
The Dad being out off the picture is why Regan is vulnerable. Themes off no fault divorce and fracturing of the family are definitely themes.
Second wave feminism is peaking at this time, Vietnam is about to be lost, this divorced middle-aged woman enjoys all the earthly comforts. And the "great film" that she's in is about some stupid student protest playing at commie revolution. A thoroughly decadent and backward world.
The theme of Regan's impending puberty and the horror of female sexuality is also well-documented. The earlier stuff I wrote plays to more conservative and traditionalist sensibilities, but feminists can read the film too and get something out of it. That two more-or-less opposing factions can get something out of a work is part of its staying power.
My man you are a scholar. I couldn't put it better myself. These themes are very present. I think Roe v Wade came down in 73 too what a heady take. Thank you for your analysis sir.
I also considered the Roe v. Wade (concurrent in 1973) resonance as I wrote that post, but I decided against it. Would be interesting to look up the timing of that decision vs. premiere of film.
I think it was in the zeitgeist and part of the theme. I think billy and William peter Blatty were on the same page on showing the decline of morals and rejection of the family and faith they were both witnessing.
In the book there is a nice subplot about Karl's daughter being a junky and the comparison of having a possesed child and a junky child is a nice paring.
>Some other anon had the theory the demon was seducing Burke by saying suggestive things.
This actually makes a lot of sense, considering how in the extended version there's an earlier scene right before where the doctor says she advised him to "keep his fingers away from her god damned c**t"
Thanks for the nice comment's. I'm watching it right now. The window was open when Chris came in the house so maybe Burke noticed the chill and went to check on Regan. And yes Kitty Winn is a fricking qt.
So Regan twisted Burkes head 180 degrees and tossed his ass out the window? Pretty grusome.
Which would make him the only character that was directly physically attacked with intent to kill rather than frighten or intimidate.
Yes she says that to the doctor, so somebody was abusing her probably Burke or her dad.
My watch commander's wife looked exactly like Kitty Winn and used to flirt with me constantly. I was a Marine MP and worked the main gate alot. I should have made my move.
Anybody still like the Spider walk scene? I still dig it but it get's shit on alot. In the book Regan chases Sharon around oinking like a pig with her tounge wagging.
I like it do dramatic effect but I think it mildly betrays the subtly of the movie to those outside the family. It remains ambiguous to those who weren’t apart of the exorcism
Ugh, here's the gif I had referred to.
I can take it or leave it. I prefer it out, but I also don't hate it. It works as hammering in how Regan is the basket case who is kept upstairs, if she comes downstairs then boy, watch out. I seem to remember arguing with an anon on here like a year or two ago about the relative merits of the two cuts, he HATED the 2000 cut and said that it ruined the film. It's clearly the inferior cut, but I disagreed with his extreme dismissal of it relative to the original. IIRC I argued that there simply aren't enough substantive differences between the cuts to draw such a conclusion.
Hi everybody, I'm Father Karras! I go up the stairs, and I go down the stairs! I go up the stairs, and I go down the stairs! Watch me throughout the entire movie, not just the climax, and watch just how much I love going up and down stairs!
Don't be so cynical I thought it was used to an appropriate minimum.
Wasn't my intent, I actually enjoy watching those shots and although there's plenty, they aren't over-done because stairs themselves are such a banal, everyday visual. I was just having a giggle. Personal favorite shots are when he goes up the stairs in the sumptuous diocese building to ask permission to perform the ritual, and also when he ascends the stairs for the last time as Chris watches in fear, a nice little genre painting.
But it's definitely not an "appropriate minimum", lol. He's doing it regularly in the picture. Even the risers that Kinderman sits in indicate stairs.
fair play, bro it is not noticeable to normies just kino heads like us. Thanks for the kind push back.
God I love The Exorcist so much. Look at how great the lighting is, with that fog, and the old church in the background. I'm going to be so pissed if marketers try to tie Friedkin's death to the "Exorcist curse" for the release of that cheap looking reboot.
The part when Kindermann sees a levitating Regan briefly in the window gives me chills.
I would also like to call your attention to something else: the Pazuzu statue is shown in the opening moments of Haxan, the protean Scandinavian "documentary" on the history of witchcraft. And it's the exact same thing, too, almost 50 years earlier. The film begins with a little treatment of evil spirits and demonology. Look at 2:07: