There is a movie made just over fifty years ago by John Huston with Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones and Gina Lollobrigida. It is an engagingly satirical movie about a bunch of crooks, called "Beat the Devil." This motley group wanted "to beat the devil at his own game." Well, those were innocent days and the devil's name could be taken in vain without a qualm. Twenty years later, in 1973, this was not such an easy thing to do. And the devil's game was far more serious. The reference is, of course, to "The Exorcist."

Journalists sometimes like to ask the question whether movies simply reflect what is going on in society or whether movies shape society. A commonsense answer is that movies are in preparation, production, and post-production for so long that they can only mirror society. But, now and again, along comes a movie that does have an extraordinary influence on attitudes and behavior. Think "Star Wars" and how our galactic imaginations have been so different since the movie's first release in 1977 and the almost cult response to the recent closure of the epic series, "The Revenge of the Sith."

"The Exorcist" is a film that shaped consciousness about diabolical possession and popularized the means for expelling evil spirits: the exorcism. For those who remember the mid-60s well, they will recall that there was a "death of God" movement. Some theologians were asking for a moratorium on the word "God", thinking that it was overused and was losing a lot of its meaning, just as many people were giving up on their faith. At Easter, 1966, Time magazine had a cover story, red with a black border, asking the question, "Is God dead?"

If one looks at movie history up till then the presence of the devil in films (such as "Heaven Can Wait") was not to be taken too seriously. By 1968, Roman Polanski brought Ira Levin's novel "Rosemary's Baby" to the screen very successfully. The incarnation of the devil, paralleling Christian faith in the incarnation of God in Jesus, was put forward as a possibility. Since Rosemary's Baby, there has been little hesitation in imagining all kinds of scenarios for a literal diabolical presence in the world. Novels and movies "based on a true story" have made the devil a familiar screen figure. The key films of the 1970s were William Friedkin's "The Exorcist" (1973) and Richard Donner's "The Omen" (1976), both of which led to sequels, imitations, and rip-offs.

The reaction to "The Exorcist" was sensational. New Yorker critic Pauline Kael saw its innate Catholicism and stated that it was the biggest pro-Catholic advertisement since "The Bells of St Mary's." Non-religious audiences saw it as a more sophisticated horror film than they had ever before seen. It was said that lapsed Catholics were the ones who experienced some real horror because they remembered growing up Catholic and the catechism teachings about the devil and hell.

Be that as it may, "The Exorcist" put images of possession (especially rotating heads, pea-green bile vomit, and foul language) and exorcism (priests praying, blessing, and sprinkling holy water) into the subconscious of moviegoers.

Christians, however, already had a built-in awareness of the nature of demonic possession and exorcisms. After all, there are so many "casting out of devils" stories in the Gospels. Jesus is presented as the exorcist par excellence. He confronted demons of all kinds, single spirits or "legion" while advocating prayer and fasting as requisites for the spiritual strength of anyone who has to do battle with evil.

There is also a history of saints who confronted evil in diabolical form. St. John Vianney, the humble Cure of Ars in mid-19th century France, is said to have experienced violent treatment from the devil for years.

Exorcism movies

If you ever see Cecil B.De Mille's silent "The King of Kings" (1927), you will realize that the "Jesus movies" are the first source for images of exorcisms. De Mille, already experimenting with special effects, has Jesus cast out seven devils from Mary Magdalene; they were ethereal figures who swirled around as they left her. Images of Jesus confronting the devil, from the temptation in the desert to miracles to his death on the cross, are the staple of these "Jesus movies" and have inserted themselves into the popular as well as the Christian imagination.

"The Exorcist" was allegedly based on events in 1949 in Mount Ranier, MD. There were two sequels that focused on the experiences of priests, Richard Burton still trying to exorcise Linda Blair in "Exorcist 2: the Heretic" (1976) and Jason Miller, confined to an institution after his experiences as an exorcist, in "Exorcist III" (1990). The Hollywood studios thought the themes still relevant for box-office in recent years and commissioned Paul Schrader to make the prequel that explained Fr. Merrin's early experiences with the devil which led him to become an exorcist.

Schrader's version of what was to become "The Exorcist: New Beginning" was never released. The studio hired Renny Harlin to re-shoot most of it to make it more exciting -- more spectacular effects for a long confrontational exorcism! This version is available on DVD.

A more modest film, "Possessed," starring Timothy Dalton (2000), showed the true story that "The Exorcist" was based on. The victim is a young boy, and not a Catholic.

During the 1970s, there were many derivatives, including Abby and some "spaghetti" exorcist imitations from Italy with titles like "House of Exorcism," "Behind the Door" and "The Antichrist." Tele-movies took up these diabolical themes as well.

Of course, there was a spoof, starring Leslie Nielson and Linda Blair, showing herself to be a good sport, called "Repossessed."

Perhaps readers will remember stories of the possessed from the 1970s and 1980s: Audrey Rose, "The Entity" and the extension of exorcism themes to voodoo and magic like "Black Exorcist" (Vudu'sangriento), "The Possession of Joel Delaney" with Shirley MacLaine and "Angel Heart" with Robert de Niro as the devil.

Apparently we still have an appetite for diabolical possession and exorcisms in the 21st century. Besides "The Exorcist" prequel, 2005 saw a big-budget version of a graphic novel, "Constantine," with Keanu Reeves as a doomed would-be suicide who has the power to cast out demons who invade humans in order to come to earth. "Constantine" has a very strong exorcism ritual at the beginning of the movie and, by the end, has to confront the demons and the devil himself, played by Peter Stormare.

We are a long way from the simple phrase, "beat the devil", but thirty years of exorcism movies have convinced us that is what we really want to happen.

Sacred Heart Father Peter Malone is president of SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication. He has authored a number of books on cinema and religion including the "Lights, Camera, Faith! A Movie Lectionary" series with Daughter of St. Paul Sister Rose Pacatte.