The recognizable face of fear: Domestication and redemption of the animal monster in The Exorcist

Authors

  • Marcia Heloisa Amarante Gonçalves Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22409/gragoata.v18i35.32941

Keywords:

Animality, monstrosity, domestication, psychopomp

Abstract

This article analyses the function of animal traits in the transformation from human to monster in the movie “The Exorcist”, based on the homonymous best-seller by William Peter Blatty. Released in 1973, it remains one of the most disturbing accomplishments of Horror cinema and stands as a seminal work of the demonic movie subgenre. The Horror narrative describes a journey in which the animal, by virtue of its ubiquitous presence in our lives, frequently acts as a psychopomp. Although the depiction of animality as a mark of villainy has been detrimental to our perception of some animals, it has nevertheless contributed to an ongoing reflection about the human-animal relationship. Horror narratives remain the main locus of animality in works of fiction, for their unrivalled ability to gather archetypical representations and   to invite us to experience a vicarious confrontation with our own repressed fears. The article proposes a reflection on animality as a path to reintegration of the Self, defending the endurance of animal monsters in the Horror genre.

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Author Biography

  • Marcia Heloisa Amarante Gonçalves, Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF)
    Doutoranda em Literatura Comparada na UFF, onde desenvolve o projeto de pesquisa “Guia sombrio da alma: o monstro como psicopompo no horror moderno”. O trabalho investiga a relevância cultural do horror, analisando figurações monstruosas literárias e cinematográficas em obras seminais do gênero.  É tradutora literária e Mestre em Literaturas de Língua Inglesa (UFF, 2012). Co-organizou (com Mark Chekares) uma coletânea de artigos selecionados, apresentados no encontro anual “Monsters and the Monstrous”, realizado em Oxford, Inglaterra. O volume, com o título provisório Monsters Unbound: The Evolution of Monstrosity across Culture and Time, sairá pela Inter-Disciplinary Press.

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Published

2013-12-31

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 35 (2013): Contemporary textuality of ruin and resistance

Section

Literature Articles

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How to Cite

The recognizable face of fear: Domestication and redemption of the animal monster in The Exorcist. (2013). Gragoatá, 18(35). https://doi.org/10.22409/gragoata.v18i35.32941