Assignment Details: “Evil Child” Movie: The Exorcist Watch The Exorcist, what is your first impression of the movie? As an adult, what do you feel toward children after watching the movie? If you had watched this movie when you were a child, how would it have affected you? Does the movie indicate anything about the sociopolitical climate regarding having children and child-rearing practices of the time? Being works of fiction, do such movies have any bearing on the type of environment into which Generation X babies were born and by which they were shaped in their early lives? Pay attention to how the child is raised and what it does (how might nature vs. nurture be implied in these films, I wonder). Also, think about the depiction of family in these films. The suggestion here is that this horror film tapped into changing views on child-rearing and pregnancy that were widespread in social and political discourse during the years mostly associated with the trend of evil child films. How do you see that play out in the film? We still see some films like this today, but what is it about a possessed child that we find so compelling?
TO BE RE-WRITTEN FROM THE SCRATCH
The Movie TheExorcist
My first impression of the movie The Exorcistis that it would scare many people especially the children. The movie is a horror based on actual events dealing with demonic possession of a child aged 12 years, while the mother tries to get her back through exorcism conducted by two priests (Holtzclawn.d). After watching this movie it’s clear that children are vulnerable beings and do things unaware of the dangers that they might face. Additionally, children are more prone to inflicted danger and try to experiment certain things as a way of being playful and fully unaware of the consequences. If I had watched this movie as a child I will be cautious in the kind of games I play and activities I engage in. Furthermore I would grow fearing demonic possession and anything associated with board games as well as ensure that I behave morally upright since most signs of possession according to the movie are immoral acts such as stealing and use of offensive language (Susmann.d).
The movie display themes of social-political climate. During the Chris’s party there is presence of an American Senator representing American political power. Chris and her cycle also add a cultural dimension to the American political power (Cull n.d). Additionally, the demon that possesses Reagan, Father Merrin tells the people that to beware of the demon since it mixes the truth with the lies. President Nixon also argued the same concerning the American media houses indicating that they mix the truth with the lies, hence the movie brining in a socio-political climate. The socio-political climate brought by the movie indicate that during the child rearing process, parents should be able to teach their children concerning all elements associated with social-political climate in order to differentiate between the truth and the lies (Traversand Rieff 149).
The movie and the childrearing process presented in the film reflects on how the childrearing process of generation X. Parents are more dis-attached by their children activities in the film since Reagan’s parents do not notice that their child is…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Evil Child” Movie: The Exorcist