Prized Possessions: The Exorcist and Its Sequels

Dylan, Sheldon, and Will delve deep into 1973's The Exorcist, and argue about the various sequels they love and hate. To help provide some fascinating context for the original classic film, theologian Dr. Bernard Doherty drops by to explain how it fits into the backlash against the Vatican II reforms in the Catholic Church, while cultural scientist Dr. Johanna Braun describes how it can be viewed as a depiction of hysteria, drawing from a long and surprising history in both psychiatry and art. Plus, of course, we each rank the films, while getting into discussions about how they work, the ideas, and the directors and writers behind this weird and fascinating franchise.