Theme: Exorcism

Exorcism films are works that depict the efforts by a dedicated few to banish evil. Usually these are rituals conducted by people of faith trying to deal with an example of demonic Possession or a haunted house.

The exorcism genre has been dominated by cliches laid down by The Exorcist (1973) with Catholic priests chanting Latin rites to drive out a demon possessing a twelve year-old girl. Interestingly, the massive popularity of The Exorcist created an industry of people claiming to be exorcists in real-life.

Ever since, the genre has been dominated by these cliches with Catholic priests seen as the frontline defenders against evil, almost never any Christian denominations outside of Catholicism. There have been exorcists depicted from non-Christian religions and cultures ranging from Japan to India, China and South Korea. There have been some comedies/parodies as well as several films based on true-life exorcists/exorcisms.