The movie adaptation of The Exorcist is being told through a visual medium and therefore we directly see evidence of Regan’s possession, however in the book we are shown scenes through our character’s POVs and are constantly given counter-arguments that Regan may not actually be possessed. I feel like theories concerning The Exorcist novel may be ignored because the movie version feels far more cut and dry as to what’s happening, but there’s some ambiguity there in the novel that I find interesting.
I’m not saying this theory is definitely true, or even what it proves. But after finishing the book I saw a comment on Reddit alleging that people have theories about the help in the book, and what they’re up to during the novel. After searching around I really couldn’t find anything other that [this youtube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlLrD1CC5wQ) which discusses the idea that Regan may be being sexually abused. It primarily focuses on Burke Dennings, but at the end argues that if Regan is being abused it’s not him. Other than that I can’t really find any solid theories as to what the help are up to – so I went back over the book with a more suspicious eye and I want to talk about how weird the behaviour of Sharon is at certain points.
A second evil:
So the first thing to point out is that there may be a second evil lurking within The Exorcist. Near the beginning of the novel when Chris is hosting a dinner party a priest remarks.
>“They had a couple of cases of desecration in Holy Trinity [church] last week,
This is at the beginning of Regan’s possible possession (later in the party she comes in and pees on the floor) and seems way too far for Regan at this point in time – her behaviour slowly gets worse and as we’ll see she does indeed desecrate a church later, but it seems very out of character for Regan to be doing this early in the book. We get mentions throughout the book of incidents of Black Mass and devil worship, and at one point Sharon tells us there are occultists in some areas of Georgetown. This is constantly brought up throughout the novel but there aren’t any obvious cases of devil worshippers in the book. It could be that this is just mood setting by Blatty, or it could be hints that more is going on than meets the eye.
We should also ask the question of why Pazuzu and why Regan?
We’re introduced to the demon Pazuzu at the beginning of the novel through the form of a shield:
>reaching down for an amulet and cradling it pensively in his hand. It was a green stone head of the demon Pazuzu, personification of the southwest wind. Its dominion was sickness and disease. The head was pierced.
>The amulet’s owner had worn it as a shield. “Evil against evil,” breathed the curator,
Pazuzu was used to ward off lesser demons in mythology so him being used as a shield to combat evil makes sense – but why is that mentioned in this story? What evil is Pazuzu being used against later? It could just be that he isnt he’s just possessing Regan for no reason – but if so why would the author call attention to Pazuzu being a shield against evil at the beginning of the book?
And with possessions, usually someone needs to invite a demon in to be possessed. We see this in the book where at the end Karras invites the demon to possess him and then kills himself to stop it. So why did Regan invite a demon into herself?
I see two main options: Early in the book we’re shown Regan talking to an imaginary spirit called “Captain Howdy” she talks to through a Ouija board. Later Regan runs in crying and writhing in pain complaining that Captain Howdy is pinching and kicking her. Regan may have invited in Pazuzu to protect her against Howdy. We’re never actually told the demon who later possesses Regan is the same as Howdy – there’s only one point in the book linking them when possessed Regan tells Karras that he can call it Howdy. But that’s because it’s trying to avoid giving him it’s real name, and Karras has likely been told of her friend Captain Howdy. At an earlier point Regan makes it seem as though Howdy and the demon in her are different things:
>“I don’t know!” Regan tearfully answered him. “I don’t know! I don’t know why he does it! He was always my friend before!”
>“Who’s that?”
>“Captain Howdy! And then after it’s like somebody else is inside me! Making me do things!”
>“Captain Howdy?”
>“I don’t know!”
>“A person?”
>Regan nodded.
>“Tell me who?”
>“I don’t know!”
Or did Regan invoke Pazuzu to try and scare off someone else? Someone who was involved in black masses which usually involve drinking the blood of children? Evil against Evil.
The case against Sharon:
Sharon is one of the servants employed by Chris. She works as Regan’s tutor and housekeeper. She was hired 3 years ago. While Chris employs a few housekeepers Sharon is the one closest to Regan – working as her tutor, but we also see throughout the novel that she’s the one who looks after Regan at night (at one point inviting Father Karras over during the night when she notices Regan doing something. Chris is asleep and never told what happened). She administers Regan’s medication during the earlier parts of the book (later on she teaches Chris how to administer it). We’re told that at some point at least she was a religious Christian, but there’s also a reference to her now seeing a “guru” – a type of spiritual advisor not usually related to Christianity.
If Regan is simply making up the possession and is acting out because of some other trauma like abuse then we should pay close attention to Sharon as apart from Chris she’s the closest adult to Regan. If Regan is posessed and invoked Pazuzu in order to protect herself from something, then again we should look at Sharon, the closest non-parent to Regan. And if we do so we can notice some odd things that are associated with Sharon.
As mentioned throughout the book it’s said that there are Satan worshippers, this is first brought up at a dinner party where Chris and her friends discuss black masses
>“I heard a statistic once about something like possibly fifty thousand Black Masses being said every year in the city of Paris.”.
After the party Chris notices that Sharon is reading a book related to this
>She reached out for a book by Sharon’s elbow. “So what are you reading?” […] Chris nodded and glanced at the title of the book: A Study of Devil Worship and Related Occult Phenomena. She opened it and found a penned note: […] Chris riffled through the pages of the book. “What’s the scoop on Black Mass? Pretty hairy?” “I don’t know,” answered Sharon. “I haven’t read it.”
There’s a note on the book from one of Chris’ friends saying that they picked the book out for her, they delivered it to Sharon to pass on to Chris. But Sharon forgot to until Chris noticed it. What’s odd here though is that Chris twice indicates that she thinks Sharon has been reading it. Chris then tells Sharon to read it and tell her about it, instead Sharon once again forgets about the book and leaves it lying in the open where Regan then takes it
>Sharon had dinner at the house with Chris, and then left for a date. She forgot the book. […] The next morning the devil worship book had mysteriously vanished from the table. No one noticed.
The book is later found in Regan’s room and is one of the points of evidence discounting Regan’s possession – as the characters argue Regan could have read this book and could then be subconsciously imitating parts of it instead of actually being possessed. Sharon is the one who brings such an important item into the house, I don’t think she would make up the note from Chris’ friend saying she picked the book out for her (which is mentioned to be hand written), so this isn’t Sharon’s book. But she brings it into the house, is implied to be reading it which she denies and then she forgets to take it away which lets Regan take it.
But the oddest event related to Sharon is the death of the director Burke Dennings.
Burke Dennings is Chris’ director and a friend of hers. According to the story Sharon gives Burke came to call on Chris but only Sharon was in the house. Sharon needed to go pick up Regan’s medication so let Burke in and went out. Burke was then found dead, at the bottom of the stairs beside Regan’s window with his neck twisted around.
While the book mostly focuses on the implication that possessed Regan threw him out the window, we’re also given some reason to doubt that (or at least Sharon’s version of the story). And there is of course the possibility someone else killed Burke Dennings (if Regan wasn’t posessed). One of the strangest factors which gets overlooked is why Burke was in Regan’s room in the first place?
We get one account from the possessed Regan talking in Burke’s voice:
>“Look, she killed me. Not our innkeeper, Karras—she! Oh, yes, indeed!” It was nodding affirmation. “She! I was minding my business at the bar, you see, when I thought I heard her moaning from upstairs in her bedroom. Well, now, I had to see what ailed her, after all, so up I went and don’t you know she bloody took me by the throat, the little cunt!” The voice was whiny now; pathetic. “Christ, I’ve never in my life seen such strength! Began screaming that I was diddling her mother or some such or that I caused the divorce. It wasn’t clear. But I tell you, love, she pushed me out the bloody fucking window!”
Now there are different ways we can look at this:
If this really is Burke speaking – why does his story not match Sharon’s? Sharon said that Burke was let in after he came looking for Chris because Sharon had to go to the pharmacy, but Burke says he came because he heard moaning from Regan’s room. There’s also no mention by him of Sharon letting him in or needing to leave the house. There’s also an odd inconsistency that if Burke was able to hear Regan from a bar outside and rush into her room, why wasn’t Sharon able to hear Regan screaming when she left the house? Or why even let Burke in/head out if Regan was making such odd noises.
This could be explained by the fact that it may not be Burke – if the possession is in Regan’s head it could just be her POV on what happened but again there’s no mention of Sharon, and it’d be odd for Regan to say that Burke was in a bar near her house since she’d have no knowledge of what Burke was doing before he entered the room.
Sharon’s account is also suspect in another way – Kindermann points out that it shouldn’t have taken as long as it did for her to go to the pharmacy and come back – although Sharon does claim this was because the pharmacy’s delivery was delayed. With Chris unsure what to think of Burke’s death after Kindermann quizzes her on it Sharon then tries to come up with an explanation as to how Burke could have fallen
>Her eyes still on her notes, Sharon probed at the silence in a strained, low voice. “They’ve got an awful lot of hippie joints down around M Street and Wisconsin. Lots of potheads and occultists and stuff. The police call them ‘hellhounds.’ I wonder if Burke might have—”
>“Oh, for shitsakes, Shar!” Chris suddenly erupted. “Just forget about it, would you? I’ve got all I can think about with Rags! Do you mind?”
Now it’s odd that Sharon knows so much about these occultists, but it’s also odd that Sharon tries to come up with another explanation as to how Burke died when Chris obviously doesn’t want to hear it. Now Sharon may not want to believe Regan threw Burke out the window and may be grasping at straws here, trying to come up with any explanation she can think of to absolve Regan. But Sharon is calm in this scene, not exactly desperate and afraid of the possibility Regan might have done it. Sharon is also coming straight from Regan’s room, and as established the two are close. If anyone should know the full extent of Regan’s possession it should be Sharon, and so she should have an idea of what Regan is capable of. If Regan killed Burke, Sharon would probably be the person who came to that conclusion first.
Instead Sharon is coming up with an excuse that turns attention away from herself – the only adult who should have been in the house when Burke was thrown or fell out of a window. The other housekeepers were gone at the time and we only have Sharon’s account that she had left the house. If Sharon was in the house then why was Burke in Regan’s room? He wouldn’t have to look after her so he’d presumably just wait downstairs to see Chris. Did Sharon lead him upstairs and push him or did Burke hear moaning from Regan’s room while Sharon was in the house? If so what was she doing? Was she doing something to Regan to illicit the strange noises Burke heard or was she ignoring them for some reason?
I also want to note that Sharon mentions occultists in her explanation of Burke’s death – another time when the occult and Sharon are linked.
Later in the story there is a desecration of a church, which seems in line with a black mass which requires multiple participants. The statue of Mary is desecrated and an altar card is left that depicts basphemous fanfiction of mary. Now the altar card was typed up on the same typewriter Sharon uses but with a heavier hand – and fingerprints on the card match with Regan’s prints. The card was also written in skilled Latin which points towards a possessed Regan writing it. But as I mentioned at the beginning of this post very near to the beginning of the story we’re told:
>“They had a couple of cases of desecration in Holy Trinity last week,
So there are Satanists active before Regan’s possession and Regan now seems to be joining in with them? We only see Regan leave her room about twice on her own when she’s possessed (to pee on the carpet and the spider walk) due to the fact that Sharon is heavily sedating her. But she’s now apparently producing cards, spending time on Sharon’s typewriter and going to nearby churches? Is she doing this on her own or is Sharon taking her there? After all she’s the member of the help who we see with Regan during the night, she controls her medication, and her typewriter was directly involved.
Now it is mentioned throughout the book that Regan’s window keeps being open when Chris comes to check on her. So there is an explanation for how Regan could get out of the house. But again, Sharon is supposed to be sedating her. And we see that the medicine does work as it’s what gets Regan into her restraints. The demon couldn’t be jumping out to possess other people (ala Exorcist 3) because Regan’s fingerprints were linked to the desecration. Regan had to be present, despite the fact she’s heavily drugged to the point where she can barely move, let alone leave the house. So is Regan leaving the house or being taken from it by someone else like Sharon?
Another strange moment between the two is the infamous spiderwalk
>Gliding spiderlike, rapidly, close behind Sharon, her body arched backward in a bow with her head almost touching her feet, was Regan, her tongue flicking quickly in and out of her mouth while she sibilantly hissed and moved her head very slightly back and forth like a cobra.
>Staring numbly, Chris said, “Sharon?”
>Sharon stopped. So did Regan.
>Sharon turned and saw nothing. And then screamed and jumped away as she felt Regan’s tongue snaking out at her ankle.
>Chris threw a hand to her cheek, her face ashen. “Call that doctor and get him out of bed! Get him now!”
>Wherever Sharon moved, Regan would follow.
What I find weird here is that Regan is following Sharon so closely and moving in time with her, completely fixated on Sharon. For such a bizarre and impactful “scare”, I also find it strange that the chapter ends with that last line where the emphasis is completely placed on Sharon. We’re also shown Regan following Sharon around – which could point to Sharon being able to lead Regan.
We also get warning about Sharon during Karras’ dreams:
>The soft ringing of the telephone on Karras’s desk drew a swift, alarmed glance from Father Lucas. “Watch out for Sharon!” he warned Karras sharply, and then abruptly the phone was ringing loudly so that Karras awakened and realized he’d been dreaming.
…
>Racing thoughts. Suppositions. A coldness. Then an urgency: “Watch out for Sharon!”
Now this does have an obvious answer: Sharon calls Karras and warns him about something happening with Regan. This incident is then what leads to Karras finally seeking an official exorcism. Part of Karras just wants to walk away, and of course he dies during the exorcism so a guardian angel warning him of proceeding with it isn’t out of place. But I think the warning itself is suspect – with the emphasis placed on Sharon rather than the call. Karras also received a warning in his dream not to continue with the exorcism before this warning, so he didn’t really need a specific warning about Sharon. It suggests that something more may be up with her.
So in conclusion I’m really not sure what’s going on with Sharon. There are a variety of ways we could interpret this.
If Regan really isn’t possessed then is Sharon abusing Regan, and perhaps bringing her to thinks like Black Mass and telling her about occult phenomena, which Regan then imitates subconsciously when she acts out? As mentioned in the video I linked to at the start Regan’s symptoms fit very closely victims of sexual abuse – being extremely sexual, peeing themselves, not trusting adults or medical professionals etc. Could Sharon be performing this abuse or at least aware of it?
If Regan was possessed did she accept Pazuzu to protect herself from Sharon and the members of the occult she associated with? I don’t think so as Regan still seems to go along with a later Black Mass so she doesn’t seem to be warding off Sharon. If it was to protect her from “Captain Howdy” then Sharon seems to be aiding it – by either killing Burke Dennings in her room or covering for the death, by taking her out to desecrate churches, leaving it books on the occult and doing… whatever it is the spiderwalk scene was about.
A counterpoint to this is that Sharon invites Karras over to see evidence of Regan’s possession which directly leads to The Exorcism – if she was working with the demon why push for an exorcism? But we do see that Pazuzu wants some sort of fight or confrontation with the priests. When Father Merrin dies of heart failure the demon wants Karras to bring him back:
>Merrin lay sprawled facedown on the floor beside the bed. Karras knelt, turned him over, and seeing the bluish coloration of his face, he quickly felt for a pulse and in a wrenching, stabbing instant of anguish, Karras realized that Merrin was dead.
>“Saintly flatulence! Die, will you? Die? Karras, heal him!” raged the demon. “Bring him back and let us finish
So maybe the demon pushed for Sharon to bring Karras back when he was doubting the need for an exorcism?
A lot of this is ambiguous and as I’ve laid out there are arguments against a lot of what I’m presenting here. But I do find the character of Sharon suspicious and diving into her behaviour raises a lot of interesting questions as to what’s really going on in The Exorcist.
by Woodstovia