Regan Meets Captain Howdy

Rating: 5/10 (12 December 2014)

I don't get it. I really don't.
At the very beginning of this film's grotesque and bleak story (at an excavation site in Northern Iraq), a small, ancient effigy representing a devil-like figure is uncovered amongst the ruins.
This discovery somehow unleashes a demon-spirit which then inexplicably transports itself all the way over to the USA where it, for whatever reasons, takes possession of a 13 year-old girl, living in Georgetown.
What I don't get is this - In Iraq the principal religion has always been Islam - So, with that in mind - What the hell good would Catholic priests performing a Christian exorcism do to help rid a girl of a demon that comes from a religion which doesn't even recognize Christianity? Eh? What good would it do?
If nothing else - This decidedly heavy-handed horror story certainly made a total laughing stock out of the Catholic religion. For example - Here we had to contend with the extremely volatile and guilt-ridden character of Father Damian Karras (a real boozer) who was the chosen one, supposedly best suited to perform the exorcism ritual which was intended to de-demonize Regan.
Personally, I cannot see why so much fuss has been made about this particular fright flick over these many years. Now 40 years old, The Exorcist has definitely lost a significant amount of its initial clout. In fact, I'd say that it was pretty laughable, in the long run. Especially that whole nonsensical business of Regan being able to completely spin her head around without tearing her skin or snapping her spinal cord.... (Spare me!)