Science and religion pervade the 1973 horror The Exorcist (1973), and the film exists, as the movie’s tagline suggests, ‘somewhere between science and superstition’. Archival materials show the depth of research conducted by writer/director William Friedkin in his commitment to presenting and exploring emerging scientific procedures and accurate Catholic ritual. Where clinical and barbaric science fails, faith and ritual save the possessed child Reagan MacNeil (Linda Blair) from her demons. The Exorcist created media frenzy in 1973, with increased reports in the popular press of demon possessions, audience members convulsing and vomiting at screenings, and apparent religious and specifically Catholic moral outrage. However, the official Catholic response to The Exorcist was not as reactionary as the press claimed. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of Film and Broadcasting (USCCB-OFB) officially and publicly condemned the film as being unsuitable for a wide audience, but reviews produced for the office by priests and lay Catholics and correspondence between the Vatican and the USCCB-OFB show that the church at least notionally interpreted it as a positive response to the power of faith. Warner Bros. Studios, however, were keen to promote stories of religious outrage to boost sales and news coverage – a marketing strategy that actively contradicted Friedkin’s respectful and collaborative approach to working with both religious communities and medical professionals. Reports of Catholic outrage were a means of promoting The Exorcist rather than an accurate reflection of the Catholic Church’s nuanced response to the film and its scientific and religious content.

科学和宗教在 1973 年的恐怖片《驱魔人》（1973）中无处不在，正如电影标语所暗示的那样，这部电影存在于“科学与迷信之间”。档案材料显示了作家/导演威廉弗里德金在致力于展示和探索新兴科学程序和准确的天主教仪式方面进行的深入研究。在临床和野蛮科学失败的地方，信仰和仪式将被附身的孩子里根麦克尼尔（琳达布莱尔）从她的恶魔手中拯救出来。《驱魔人》在 1973 年引起了媒体的狂热，大众媒体对恶魔的报道越来越多，观众在放映时抽搐和呕吐，以及明显的宗教和特别是天主教的道德义愤。然而，天主教官方对驱魔人的回应并没有媒体声称的那么反动。美国天主教主教电影和广播办公室（USCCB-OFB）正式公开谴责这部电影不适合广大观众，但神父和平信徒为该办公室制作的评论以及梵蒂冈与梵蒂冈之间的通信USCCB-OFB 表明，教会至少在概念上将其解释为对信仰力量的积极回应。然而，华纳兄弟工作室热衷于宣传宗教暴行的故事以促进销售和新闻报道——这种营销策略与弗里德金与宗教社区和医疗专业人士合作的尊重和协作方式积极相悖。天主教暴行的报道是宣传《驱魔人》的一种手段 而不是准确反映天主教会对这部电影及其科学和宗教内容的微妙反应。