The Exorcist

Chris tracks down Karras, remembering that Mary Jo once told her about a priest who worked as a psychiatrist. They tiptoe around the reason Chris wanted to meet, but eventually, Chris asks directly whether Karras will perform an exorcism for her. Though he is stunned, he realizes that she is serious. He mentions that exorcism might actually make the matter worse and that, before an exorcism takes place, the church must conduct an investigation. As Chris breaks down into tears, Karras wonders whether she needs his help as a therapist. He agrees to visit Regan. 

On the doorstep of Chris’s house, Karras hesitates, feeling a sudden chill. Chris leads Karras upstairs to Regan’s bedroom, showing him a photograph of Regan before the possession. As soon as Karras touches the doorknob, the sounds from inside stop. Inside, he smells “the pungent stench of moldering excrement” (138) and sees Regan’s bulging white eyes watching him intently. She asks Karras to remove her restraints and tells him that she is not Regan, but is in fact the devil. The devil refuses to allow Karras to talk to Regan, but through the litany of mocking demonic personalities inhabiting her body, he glimpses the terrified little girl for a second.