Pazuzu is a fictional character who is the main
antagonist in ''
The Exorcist
''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty ...
''
horror novels and
film series A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series.
This article explains what film series are ...
, created by
William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty (January 7, 1928 – January 12, 2017) was an American writer, director and producer. He is best known for his 1971 novel, ''The Exorcist'', and for his 1974 screenplay for the film adaptation of the same name. Blatty won ...
. Blatty derived the character from
Assyria
Assyria ( Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the ...
n and
Babylonian mythology, where the mythic
Pazuzu
In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Pazuzu ( akk, , translit=pà.zu.zu; also called Fazuzu or Pazuza) was a personification of the southwestern wind, and held kingship over the lilu wind demons.
As an apotropaic entity, he was considered as bo ...
was considered the king of the demons of the wind, and the son of the god
Hanbi
In Sumerian and Akkadian mythology (and Mesopotamian mythology in general) Hanbi or Hanpa (more commonly known in western text) was the god of evil, god of all evil forces and the father of Pazuzu and Humbaba. Aside from his relationship with P ...
. In ''The Exorcist'', Pazuzu appears as a demon who possesses
Regan MacNeil
Regan Teresa MacNeil (born April 7, 1959) is a fictional character from William Peter Blatty's horror novel and film adaptation ''The Exorcist'' as a supporting character and its first sequel, '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'', and the sequel televis ...
.
Pazuzu is often depicted as a combination of animal and human parts with his right hand pointing upwards and his left hand downwards. He has the body of a man, the head of a
lion or
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
,
eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...
-like taloned feet, two pairs of wings, a
scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always en ...
's tail, and a serpentine
penis
A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males d ...
.
Appearances
Novels
Pazuzu first appeared in William Peter Blatty's ''
The Exorcist
''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty ...
'' in 1971. The novel is about a 12-year-old girl,
Regan MacNeil
Regan Teresa MacNeil (born April 7, 1959) is a fictional character from William Peter Blatty's horror novel and film adaptation ''The Exorcist'' as a supporting character and its first sequel, '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'', and the sequel televis ...
, possessed by a demon. The demon is later revealed to be Pazuzu; though never explicitly stated to be the demon, two references were made about his statue, which was uncovered in the prologue by Father
Lankester Merrin
Father Lankester Merrin is a fictional character in the novel ''The Exorcist'' (1971), one of the two main protagonists in the 1973 film adaptation, who also figures prominently in several of its prequel and sequel films.
In the novel
Merrin, ...
in northern
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
. After Regan's mother worries about her daughter being possessed, Merrin and Karras arrive at her house and perform an
exorcism
Exorcism () is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be ...
on Regan and successfully force the demon out of Regan's body. In their struggle to free Regan from the
thrall
A thrall ( non, þræll, is, þræll, fo, trælur, no, trell, træl, da, træl, sv, träl) was a slave or serf in Scandinavian lands during the Viking Age. The corresponding term in Old English was . The status of slave (, ) contrasts wi ...
of Pazuzu, both priests perish.
Pazuzu returns in ''
Legion
Legion may refer to:
Military
* Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army
* Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army
* Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...
'', wanting to take revenge for being thrown out of Regan's body. He does this by driving the Gemini Killer's soul into
Father Damien Karras's dead body. Although not directly identified as Pazuzu, the Gemini Killer refers to "others" who would see his work continue. In the end of the novel, the Gemini Killer leaves the body of Father Karras following the death of the killer's father, the driving force behind the Gemini Killer's crimes.
Films
Two years after the novel was published, ''
The Exorcist
''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty ...
'' was released in theaters as a motion picture. In the beginning of the film, Father Merrin finds a ruined statue of the demon during an archaeological dig in Iraq. The majority of the film deals with Regan's demonic possession by a being she initially refers to as "Captain Howdy". During the attempted exorcism of Regan, the statue of Pazuzu that Merrin found at the beginning of the film briefly appears. The demon is ultimately exorcised from Regan's body after Merrin dies of a heart attack, and
Father Damien Karras sacrifices himself by luring the demon into his body and then hurling himself through a window and down the
now famous flight of stairs leading down to M Street NW, in Georgetown.
In ''
Exorcist II: The Heretic'', Pazuzu is named as the demon and returns to haunt Regan. There are flashbacks of Merrin battling the demon in Regan and also flashbacks of Merrin's exorcism of Pazuzu from a boy named Kokumo in Africa many years earlier. In the end of the film, Regan and Father Lamont, who has been trying to help her, but has become possessed by Pazuzu, return to Georgetown. After a struggle, he declines Pazuzu's offer of power and Regan banishes Pazuzu, appearing in the form of locusts.
''
The Exorcist III
''The Exorcist III'' is a 1990 American psychological horror film written and directed by William Peter Blatty. It is the third installment in the ''Exorcist'' series, an adaptation of Blatty's ''Exorcist'' novel ''Legion'' (1983), and the f ...
'' takes place 15 years after the original film. The film was adapted by Blatty from his novel
''Legion''. Lieutenant Kinderman, who was also in the original film, has been on a murder case about mysterious deaths committed by an anonymous person. It is later found out that Pazuzu convinced the Gemini Killer, who died at the same time as
Father Karras
Father Damien Karras, SJ, is a fictional character from the 1971 novel ''The Exorcist'', its 1983 sequel ''Legion'', one of the main protagonists in the 1973 film ''The Exorcist'', and a supporting character in ''The Exorcist III'', the 1990 fil ...
, to inhabit his body as punishment for saving Regan. However, as result of his suicide, his brain was severely damaged, which demons/spirits need when they possess a body. The Gemini Killer spent years stimulating his brain so he would be of use, and then began committing murders by possessing the bodies of the other inhabitants of the hospital where Karras had been staying. In the end of the movie after a turbulent exorcism is done, Karras regains control of the body and asks Kinderman to kill him, which he does by shooting him in the head, keeping him from being possessed again.
In ''
Exorcist: The Beginning'' and ''
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist'', Pazuzu is shown in his first encounter with Father Merrin in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
in the duel that "nearly kills Merrin", referenced in the very first movie. Although the plot of both of these versions center around Merrin's African exorcism many years earlier, they take a sharp departure from the original scenes in ''Exorcist II: The Heretic'' where Merrin exorcises a young boy named Kokumo on a mountaintop. No effort was made to keep the stories consistent beyond that central idea.
Television
In
''The Exorcist'' television series, which is presented as a sequel to the original film, Pazuzu continues its pursuit of Regan and possesses her daughter Casey. After nearly killing Casey, the demon is able to possess Regan again and is almost able to take complete control of her mind. However, with the aid of the priest Father Tomas and her family, Regan fights back against Pazuzu, regaining control of her mind, just as Father Tomas exorcises the demon from her body.
Concept and creation
![PazuzuDemonAssyria1stMillenniumBCE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/PazuzuDemonAssyria1stMillenniumBCE.jpg)
William Peter Blatty's creations of Pazuzu and ''The Exorcist'' were based on a heavily reported series of 1949 events in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
concerning the possession of a 14-year-old known as "
Robbie Mannheim" (or sometimes "Roland Doe"). Blatty, who was a student at
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
, read about the story in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
newspapers and created ''The Exorcist'' twenty years later.
Texas State
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
religious studies professor Joseph Laycock believes that Blatty may have drawn his portrayal of Pazuzu from religion scholar
Paul Carus
Paul Carus (; 18 July 1852 – 11 February 1919) was a German-American author, editor, a student of comparative religion 's 1900 book ''The History of the Devil''. It has an illustration of the statue of Pazuzu, the "demon of the southwest wind" in
Chaldean tradition, which also has a loop through its head similar to the one Father Merrin finds on the amulet. Laycock speculates that Blatty may have acknowledged this source by giving his protagonist the similar-sounding name Karras and putting in his backstory that he had once written a paper on the
Black Mass.
Portrayal
In the first film,
Linda Blair
Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. She played Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. The fil ...
played Regan.
Mercedes McCambridge
Carlotta Mercedes Agnes McCambridge (March 16, 1916 – March 2, 2004) was an American actress of radio, stage, film, and television. Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress." She won an Academy Award for Best Support ...
provided the majority of Pazuzu's dialogue, most notably in all the scenes with Fathers Karras and Merrin. In earlier scenes, Pazuzu's voice is provided by Linda Blair herself in some scenes, and Ron Faber in others. The face of Pazuzu is provided by
Eileen Dietz, who also plays Regan during the vomiting, levitation and masturbation scenes.
Pazuzu is mostly manifested by a swarm of locusts in ''Exorcist II: The Heretic'', though is also shown possessing the young Regan and a young boy named Kokumo during flashback sequences. While the stand-in for the young Regan is uncredited, the possessed Kokumo was played by Joey Green, and all of Pazuzu's dialogue in the film is provided by Karen Knapp.
''The Exorcist III'' is the only film in which Pazuzu does not have a physical manifestation, though it still does have a few lines of dialogue, which are voiced by
Colleen Dewhurst.
In ''Exorcist: The Beginning'' and ''Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist'', the victims possessed by Pazuzu are played by
Izabella Scorupco
Izabella Scorupco (born Izabela Dorota Skorupko; 4 June 1970) is a Polish-born Swedish actress, singer and model. She is best known for having played Bond girl Natalya Simonova in the 1995 James Bond film ''GoldenEye''. She is also known for her ...
and
Billy Crawford
Billy Joe Ledesma Crawford (born May 16, 1982) is a Filipino actor, musician, singer, dancer, comedian and television host who released 7 studio albums and has had a number of singles, notably "Trackin'", "When You Think About Me" (a remake of ...
respectively, and the voices of Pazuzu are
Rupert Degas
Rupert Joel Degas (born 17 August 1970) is an Anglo-Australian actor. He is best known for his voice work in animation and audiobooks. Since the 1980s, he has worked in audiobooks, film, podcasts, radio productions, television, theatre, and vid ...
in the former film and
Mary Beth Hurt
Mary Beth Hurt (''née'' Supringer; born September 25, 1946) is an American actress of stage and screen. She is a three-time Tony Award-nominated actress.
Notable films in which Hurt has appeared include '' Interiors'' (1978), ''The World Accord ...
in the latter.
In ''The Exorcist'' television series, Pazuzu in its natural form is portrayed by Robert Emmet Lunney. Its victims are an older Regan, portrayed by
Geena Davis
Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis (born January 21, 1956) is an American actor , and Regan's daughter Casey, portrayed by
Hannah Kasulka.
The demon mask used in the movie ''
Onibaba'' (1964) inspired
William Friedkin
William "Billy" Friedkin (born August 29, 1935)Biskind, p. 200. is an American film and television director, producer and screenwriter closely identified with the " New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in ...
to use a similar design for the makeup in the shots. In these shots, the demon is played by actress
Eileen Dietz, who underwent makeup tests for the "possessed Regan", wore one of the alternate make-ups in her role as the demon.
In popular culture
*Professional wrestler
Danhausen has said his face make-up is based on Pazuzu from ''The Exorcist''.
*Pazuzu has been featured in numerous spoofs/parodies. A notable example is ''
Scary Movie 2
''Scary Movie 2'' is a 2001 American supernatural parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. It is the sequel to ''Scary Movie'' and the second film in the ''Scary Movie'' film series. The film stars Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Shawn Wayans and M ...
'', in which the scenes of the exorcism of Regan are spoofed in the prologue. The character was also spoofed in the film ''
Repossessed'';
Linda Blair
Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. She played Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973), for which she won a Golden Globe Award and received a nomination for an Academy Award. The fil ...
starred in the film and reprised her role as the demon.
*In the ''
Highlander''
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
, the statue of Pazuzu is used during a storyline in which Duncan MacLeod duels a
Satan-like being.
*A statue resembling Pazuzu appears in the
Gorillaz's music video for "Rock It". Pazuzu is also depicted in the cover art of their 2007 compilation album ''
D-Sides
''D-Sides'' is a 2007 compilation album by the British virtual band Gorillaz. The album contains A-side and B-side, B-sides and remixes from single (music), singles and bonus tracks for the band's second studio album ''Demon Days'', as well as ...
'', designed by Jamie Hewlett. Band vocalist 2D is also sometimes depicted wearing a "Captain Howdy" T-shirt.
*A statue of Pazuzu appears in the ''
Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in t ...
'' episode "There's No Place Like Home", as one of the unpredictable artifacts in
Rumplestilskin
"Rumpelstiltskin" ( ; german: Rumpelstilzchen) is a German fairy tale. It was collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of ''Children's and Household Tales''. The story is about a little imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a ...
's vault.
*The manga series ''
Black Butler'' has a parody on the inside covers of each volume, and the one for Volume XX features a parody of the original Exorcist movie. It shows the boy earl crab-walking down the stairs after touching a statue of the demon Sebas. Sebastian, his demon butler, reveals that he's only holding the boy up as the kid goes down the stairs. Their gardener, Finny, portrays the Father Karras role.
*Pazuzu is the name of a
gargoyle
In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...
in the animated television series ''
Futurama''.
*In Beyond Wrestling, the current dominant
heel stable is called Team Pazuzu.
*The original film was parodied in ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'', season 1, episode 4, featuring guest host
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...
as Father Karras.
*The statue was featured/parodied in the first segment of ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
28th Treehouse of Horror episode. The episode, titled "The Exor-Sis", depicts
Maggie Simpson
Margaret Evelyn Lenny "Maggie" Simpson
is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and a part of the Simpson family, notably the youngest member. She first appeared on television in the '' Tracey Ullman Show'' s ...
becoming possessed by a replica of the statue. The episode aired on
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
on October 22, 2017.
*A statue of Pazuzu is also briefly shown in the ''
Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' trailer and is seen for a split second before being blown away in a cave by an explosion.
*In
Ridley Scott's movie ''
Legend
A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...
'' the statue of Pazuzu from ''The Exorcist'' is visible as an atmospheric prop in two shots, and appears as a silhouette each time. Once in Meg Mucklebones' Swamp, and later in the long shot of the chained up Unicorn. It is recognizable as Pazuzu due to the distinctive wings.
*In the 1997 film, ''
Wishmaster'', a Pazuzu statue attacks guests at the party being held by the art collector, Beaumont (portrayed by veteran horror actor
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the '' Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. Classically trained at the Royal Academy o ...
)
*In the 2010 sitcom ''
Neighbors from Hell
''Neighbors from Hell'' is a short-lived American adult animated sitcom that ran on TBS from June 7 and ended on July 26, 2010; the first episode also aired on TBS's sister network Adult Swim on June 13 as a "sneak preview". The executive produce ...
'', Pazuzu is the name of the Hellmans' talking dog.
*Pazuzu is parodied in a 1990 episode of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
features in a skit, as Pazuzu/Regan, titled "Exorcising with Reagan Blair".