EXTERIOR- RUNNING TRACK- GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY- DAY
In training gear, Karras is running laps. Seated on a bench at the edge of the track, watching Karras, Lt. Kinderman. Karras seems curious, if not disturbed, by Kinderman's presence. When Karras stops, panting, Kinderman rises and moves toward him.
KINDERMAN
Father Karras?
Karras picks up his towel and wipes his brow.
KARRAS
Have we met?
KINDERMAN
No we haven't met, but they said I could tell; that you looked like a boxer.
Kinderman shows his badge.
KINDERMAN
William F. Kinderman. Homicide.
KARRAS
What's this about?
KINDERMAN
Yeah, it's true. You do look like a boxer.
John Garfield, in Body and Soul.
Exactly John Garfield anyone told you that Father?
KARRAS
Do people tell you look like Paul Newman?
KINDERMAN
Always.
Karras walks away toward the campus.
KINDERMAN
You this director was doing a film here, Burke Dennings?
KARRAS
I've seen him.
KINDERMAN
You've seen him.
You're also familiar with how last week he died?
KARRAS
Only what I read in the papers.
KINDERMAN
Papers. Tell me, what do you know about the subject of witchcraft?
From the witching end, not the hunting.
KARRAS
I once did a paper on it
KINDERMAN
Really?
KARRAS
From the psychiatric end.
KINDERMAN
I know. I read it.
These desecration's in the church…you think they have anything to do with witchcraft?
KARRAS
Maybe. Some rituals used in Black Mass. Maybe.
KINDERMAN
And Dennings, you read how he died?
KARRAS
Yeah, a fall.
KINDERMAN
Let me tell you how Father, and please confidential. Burke
Dennings, good Father, was found at the bottom of those steps
leading to 'M' Street, with his head turned completely around.
Facing backwards.
KARRAS
Couldn't it of happened on the fall.
KINDERMAN
It's possible. Possible however…
KARRAS
Unlikely.
KINDERMAN
Exactly. So on the one hand we've got a witchcraft type of murder
and a Black Mass style of desecration in the church.
KARRAS
You think the killer and the desecrator are the same?
KINDERMAN
Maybe somebody crazy, someone with a spite against the church, some unconscious rebellion, perhaps.
KARRAS
Sick priest, is that it?
KINDERMAN
Look, Father this is hard for you- please. But for priests on the
campus here, you're the psychiatrist; you'd know who was sick at
the time, who wasn't. I mean this kind of sickness. You'd know
that.
KARRAS
I don't know anyone who fits the description.
KINDERMAN
Ah, doctor's ethics. If you knew you wouldn't tell, huh?
KARRAS
No I probably wouldn't.
KINDERMAN
Not to bother you with trivia, but a psychiatrist in sunny
California was thrown in jail for not telling the judge what he
knew about a patient.
KARRAS
Is that a threat?
KINDERMAN
No, I mentioned it only in passing.
KARRAS
Incidentally I mention only in passing that I could tell the
judge that it was a matter of confession.
Karras walks off toward his dormitory and Kinderman chases him.
KINDERMAN
Hey, Father? You like movies?
KARRAS
Very much.
KINDERMAN
I get passes to the best shows in town. Mrs. K though, she gets
tired and never likes to go.
KARRAS
That's to bad.
KINDERMAN
Yeah, I hate to go alone. You know, I like to talk film; discuss
the critique. D'you wanna see a film with me? I got passes to The
Crest. It's Othello.
KARRAS
Who's in it?
KINDERMAN
Who's in it? Debbie Reynolds, Desdemona, and Othello, Groucho
Marx. You're happy?
KARRAS
I've seen it.
KINDERMAN
One last time: Can you think of some priest who fits the bill?
KARRAS
Come on!
KINDERMAN
Answer the question, Father Paranoia.
KARRAS
Alright. You know who I think really did it?
KINDERMAN
Who?
KARRAS
The Dominicans. Go pick on them.
KINDERMAN
I could have you deported, you know that?
Karras walks to the front door.
KINDERMAN
(shouts to Karras)
I lied!
Karras turns around.
KINDERMAN
(shouting to Karras)
You look like Sal Mineo!
Karras smiles and walks inside.
*****
MERRIN
Give way to Christ, you Prince of Murderers —
You're Guilty, before Almighty God,
Guilty before His Son,
Guilty before The Whole Human Race.
It's The Lord who expels you.
He who is coming to Judge both The Living and The Dead
and The World
by Fire.
As Merrin kneels by the bed, Karras crawls over and covers Regan with a blanket.
MERRIN
Are you tired?
Karras nods.
MERRIN
Let's rest before we start again.
Merrin leaves the room, but Karras stays sat on the bed, shivering with both coldness and fear. Regan is asleep.
INTERIOR- MACNEIL HOUSE- SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY- STAIRS- NIGHT
An exhausted Merrin and Karras are sitting in the hallway, on the stairs, outside the bathroom.
KARRAS
Why this girl, it makes no sense?
MERRIN
I think the point is to make us dispair...
To see our selves as...
animal and ugly...
To reject the possibillity that God could love us.
MERRIN
Will you excuse me, Damien?
Merrin rises and moves toward the bathroom.
INTERIOR- MACNEIL HOUSE- BATHROOM- NIGHT
Merrin sits on the toilet and takes out his pilbox. He extracts nitorglycerin tablet and places it under his tongue. He is shaking with fear as he holds his head with exhaustion.
INTERIOR- MACNEIL HOUSE- SECOND FLOOR HALLWAY- NIGHT
Karras moves back toward the bedroom and enters.
INTERIOR- MACNEIL HOUSE- REGAN'S BEDROOM- NIGHT
Karras is shocked to see an instant apparition of his mother, laying on the bed in place of Regan. It vanishes. He moves toward Regan, who is shivering and drenched with sweat.
REGAN/MRS. KARRAS
Dimmy, why you did this to me?
Karras gets out a stehoscope and places it on Regan's chest.
REGAN/MRS. KARRAS
Please Dimmy, I'm affraid.
KARRAS
You're not my mother.
REGAN/MRS. KARRAS
Dimmy please!
Merrin re-enters the room.
MERRIN
What is it?
KARRAS
Her heart.
MERRIN
Can you give her something?
KARRAS
She'll go into coma.
Regan, in the voice of Karras' mother, speaks a few pleading
phrases in Greek to Karras.
KARRAS
(shouting)
You're not my mother!!!
MERRIN
Don't listen.
REGAN/MRS. KARRAS
Why, Dimmy?
Damien breaks into convulsive sobbing.
MERRIN
Damien.
REGAN/MRS. KARRAS
Dimmy, please!
MERRIN
Damien! Get out!
Damien arises from the bed. Merrin leads him out, and then re-
enters the room himself. He sprinkles some holy water on Regan
and kneels at her side. He holds her hand tightly.
MERRIN
Our Father, who art in heaven...
INTERIOR- MACNEIL HOUSE- FOYER- NIGHT
Downstairs Karras sits brooding as Chris enters.
CHRIS
Is it over?
Karras shakes his head negatively.
CHRIS
Is she gonna die?
KARRAS
(firmly)
No.
He rises and starts ascending the stairs with renewed conviction.
The doorbell rings and Chris moves toward the door. Before
opening she applies the chain lock on. She opens the door slowly
and we see Kinderman staring at her from the gap.
INTERIOR- MACNEIL HOUSE- REGAN'S BEDROOM- NIGHT
Karras re-enters Regan's room and sees Merrin face down on her
bed. Regan is sitting up against the bottom right hand bed post
as Karras pulls Merrin to the floor. Karras feels for Merrin's
pulse, then tries frantically to pump life back into the priest
with blows to his chest, but gives up when he realises Merrin is
dead. He hears a giggle and turns to Regan.
KARRAS
You son of a bitch!
He grabs her and pulls her to the floor. He begins to punch her
in the face and head, then shakes her and nearly strangles her in
his fury.
KARRAS
Take me! Come into me! God damn you! Take me! Take me!
A gargantuan struggle is visible in the demonic features of
Regan's face. His face has taken on a demonic shade, and his eyes
have turned bright green. She screams out as Karras' body jerks
back, apparently manipulated by some inner force, which now
reaches toward Regan to strangle her. Karras fights the force for
control of his body, and he screams, compelling it toward the
window.
KARRAS
No!!
With his last angiushed cry, Karras leaps out of the window. We
see him roll down the concrete steps outside and hit the floor at
the bottom. His cry was immediatly followed by frightened sobs
and whimpers that are unmstakably those of an ordinary little
girl.
REGAN
(crying)
Mother...Mother...Mother...Mother...
Chris rushes in and pauses to make sure that it's really Regan
again. She's follwed in by Kinderman.
CHRIS
Rags?
She dashes over to where her daughter is cowering on the floor.
She flings herself down on top of Regan, cradling her and crying
in hysterical relief, as Kinderman looks at Karras' body from the
window, looks at Merrin's dead body on the floor and then looks
at Chris and Regan.
EXTERIOR- M-STREET- STEPS- NIGHT
A crowd is gathering at the scene of an accident. Their
attentionis focused by a man lying in a pool of blood on the
pavement at the foot of the steps under Regan's window.
BYSTANDER
Somebody fell at the bottom of the steps here!
Father Dyer pushes through the crowd and kneels beside Karras.
Fighting back tears, he grasps Karras' hand and leans close to
whisper in his ear.
FATHER DYER
Do you want to make your confession? Are you sorry- (his voice
catches)
Are you sorry for having offended God, with all the sins of your
past life? (he breaks down for a moment, then starts
administiring the last rites)
Ego to abslovo in nomine patris, et filli, et spiritus sancti.
Amen.
As a wailling siren signals the approach of an ambulance, Dyer
weeps openly.
EXTERIOR- PROSPECT STREET- TOP OF STEPS- DAY
On a bright, sunny day, we are looking down the steps which are
now clean. No blood, or body at the bottom.
INTERIOR- MACNEIL HOUSE- DINING ROOM- DAY
Sharon and Chris are briskly packing up last minute items before
moving out.
SHARON
Where do you want this?
CHRIS
What is it?
SHARON
Phonograph.
CHRIS
Storage.
Sharon puts in in one of the large cardboard boxes that are
standing about.
CHRIS
I'm gonna miss you.
SHARON
Me too.
CHRIS
Sure you won't change your mind?
Sharon shakes her head. She reaches into her pocket and hands
Chris the St. Joseph medal.
SHARON
I found this in her room.
Chris puts in her pocket.
SHARON
That's everything.
Chris hugs her. She pulls away and walks to the foot of the
stairs.
CHRIS
Regan! C'mon honey we have to get going!
EXTERIOR- MACNEIL HOUSE- PROSPECT STREET- DAY
We see Karl is loading the car with cases. Father Dyer is
standing outside the gates. Chris exits the house and Dyer moves
toward her.
CHRIS
She doesn't remeber a thing.
FATHER DYER
That's good.
Regan exits the house and walks to Chris.
REGAN
All done.
CHRIS
Honey this is Father Dyer.
REGAN
Hi Father.
DYER
Hello.
KARL
Ready Mrs.
Chris shakes Father Dyer's hand.
CHRIS
Goodbye Father. I call you.
FATHER DYER
Okay.
Chris gets into the car, but Regan stands staring at Dyer's
collar. She leans forward and kisses Father Dyer on the cheek.
Not sure of what she has done, she retreats to the car. The car
drives out to the street and Father Dyer waves goodbye. Father
Dyer walks out and Willie closes the gates.
FATHER DYER
Goodbye.
WILLIE
Good bye Father.
FATHER DYER
I hope to see you again soon,
WILLIE
I hope so too.
The car stops and we hear Chris call.
CHRIS
Father Dyer?
Dyer rushes to the car.
CHRIS
I thought you'd like to keep this.
She hands him Karras' St. Joseph medal. Dyer clutches it tightly.
The car drives on, and Dyer watches it drive off. Dyer walks down
toward the top of the M Street Steps. He looks down them and
frowns, we see Regan's window in the background, boarded up. Dyer
then turns away and walks back to Prospect Street. As he turns
the corner he sees Kinderman standing outside the house.
FATHER DYER
Lieutenant?
KINDERMAN
I came to say goodbye.
FATHER DYER
You just missed them.
KINDERMAN
How's the girl?
FATHER DYER
She seemed fine.
KINDERMAN
Ah, that's good. That's all that's important. Back to business.
Back to work. Bye now, Father.
FATHER DYER
Good bye.
They both walk their separate ways. Kinderman stops.
KINDERMAN :
Father Dyer?
Dyer turns back to him.
KINDERMAN
Do you like films?
FATHER DYER
Sure.
KINDERMAN
I get passes.
In fact I got a pass for The Crest tomorrow night.
Would you like to go?
FATHER DYER
What's playing?
KINDERMAN
Withering Heights.
FATHER DYER
Who's in it?
KINDERMAN
Heathcliff, Jackie Gleason, and in the role of Catherine Earnshaw, Lucille Ball.
FATHER DYER
I've seen it.
KINDERMAN
(smirks) Another one.
Had your lunch?
FATHER DYER
No.
Kinderman loops his arm around Dyer's.
They start to walk off.
KINDERMAN
I'm reminded of a line in the film Casablanca. At the end Humphrey Bogart says to Claude Rains, " Louie- I think this is the begining of a beautiful friendship."
DYER
You know you look a bit like Bogart.
KINDERMAN
You noticed.
We fade out as Tubular Bells starts to play.
FADE TO BLACK
The music changes to the loud Fantasia For Strings.
THE EXORCIST
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