10 Exact Moments That Changed The Horror Movie Genre Forever

4. The Exorcist - Sticking It To Religion

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Based on William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name, William Friedkin’s 1973 The Exorcist explored an angle not really touched upon in the horror genre by that point as it turned its attention to religion.

The Exorcist marked the first real time that Catholicism had been showcased in such a way in a relatively mainstream movie. This effort looked to explore faith and the battle of classic Good vs. Evil as pulled from the ancient religious texts of old. We were given a demon looking to stick a middle finger up to God, whilst corrupting the innocence of a young child as it did so.

Of course, there are those memorable, gooey set pieces that stand out, yet The Exorcist was just as impactful when it allowed subtlety and suggestion to take centre-stage. But if there is one particular sequence that perfectly captures the notion of this demonic entity making its intentions clear – and throwing religion into the horror genre in an all-new way – it’s poor Regan getting up to, err, no good with a cross.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.