10 Horror Movie Secrets We All Missed
7. Father Karras' Mother Is Briefly Visible Before He Kills Himself - The Exorcist
One of the most iconic scenes in horror movie history is unquestionably Father Karras' (Jason Miller) sacrificial death at the end of The Exorcist, hurling himself out of a window after being possessed by the demonic spirit Pazuzu.
It's often said that William Friedkin's genre masterpiece is filled with "subliminal" imagery intended to keep viewers off-kilter, from the subtle inclusion of buzzing bees in the soundtrack to evoke primal unease, to brief flashes of Pazuzu's ghoulish face.
But there's another altogether sneakier secret mere moments before Karras takes his fatal plunge.
As Pazuzu's possession begins to take hold, Karras looks up at the room's window, where the faintest glimpse of his dead mother's (Vasiliki Maliaros) face can be seen.
Given that Karras' is haunted by his mother's death throughout the film, it's fitting that he sees her face in his final moments, slyly foreshadowing the sacrifice he's about to make. Brilliant.