This paper considers Jung’s lifelong engagement with the phenomenon of religion. The article proposes a reflection on animality as a path to reintegration of the Self, defending the endurance of animal monsters in the horror genre. Horror narratives remain the main locus of animality in works of fiction, for its unrivalled ability to gather archetypical representations and invite us to experience a vicarious confrontation with our own repressed fears. Although the depiction of animality as a mark of villainy may seem detrimental to our perception of some animals, it nevertheless contributed to an ongoing reflection about the human-animal relationship. In The Exorcist, the devil, reduced to a domestic animal with behavioural issues, is tamed back into submission. The horror narrative describes a journey in which the animal, by virtue of its ubiquitous presence in our lives, frequently acts as a psychopomp, a guiding figure who dispels the evil menace by rendering the monster more recognizable as a beast and, consequently, more prone to be captured and subdued. Released in 1973, it remains one of the most disturbing accomplishments of horror cinema and stands as a seminal work of the demonic movie subgenre. This article analyzes the use of animal traits in the transformation from human to monster in the movie The Exorcist, based on the homonymous bestseller by William Peter Blatty. Additionally, it will support the notion with the Jungian theory of archetypes by adapting the characters' unconscious mind in The Exorcist to the collective unconscious of American society. From the political perspective, it will focus on American Exceptionalism, and it clarifies the relation between Calvinism and American Exceptionalism. Thus, this article will attempt to analyse the cultural identity of the United States of America and its reverberations on one of the well-known horror film based on William Peter Blatty's novel, The Exorcist (1973). Yet, no matter how it looks far from reality, it contains both cultural and individual anxieties and fears in it so that it brings a new point of view by functioning as a mirror that makes possible to examine fears conveniently. Horror is able to gain interest most of the time, and it provides satisfaction for the audience, even though it is considered as an unrealistic experience. For many years, the horror genre has been a part of culture due to its success of evoking curiosity and thrill.
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