Pazuzu: who is the demon from the Exorcist?
This has been on my mind recently, the demon in The Exorcist. Then I watched Shudder’s Cursed Films and my curiosity only got worse. The first episode of Cursed Films discusses the 1973 horror film in great detail, including the demon that the film revolves around. His name is Pazuzu from the Assyrian Empire and he gave the entire world a heart attack in his feature film debut.
But there must be more. What is his backstory? Why did Blatty choose him as the antagonist to his novel? Is Pazuzu as vicious as The Exorcist makes him out to be?
Who is Pazuzu?
There actually isn’t a lot of history on Pazuzu. Most stories repeat the same thing. Dating back to 8th Century BC, Pazuzu is a demonic god worshiped by the Babylonian and Assyrian people. Holding a high position in the underworld on account of his father, Hanbi, Pazuzu is more or less considered to be a prince among demons. Although he is a king among wind demons.
He has a slightly more famous brother, Humbaba who appears in The Epic of Gilgamesh. An epic poem that’s regarded as the earliest surviving great work of literature and the second oldest religious text after the Pyramid Texts.
Although his origins are muddled, he’s believed to be first introduced through Sumerian mythology as a fearsome demon that protected against certain evils. Unlike current portrayals of demons, in Babylonian mythology demons were evil entities that weren’t always evil in nature. They did good as well as bad, a characteristic very similar to the Jinns of Islamic mythology.
Grand duties for a demon
Pazuzu was a complicated guy with a multifaceted personality. He wasn’t opposed to protecting a person every now and then, especially if that person was a pregnant woman. Even though he was a sky demon, his primary domain seemed to be pregnant women and newborns. People would wear his visage around their necks or wrists to ward off other evil spirits including that of his wife, the demon-goddess Lamashtu. Apparently she had a particular distaste for pregnant women.
He also held a certain influence over diseases. He is believed to have been blamed for the spread of malaria and typhoid through Mesopotamia and Northern Persia somewhere around 430 to 424 BC. Despite being the cause, people often invoked Pazuzu for safety against the very diseases he created and prayed in hopes that he wouldn’t bring a famine. The basic logic behind this was, if he can bring sickness, he can also take it away.
The Exorcist
William Peter Blatty’s version of Pazuzu in “The Exorcist” came from a story in 1949 about a 14-year-year old, known under the pseudonym “Roland Doe”, that was possessed by a demon. After numerous failed attempts, a successful exorcism was finally performed by the priest Raymond J. Bishop. Blatty read about the story in a newspaper and got the idea for his novel.
The possession was blamed on an Ouija Board given to Roland by his spiritualist aunt. It was only after the aunt died that Roland began showing signs of possession. Many exorcisms were performed. Some didn’t go well, but in the end, the alleged demon was exorcised to everyone’s satisfaction and Roland went on to live a “rather ordinary life.” The event is covered by Thomas B. Allen in his book “Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism.”
More recent influence
For true crime fanatics, Pazuzu has made a more recent footnote in history by being the inspiration for the crimes of Satanist Pazuzu Algarad, whose real name is John Alexander Lawson. A fan of The Exorcist, Lawson decided to honor the demon by changing his name to Pazuzu in 2002. He then took on the very persona of his namesake, ostracizing himself from society: covering his face in tattoos, filing his teeth down to points. telling people that he regularly made animal sacrifices and could control the weather.
Lawson’s house became a gathering for social outcasts. They came uninvited and stayed for as long as they wanted, like Jesse’s house in Breaking Bad when he had his mental breakdown. The house was dubbed the “House of Horrors”. Inside, people drank animal blood, sacrificed rabbits, performed self-mutilation, and engaged in orgies.
On October 5, 2014, police discovered skeletal remains in Lawson’s backyard. The remains belonged to two men later identified as Joshua Fredrick Wetzler and Tommy Dean Welch. They both died from a gunshot to the head. Lawson and his girlfriend, Amber Nicole Burch, were arrested and charged with the crime. He committed suicide before he could receive his sentence but Burch was sentenced to 30 years.
Good news to my nonbinary pals – we no longer exist!
“But Brannyk,” you may be thinking, “what am I supposed to do now that I am no longer a real being? How shall I spend my days?”
Unfortunately, the government has not released a handbook for this occasion, so I thought we could brainstorm together.
BECOME A GHOST
There are some benefits to being a ghost, for sure.
No rent or insurance payment. No corporate job, no cleaning cat litter, no AT&T trying to sell you another line after repeatedly telling them that you just want to make sure that your autopayment is on, but they’re all like, ‘Why would you pass up such a bargain on a second line? Are you an idiot? Why wouldn’t you need another phone line?‘ and so you have to tell them, “Because I’M DIVORCED, ASSHOLE, THANKS FOR REMINDING ME OF THAT!”
Ahem. I digress.
Yeah, you may not be able to venture out, much like Adam and Barbara in Beetlejuice. You may need to put up with someone else crashing your place and moving around all of your shit. Or Ryan Reynolds trying to sell you Mint Mobile. Or some toxic couple taking your creepy doll that you spent years on trying to possess.
Or, my absolute biggest pet peeve, when you’re practicing for the ghost speed chair-stacking championship and the normies just don’t appreciate your cool skills.
But the advantages are that you get to stay home, watch tv, stack your chairs and hope whoever buys your house/visits your creepy woods/gentrifies your neighborhood is a cool person, too.
(2 / 5)
It’s a good choice, but has a lot of drawbacks.
BECOME A CREATURE
Look, if you’re not going to exist, go big or go home, I’d say.
Monsters are cool. They play by their own rules. Sometimes they cause havoc. Sometimes they come around and help people. Sometimes they work alone. And other times, they have a lot of friends. Sometimes they just need some affirmation. And sometimes they’re…in high school, apparently?
The cool thing is that they come in all shapes and sizes.
Monsters are generally misunderstood. Some have their fans. Others are hated.
So basically, just like people, except with more tentacles.
The only downsides are that you might be too big or too “ick” for some people (these can also be pluses), you may have a taste for human flesh (no judgement), or the biggest issue – there are too many choices.
You could get stuck trying to figure out what kind of monster you are. If you’re not into labels, it’s an absolute nightmare. Or if you’re like me, it’ll be like standing in Subway for 15 minutes trying to figure out what toppings and dressings you want while the “sandwich artist” is openly judging you.
(4 / 5)
I like the customization, but it can be a bit too overwhelming.
BECOME A CRYPTID
Hear me out. I know it seems a lot like the monster category, but it’s not quite.
Cryptids are weird and mysterious. They keep to themselves. They have people who are fascinated by them and post on Reddit about them. Some have people making documentaries about them.
They’re like monsters’ quieter cousin who reads books in the corner at family gatherings. They collect shiny things they find by the side of the road. Sometimes they’ll steal a peanut butter sandwich or two.
Ever so often, they might scare a human just by existing or by politely asking for their stuff back.
Each one kinda has their own goals and priorities. Their own hangouts and interests. But unlike monsters, they’re not looking to rock any boats-
Never mind, I stand corrected.
(5 / 5)
I like the freedoms of being a cryptid and also dig the cottage-core vibe I get from them.
CONCLUSION: LET’S BE REAL FOR A SECOND…
I know it’s hard right now. It’s going to be hard. You may not exist to some assholes, but you are real. You have real feelings and thoughts and dreams. You have a real future. You have real decisions. Real actions that affect this world.
You have the real ability to wake up tomorrow and choose to exist. And for whatever reason you choose. Use it. Ghosts and monsters and cryptids are powerful, just like you are, even when you don’t feel like it. They have a place in our human world, just like you do. You make this world interesting and important.
You are part of this world, you are real, and you are not alone.
The horror community is one of acceptance, diversity, creativity and passion. In these times, it needs to be. We need to rely on each other. We need to cultivate and protect each other, as much as we need to protect ourselves.
And it looks like I’ll be coming out of my own cryptid hovel I’ve spent the past few years in to remind you that. My job isn’t done. Not by a longshot. And neither is yours.
You exist to me. Today, tomorrow, and forever.
Be safe out there, friends.
If you live in the United States, it’s time to rock the vote for real. I shared this video before in conjunction with my identity-based costume work, and I feel it’s important to revisit now, with the election coming up in just a few days. Besides which, Jack Black and Tenacious D are brilliant and given the current political climate, who doesn’t want to do the time warp? But seriously, get out and rock the vote, your life kinda does depend on it (at least insomuch as being able to make for yourself the life that you want, without the government telling you how to do so – especially if you live on the fringes of socially acceptable awkwardness like me and so many of my friends).
Besides which, this video is so good, it’s worth sharing again anyway. And again, if for some reason the video doesn’t load, you can find it here.
Art Attack
And here are some artworks I made awhile back as political commentary. The photograph was shot of the scene exactly as found, of a sign above a parking lot in a quickly gentrifying neighborhood making sure all knew that any unauthorized vehicles were unwelcome, and hung right in front of a flag that was tattered and torn from being caught on the chain link fence driving the point home. The flags were meant to be interactive, with gallerygoers waving them while singing The Star Spangled Banner in its elitist entirety. The whole really spoke to me regarding some of the political climate at the time (this was right before Trump was elected President the first time). How much has changed since then? In some ways, a lot. In other ways, I guess we shall see.
So on my recent road trip to Miami AZ USA for my menstruation art installation, we decided to detour to Roswell NM en route home. To be honest, this was one of the best decisions of my life, up there with road trippin’ from Arizona to San Francisco along CA-Highway 1, and I will go into the details of why here soon.
Roswell NM USA has totally embraced its alien history of the UFO crash in the late 1940s and subsequent government cover up. The whole town is alien-happy with beautiful hand carved wood totems, murals and statues everywhere celebrating otherworldly denizens of all types, though predominantly the gray aliens of the crash (and their green counterparts). Even the city logo features a flying saucer as the center of the letter “R”. It really is kind of incredible.
One of the biggest draws is the International UFO Museum and Research Center, housed in the wonderful old theater building. This museum details the crash history as well as celebrating aliens in movies and media and examining newer alien sightings and abductions. It is very thorough and includes maquettes, statues, written accounts and an extensive research library, as well as an interesting art collection of various items.
And there are TONS of fun alien themed curiosity shops. I will give a shout out to the newer Invasion Station north on Main Street where there had once been an old car dealership. I love the quirky nature of this particular store as well as their strong desire to promote local artists. Most of their wares are hand-painted in NM and feature designs by prominent local artists including one of the lead muralists in town (I bought a magnet of his). They also feature really alternative kitsch like KISS and Ace Frehley alien bobbleheads, marijuana and anal references, and such. All in all, our own Haunted MTL’s kinda folks…
And the city is a huge tourist draw internationally, so you can meet some amazing and interesting folks from all walks of life who have caught the alien bug or at least want to check out all the hype. As a result of the tourism, the residents seem really laid back and accommodating (kind of like Hawaii but not quite as much) and there is a thriving art scene. And it’s totally my kind of art – weird and a little creepy. Anyway, I feel like I’ve finally found my peeps and am eager to return someday.
If you’re feeling a bit extraterrestrial, I invite you to also check out some of my alien-themed stories here on Haunted MTL: LTD UFOs among us; my Drive-By short story; and LTD Abducted.
