“Take Me! You Take Me Instead!”
This has been done so many times that when I hear it I throw up my hands in frustration. In most situations, the exorcism is being done by a “professional” who is doing everything they can to get this hellspawn out of [INSERT VICTIMIZED CHARACTER HERE]. So why not trust them until they say, “There’s nothing more I can do.” THAT would be the point to make that ultimate sacrifice!
That’s why it was so effective in The Exorcist! Father Karras, whose faith was already on shaky ground, lost the man who he thought was going to save Regan when she killed Father Merrin. Left with no other choice, that’s when he snapped and plead with Pazuzu to take over his body. The act had meaning because it was a true sacrifice. And that’s what’s missing from nearly every similar scene since.
