Monday 28 April 2014

The Sow is Mine: The Exorcist and Mind War


The Sow is Mine: The Exorcist and Mind War from Spike EP on Vimeo.

"Marketing researcher and psychologist James Vicary tested subliminal ads in a New Jersey movie theatre. "Hungry? Eat Popcorn" and "Drink Coca-Cola" were flashed on the screen at 1/3000 of a second every five seconds during the movie. Sales increased for popcorn and Coca-Cola. On December 8, 1972, The New York Times reported that In-Flight Motion Pictures, Inc. would begin selling subliminal commercials embedded in the movies they would distribute to all the major airlines. Stores across thecountry are reducing theft an average 30 to 50 percent by broadcasting subliminal messages such as "I will not steal." Stimutech, Inc. of East Lansing, Michigan markets a computer video system that flashes subliminal messages on your television while you watch the regular programming. The subliminal messages are prepared by a team of psychologists to change the thinking patterns and behavior of the viewer.


Pazuzu, Ancient Summarian God of the East Wind
Bringer of Locusts
Lord of the Flies

Using what was called the Precon Process, the picture of a skull and the word BLOOD were flashed subliminally on the screen in the movie My World Dies Screaming. Some words and images trigger strong emotional responses in people. Laboratory experiments show that people will react to words like BLOOD and to pictures of skulls with quickened pulse, faster breaming, sweating palms and other indications of heightened emotions.



The Exorcist used both subliminal sounds and pictures. A number of times during the movie, the face of Father Karras became a two-frame, full-screen death mask. Twenty-four frames of motion picture film are projected per second. The death mask flashed on the screen at 1/48 of a second. The consciously unnoticed word PIG appears many time throughout the movie. The terrified squealing of pigs being slaughtered was mixed subtly into the sound track. The buzzing sound of angry, agitated bees wove in and out of scenes throughout the film. People really did faint in large numbers, many more became nauseous in varying degrees, a great many more had disturbing nightmares. 



It is interesting to note that William Peter Blatty, the author of the novel and producer of the movie, is a former CIA operative who served as the policy-branch chief of the Psychological Warfare Division of the U.S. Air Force. According to previously classified documents, the CIA tested subliminal manipulation in movie theatres during the late 1950s."

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