The terrifying true story behind The Exorcist is stranger than fiction.

In this episode of Cinemental, we dig into the real-life case that inspired William Friedkin’s horror classic — a chilling tale of a young boy’s alleged possession in the late 1940s, the priests who tried to save him, and the medical mysteries that remain unsolved to this day.

We also take a hard look at the medical world, asking why doctors often guess instead of admitting they don’t know — and how that uncertainty blurs the line between science and the supernatural. Finally, we count down our Top 5 Horror Tropes That Need to Die, from the jump scares we saw coming to the clichés that keep haunting the genre.

🎬 In this episode:

The real exorcism case that started it all

How The Exorcist blurred horror and reality

Why doctors sometimes fake certainty — and the risks that come with it

Our Top 5 Horror Tropes That Have to Go

Why horror works best when it surprises us

Whether you’re a horror purist, a skeptic, or just love a good cultural deep dive, this episode will make you see The Exorcist — and the medical world — in a whole new light.

Cinemental is a podcast where we discuss mental health in cinema and how its portrayed.

https://linktr.ee/cinemental

Follow Filmmaker Jeffrey Jones on Instagram @hugemanmissing

Follow Dr. Joshua Jones on BlueSky @usapsychiatrist

You can also email us at [email protected]

#TheExorcist #TrueStory #HorrorPodcast #Possession #Exorcism #HorrorMovies #CinementalPodcast #MedicalMystery #FilmAnalysis #HorrorTropes

01:53 - The true story

06:18 - Would modern medicine and care cure faster than it did in 1950?

07:48 - Did doctors believe babies didn't feel pain in the past?

09:19 - Do doctors guess when they don't know the answer?

11:30 - Calling out Texas Gov for comment about the floods

14:00 - To hold each other accountable, Democrats will eat their own

16:02 - Faith in Religion vs Trust Science

20:47 - TOP 5 overdone Horror Troupes

25:01 - Jeff always roots for the killer in Horror