"Hereditary" is one of the coolest horror movies about a demon  Spoilers

"Hereditary" is one of the most outstanding horror films. It's because, for most of the movie, it makes you feel that the horror is right at home:

The father is often absent, the mother is cold and divided. She appears to be a good mother, but she covers her children in flammable liquid while sleepwalking.

The family of four, parents and siblings, appears to be a united front, but there are subtle distances between them. It's about conformity, detachment, mania, indifference, and mutual probing.

Moreover, behind this family, there is a grandmother who is never seen but ever-present. She's a figure of love and hate for her daughter and a gateway to the demonic.

Sacrificing the body of her grandson to the demon king known as Paimon, who has been lurking in the shadows for years, the film culminates with the demon taking over this body and the family.

This family, or what's left of it, truly falls apart.

The first half of the movie makes you think it's a family horror film, but in the last half hour, the tone shifts. In reality, it's a demon film akin to "The Exorcist" or "Rosemary's Baby."

The family is deeply ensnared in a demonic plot with no way out, which is both sigh-inducing and piques one's curiosity about demons.

01: Demon Paimon and Solomon's 72 Demon Spirits

Legend has it that Solomon, the great and wise king of the ancient Jewish kingdom in the Bible, was not only known for his extraordinary wisdom and achievements in governing his kingdom but also for being an adept demon summoner.

He wrote down the spells he used to summon demons, calling it the "Key of Solomon." He then used these spells to summon 72 powerful demons to make pacts and serve him.

However, the Babylonians later invaded and accidentally broke the bottles containing the sealed demons, setting the 72 demon spirits free into the world.

These 72 demons, also known as the "72 Spirits of Solomon," are quite famous. The list includes Baal, the "King of the Flies," Agares, a three-headed demon, Vassago, who can see the past and future, and Samigina, a demon with a horse's body.

In "Hereditary," we encounter the demon Paimon, who is ranked ninth among the 72 demon spirits. Paimon is depicted as having a male body with a female face.

In 1825, a French occultist described various demon figures in a work called "Dictionnaire Infernal."

Among them was Paimon, depicted wearing a crown adorned with gems and riding a single-humped camel, wandering through the vast world.

In fact, Paimon is a demon associated with inspiring artistic creativity and is highly knowledgeable in fields such as science, art, and the occult, with the ability to impart this knowledge to humans in an instant.

In "Hereditary," you can see that the family who worships Paimon has a high level of artistic cultivation. Elements like the grandmother's woven carpet, the mother's dollhouse exhibits, and the daughter's paintings all serve as subtle hints.

Paimon's name comes from an ancient Mesopotamian language dating back over two thousand years. It means the sound of "drip" or "ding-dong," much like the tongue-clicking sound continuously made by the young girl in the movie.

However, in ancient times, Paimon was also a deity in ancient Mesopotamian mythology of the Middle East.

Among the 72 demons, Paimon may not be the most famous, with the top spot often going to Baal.

In the film "The Rite," starring Anthony Hopkins as an exorcist, the demon possessing a person is none other than the renowned Baal.

Baal is a legendary figure, said to be the king of hell and the leader of the 66 legions of demons. According to tradition, he has an ugly appearance, a hoarse voice, and often appears as a cat, frog, human form, or a combination of these.

In Jewish tradition, Baal is described as the Lord of the Flies, who brings diseases and calamities, and his name later transformed into the demon Beelzebub.

However, his image is rooted in the Phoenician god of fertility from around 1300 BC. He was known as "Prince Baal" and was a deity that presided over the sun, thunderstorms, and bountiful harvests.

In the Bible, he became the king of hell and a major demon capable of rivaling Satan himself.

This illustrates that many of the 72 demons have original prototypes, and the transformation of pagan deities into demons often involves significant writings in the Bible.

Apart from Baal, the movie "The Rite" also features the demon Samigina, ranked fourth among the 72 demons. Samigina is knowledgeable in necromancy and summoning spirits. When a conjurer wishes for him to appear in human form, he can also take on that form.

In the movie "The Conjuring 2," the terrifying nun character, which left many frightened, is inspired by the demon Valac, who is ranked 62nd among the 72 demons.

The character Amon, who combines with the protagonist in Go Nagai's "Devilman," is based on the 7th ranked demon Amon from the 72 demon list.

It can be said that most of the demon forms that appear in horror movies can be traced back to the 72 demons of Solomon.

However, even though it's called the "72 demons of Solomon," this demon system has no connection to King Solomon himself. It originated from a 17th-century work of demonology known as "The Lesser Key of Solomon" (Lemegeton). This book was created by enthusiasts of folk mysticism who were studying astrology, alchemy, and Kabbalah at the time, and they attributed the system to King Solomon's name, although it has no actual historical connection to him.

02: From a theological perspective, demons and exorcism

In January 1566, a 16-year-old girl named Nicole was brought to the Cathedral of Léon in France.

"Evil spirit, the enemy of God, look up to this sacred cross, in the name of the Lord and our Lord Jesus Christ, I command you to leave this poor girl's body, never to return."

With holy water, a cross, and the holy Eucharist, exorcist priests recited prayers to perform an exorcism for the girl.

Prior to this, the girl had exhibited strange behavior, severe convulsions for several weeks, and spoke in an incomprehensible language.

This was a famous exorcism recorded by the official Church, and it was witnessed by over ten thousand people. The main character of this exorcism was Beelzebub, the chief of the 72 demons and also known as Baal.

In 1949, a story about a 14-year-old boy possessed by an exorcist priest made headlines in The Washington Post.

The young boy was named John Hoffman, and he displayed symptoms resembling possession after the death of his aunt. As a result, the local bishop was called in, and a month-long exorcism battle ensued.

The Washington Post provided detailed coverage of the exorcism process, sparking widespread interest and discussion about the event.

At the time, the renowned author William Peter Blatty, who was still in college, used this incident as the basis for writing a great novel with an exorcism theme. This novel later became the basis for the highly successful and groundbreaking film "The Exorcist," one of the most successful horror films of the 1970s, if not of all time.

It was during this time that a modern concept of exorcism began to take root in people's minds.

In the Bible, there are detailed accounts of Jesus Christ performing multiple exorcisms and healings during His more than 30 years on Earth.

For instance, in the opening of Mark 5, it is mentioned that Jesus, while traveling through the region of Galilee, encountered a man possessed by demons. After learning the demon's name, Jesus allowed the demon, known as “Legion” to possess a nearby herd of pigs, thus delivering the people from their torment. Later on, Jesus authorized His disciples to perform exorcisms as well.

In Christian beliefs, the spiritual realm is considered a real existence; there is God and there are also demons. Human beings, created with free will by God, have strayed from the path of God and fallen into the sin through Satan’s temptations. At such times, Christians are entrusted with the responsibility of being exorcists, healing individuals, and guiding them back onto the right path.[jz1]

For over 500 years, the Vatican and the Catholic Church have been performing thousands of exorcism rituals each year to battle for those whose bodies and souls have been occupied by malevolent forces. Exorcism has evolved from being primarily a religious ritual in the past to becoming increasingly professional. In 2006, the Vatican even organized an exorcism training course.

This transformation in the practice of exorcism served as inspiration for the screenplay of the movie "The Devil Inside."

Even though the scientific community often scoffs at exorcism rituals and has its reservations, the Vatican continues to acknowledge and maintain them quietly. Pope Francis has also stated during Mass: “This generation, and many others, have been led to believe that the devil is just a myth, a figure of speech, an idea, the idea of evil. But the devil exists, and we must fight against him.”

03: From a psychological perspective on demons

In “The Ritual”, as a theology student with his first exposure to exorcism classes, the male protagonist initially believes that the girl's bizarre actions and screams in front of the cross are indicative of a poor patient. Indeed, the behaviors and actions of those who are possessed often bear similarities to psychological perspectives such as multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia, or hysteria.

As shown in “The Devil Inside”, the possessed woman's case can be diagnosed by a psychoanalyst as having seven distinct personalities. Some psychoanalysts have even attempted therapy from the perspective of demonic possession.

In a documentary series by the Discovery Channel, there is a case mentioned where a doctor named Sanderson, after hypnotizing a patient with multiple personalities, awakened another personality that was believed to be a spirit. Through psychological treatment, Sanderson eventually expelled this spirit from the patient's body, and the patient's symptoms improved.

In fact, many exorcists within churches today encourage individuals to first seek the advice of a psychiatrist. They intervene only when medical professionals cannot provide a solution.

In summary, the concept of demons in Western culture is closely tied to Christian beliefs. Many of the demons in the 72 Goetia system, like Baal and Paimon, often have their cultural origins in other religions and gods. The process of transitioning from gods to demons has been associated with the dominance of Christianity in Western civilization.

As for whether demons truly exist, whether it's possible to summon or awaken them, and whether exorcism is effective, I believe that each person may have their own answers to these questions.