Which exorcism scenes in films and series resemble actual practice, and which are only fiction?

They can serve as references, but films and actual practice must be distinguished. Some details are close; others are only plot. Sheng Zhen Men's Fu Mo practitioners watch such films and series to make abstract matters such as the unseen world and energy easier to imagine through stories, and discuss what seems accurate or fictional. Films have invented scripts, yet include realistic elements to avoid feeling wholly false, making distinctions difficult for audiences. They considered The Pope's Exorcist relatively realistic in its principles apart from some effects, while some horror writers may not truly understand religion.

The closest element is the practitioner's own faith and confidence. Master Shengyuan saw a foreign film where a frightened priest's cross did not work and the ghost did not fear it, but became effective when his faith was firm. This matched their experience that insufficient confidence prevents energy from manifesting. Dao Shun watched The Pope's Exorcist twice and noticed the young priest had considered leaving because of romance but ultimately said he loved God more than the woman. Dao Shun understood his firm faith as the reason for his eventual strength and resistance to illusions built from past mistakes. Master Shengyuan summarized that success depends on a strong connection with one's deity. In another film, a medium lacked confidence before an exorcism, prompting the view that an exorcist or Fu Mo practitioner without firm confidence might lose to a demon. Fellow practitioner Miao Li also said Master often reminds them that demons attack the weakest point.

The Pope's Exorcist also included a priest saying ninety-eight percent of his cases involved psychiatric or psychological illness and were referred to psychiatrists or counselors, while only two percent exceeded ordinary human understanding and involved actual demons. These were a fictional character's figures. Master Shengyuan said this connected with their recurring statement that inner demons can attract external ones.

Films show affected people twisting their bodies, crawling, and becoming very strong. Master Shengyuan said he had seen such behaviors in actual cases: a woman moving like a snake on the floor in his early years, people attempting to bite without actually biting anyone, kicking and striking with unusual strength, blowing out candles, spitting, and swearing. But it was not as exaggerated as film. People did not become zombies or bite off whole chunks of flesh.

In one Fu Mo case, a person who had been vomiting miserably a minute earlier laughed during the ritual and themselves felt the laughter was not their own. The practitioners interpreted it as an unseen being laughing, usually expressing contempt: you are ineffective, cannot handle me, are weak, and do not frighten me. This was the interpretation in that case, not a claim that all laughter comes from unseen beings.

Film rituals are not all invented either. They saw a Japanese film's exorcism reportedly performed according to authentic Japanese rites by genuine clergy. Master Shengyuan understood religious rituals as having an ongoing function: strengthening the practitioner's focused intention and working with the energetic field through which cosmic energy operates. Sensitive viewers might feel as though some energy is actually present.

On the other hand, films use many dramatic devices. Master Shengyuan called being cut in half or having an entire arm torn off cinematic technique. His understanding was that ghosts, negative energy, or demons generally do not cause bodies to split or arms to detach without a physical cause. They usually first affect a person and their consciousness, after which reckless driving and an accident might follow. There is a cause. He also acknowledged their experience cannot represent everything. His view was that in real exorcism, demons enter through human negativity; without that negativity, one can remain unmoved and need not fear.

Series also often make exorcism look simple. In one Korean drama, a fork bearing a name was stabbed into the heart to send a being away directly. Program participants said actual work often takes a long time and sometimes divine assistance. They also said that show's practitioners lacked a divine source of strength and therefore depleted their own energy. The same series claimed a particular ghost could only be delivered by killing its possessed host. Master Shengyuan regarded that as a plot device, not reality.

Protective boundaries also differ in fiction. In The Uncanny Counter 2, the boundary strengthened evil spirits too. Guest Ming Fen considered this a dramatic arrangement that did not fit reality: logically, a boundary favorable to positive energy should not empower negative energy. Master Shengyuan nevertheless said he believed boundaries exist, both naturally occurring and human-created, such as through rituals and drawing close to an altar.

So after watching a film, do not too readily assume religion really performs exorcism that way. A friend once asked me religious questions based on movie scenes. I explained that a movie depicting something that way does not mean actual events necessarily work like that.