| |
| Mary Karras | |
| Biographical Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Died | 1975 |
| Affiliation(s) | Damien Karras (son) John (brother) |
| Portrayer(s) | Vasiliki Maliaros |
Mary Karras is a character appearing in The Exorcist and its film adaptation. She was portrayed by Vasiliki Maliaros.
History[]
Mary Karras is the late mother of Father Damien Karras. A Greek immigrant, she lived alone in a dilapidated New York apartment, despite the fact that she was in a fragile state and frail medical condition because she valued her independence. Damien's worried for his mother but was unable to care for her due to distance and financial constraints. Eventually, Mary is admitted to Bellevue Hospital, much to her dismay. and though Damian allows her to be released and sent home, she later dies due to a worsened state from her edema, leaving Damien guilty and grieving. He dreams of her crying out to Damien about her abandonment while Damien is unable to approach. The dream also appears to deliver a vision from the demon Pazuzu. While possessing Regan MacNeil's body, Pazuzu was able to imitate her voice, asking why he abandoned her to disrupt Damien during the exorcism and make him feel guilty, in addition to a vision of her sitting on the bed.
Trivia[]
- In "The Version You've Never Seen" re-release, after Damien surrenders himself to Pazuzu, her face from his dream is briefly superimposed on the window as it blows.
- This is Vasiliki Maliaros only acting role, having no prior experience as an actress and was only discovered by William Friedkin in a Bronx coffee shop.