The Global Fandom for the FOX Television show The Exorcist launched their latest campaign “Fear the Feathers” on Friday, December 30, 2016, in an effort to plead with the network to renew the show for a second season.
The 10-episode series has recently ended its Season One run with no news of a renewal from the FOX network. Passionate fans of the show, who have named their cohesive group the “Exorcist Congregation,” have been very vocal on social media throughout the season by hosting Twitter events to coincide with the airings on Friday nights. These “twitter possessions” have brought in many new fans and had their hashtags #TheExorcist and #RenewTheExorcist trend worldwide on several occasions. In addition, in December, the “Congregation” released a fan-created YouTube video with fan testimonials from fans in not only the US, but the UK, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Ukraine, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and France.
This latest campaign will involve fans worldwide sending actual feathers to FOX Television headquarters in Los Angeles next week. Feathers, and in particular red ones, are symbolic of the show’s demon, Pazuzu, characterized as a red bird by young Regan MacNeil (Geena Davis). A red feather is found in Regan’s bible in Chapter Five of The Exorcist—a palpable reminder of her possession as a child.
“We are all hoping that Fox sees the potential of this show and looks beyond its somewhat low ratings in its first season. This is a definite niche drama that is so well put together by the cast and crew. It is unlike anything currently on television. The casting is spot on, with a compelling and fresh storyline while respecting the original. Combine that with an incredible score and photography and it’s a home run in our books that deserves another go,” says Tim Childress, a Congregation supporter.
“They need to listen to their fans. Really listen—to their Twitter campaigns, blog posts, reviews, and their rallying cries to be given a chance to see their favorite difficult, frightening, powerful stories told. Fans of FOX’s The Exorcist have been clamoring on Twitter for weeks now to get their voices heard, using the hashtag #RenewTheExorcist to save our beloved new show from the chopping block. I’ve met some awesome people after getting involved in the fandom on Twitter. Passionate, enthusiastic, creative fans who just can’t bear to part with another brilliant horror series,” writes Jessie Thomas, another Congregation member, in a blog post.
The fans hope that sending red feathers to FOX will be a harmless yet powerful statement of their loyalty and dedication to the show. The “Fear the Feathers” campaign will be launched Friday across all social media platforms.
To learn more about the “Save The Exorcist” campaign, visit the “Fear the Feathers” page and the campaign’s official Tumblr.
