Morally Offensive
Morally Offensive is a weekly film podcast hosted by ex-Catholics (and one Reform Jewish woman) working their way through movies “Condemned” or considered “Morally Offensive” by the Catholic Legion of Decency, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. This podcast isn’t just for those who grew up going to confession with a healthy dose of Catholic guilt; it’s for anyone interested in the history of US censorship, dirty movies, classic film, and how social upheaval and change often coincide with seismic changes to the media landscape.
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Episodes
Saturday Nov 16, 2024
Saturday Nov 16, 2024
It shouldn't be surprising that an episode about William Friedkin's The Exorcist would be plagued with technical problems (if you believe in that kind of thing) but the episode is finally live! Cisco makes Bill watch a film that he has put off seeing for years, due to a deep-seated fear of the devil and the demonic. Bill gives his first reactions, and the guys get into the post-Exorcist panic over demons (and consequent spike in exorcisms in the US), the increase in the number of Exorcists in the US, and the film's troubled production. Tangents include why Bill has never played Dungeons and Dragons, Hot priests, New Age synth music as gateway to the devil, the actual Pope's Exorcist, and irrational Catholic fears over yoga.
Thursday Oct 31, 2024
Thursday Oct 31, 2024
For the pilot episode, Bill and Cisco discuss their respective Catholic upbringings, discuss censorship and the Hayes Code, and introduce the Legion of Decency and USCCB film ratings systems, before doing a deep dive into Richard Donner's The Omen.