Sarah Novak
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Sarah Novak is a character from the 2004 supernatural horror film Exorcist: The Beginning. She is portrayed by actress Izabella Scorupco.
Sarah is a doctor working at the archaeological excavation site in the Derati Valley, Kenya. The excavation uncovers an ancient Byzantine church dating back to around 500 AD, beneath which an ancient place of worship connected to the demon Pazuzu is hidden.
Role in the film
Sarah is introduced after Father Lankester Merrin arrives at the archaeological site. She serves as the camp's doctor and is one of the more compassionate and sympathetic members of the expedition.
Sarah is a survivor of a World War II concentration camp and remains deeply traumatized by her experiences there. Her wartime trauma creates a parallel between her and Merrin, who is also haunted by his experiences during the war.
As the excavation continues, increasingly disturbing and supernatural events begin occurring around the site. Workers abandon the excavation, the local tribes become fearful of the church, and several members of the expedition are affected by the evil presence beneath it.
Merrin eventually discovers that the church was built to contain an ancient evil and that a pagan temple dedicated to Pazuzu lies beneath the structure.
Possession
Near the end of the film, it is revealed that Sarah has been possessed by Pazuzu.
While under the demon's influence, Sarah becomes violent and kills Father Francis. Merrin eventually confronts her in the tunnels beneath the church and performs an exorcism in an attempt to free her from Pazuzu's control.
The exorcism succeeds and Pazuzu is expelled from Sarah's body. However, Sarah is left critically injured and dies shortly afterward.
Appearances in Screamers
Sarah Novak became particularly well known in the screamer community because her image has been reused in numerous shock videos, Flash games, and other forms of screamer media.
One of the earliest and most notable examples is The Exorcist: Beginning Movie Promotional Game, an official promotional game released in 2004 to promote Exorcist: The Beginning.
Her image was later reused in several well-known Flash screamers, including:
She has also appeared in other screamers and shock projects, including:
- The Bomb
- Halloween Pictures
- Cat Tries to Revive Girlfriend
- Optical Illusions
- What's Wrong with This Freaking Picture?!
- Spot the differences challenge!
- Ghost caught on tape (AGKandvideomaker2000)
- World's Longest Bus!
Because of her repeated use in screamers, Screamer Wiki has a dedicated category for Sarah Novak, containing pages for screamers that use her image.
Apparitions
Sarah is portrayed by Izabella Scorupco.
The image most commonly associated with Sarah in screamers shows her face in close-up. It is frequently displayed suddenly and accompanied by a loud scream or other startling sound.
Trivia
- Sarah is generally credited simply as Sarah in Exorcist: The Beginning, while Screamer Wiki uses the full name Sarah Novak.
- Sarah is one of the major victims of Pazuzu's influence in the film.
- Her image became widely associated with Flash-era screamers during the 2000s.
- The Exorcist: Beginning Movie Promotional Game was an official promotional game for the film.
- Several screamers featuring Sarah use the same or similar image of her face as their jump scare.
- Sarah Novak has her own category on Screamer Wiki because of the number of screamers in which her image has appeared.
- Her popularity as a screamer image is largely separate from her relatively minor role in the original film.
Links
NOTE: The following link contains a disturbing image!
- qu.ax/DY11w