The Exorcist

Blatty’s classic novel is recommendable as much for its cultural impact, which is of course inextricably bound up with its legendary film adaptation, as for its own content. With the story of young Regan, a 12-year-old girl in the modern technological world who becomes possessed by an ancient demon, Blatty, a committed Roman Catholic, deliberately set out to communicate a vivid sense of supernatural evil to a modern, skeptical, jaded audience. Many people don’t realize that The Exorcist is actually a Christian novel. As Blatty himself later put it, if he could get people to believe, even fictionally/emotionally, in demons,… show more.

Speaking as a traditional, Latin-speaking Catholic, The Exorcist is more than a horror novel, but a classic tale of good versus evil and how a fallen man of God achieves redemption and his faith through courage and sacrifice. Author Blatty perfectly balances all horror with theological themes, which inspires all of my horror stories.

The most chilling part about this book is the way Blatty described the possession in such a descriptive way, it set the tone when you read each chapter. It was almost like a movie while reading. This book was chilling because Blatty did not spare any gory or horrific detail when describing the possession of an 11-year-old girl. The iconic 360 head spin was one of the creepiest things to imagine, but I could vividly see every sentence in my mind. The Exorcist is the only book that I will never read at night.

As monumentally terrifying as the film version is, the novel has some moments which easily rival the creepiness and revulsion of its cinematic counterpart. Actually, since reading a book requires extracting the image from the thought (whereas the film does the opposite), this makes The Exorcist novel just about as disturbing of an experience as can be had from reading.  

Would we even be discussing this topic if not for William Peter Blatty’s classic novel of demonic possession? This book, inspired by the real exorcism of a Maryland boy in 1949, terrified readers when it was published in 1971. It depicts a young girl in Georgetown who may or may not be possessed. The troubled mother eventually enlists the help of a priest, and the ultimate battle of good and evil ensues. Blatty went on to write the screenplay for the equally traumatizing film and won an Academy Award for his efforts. What makes this book essential reading for preparing… show more.

Did you know that William Peter Blatty called The Exorcist “an apostolic work” and “an argument for God”? Far more than just titillating, gruesome imagery, The Exorcist is about the battle for a young girl’s soul and the souls of those around her. It underscores the limits of modern psychology in addressing truly spiritual problems and forces the reader to consider the limits of rational science, challenging even a man of faith to look beyond his worldly blinders. The only reason it does not rank as #1 is that I think Blatty could have pushed his “argument” just one step… show more.

I highly recommend this novel, because it has this perfect balance between religion and science through the eyes of the protagonist. A testimony to how great the book is, it has been imitated multiple times in movies, television, and parodies. I truly enjoyed following the protagonist trying to figure out scientific answers to supernatural questions. The book tends to make you ask questions about demonic possession juxtaposed to mental health.

The Devil has always been a great character in fiction. Often, he appears in a comic or outlandish guise. Blatty’s novel treats him more seriously. A devout Christian, he originally wanted to tell a true story of demonic possession that would persuade sceptical readers of the existence of God; he eventually resorted to fiction but retained his evangelical purpose. (Here he echoed the demonologists of the late 1600s who defended the belief in witchcraft as a rampart against atheism.) Blatty’s Devil is darkly cunning: he exploits human weakness to undermine faith in anything worthwhile in life, and he conceals his… show more.

Going with the theme of famous books-turned-movies, Blatty’s words hauntingly highlight the tale of an unwitting little girl thrown in the battleground of good vs. evil. One of my favorite aspects is that this novel flies in the face of the readers’ individual faiths, being downright unapologetic about it at times. “You don’t believe in the devil? Well, what happens when the devil shows up at your doorstep?” To this day, there is an unsettling dream sequence in the book involving Father Karras that keeps me awake at night and literally forces me to turn the lights on. Make no… show more.