The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

As a kid I stumbled upon the movie The Exorcist and watched in horror as a young girl (Regan) hit herself with a crucifix in her privates (I had no idea what masturbation was at that time) while saying something that was beeped out to her mother, then hit her mother, and then turned her head backward to look at her. Within a minute I turned off the TV, horrified, my young mind not ready for such things. Years later I saw the scene again, this time with a better understanding of what I was watching, yet still horrified beyond belief, my determination to view the entire movie the only thing keeping the channel number in place on the screen. The next time (and the last time) I saw the movie was about ten years ago as a high school student when the film was re-mastered and released in theaters. I was a dedicated horror fan by this point, yet still cringed at the idea of watching this movie, not because of the movie itself, but because supernatural themes, especially those related to possession by demons, have always freaked me out. It was around this time that I also learned that the movie was based off a successful book by William Peter Blatty, one which I decided I needed to read. It took ten years before I finally purchased a copy of the novel and even then I still hesitated once I had it, my mind not needing to see the words on the page to be startled by this tale, my seemingly haunted second floor apartment in an old house overlooking a graveyard adding to the apprehension. Attempts at overcoming the fear failed that night and I ended up starting the novel the next day, my apartment filled with a much needed sunlight from the large window overlooking my couch.

The plot of The Exorcist has become so well known in America and around the world that I doubt it is even necessary for me to give an overview of it, but I will because I’m sure there are still some who truly have no idea what it is about. Hell, there may even be horror fans who fall into this category, especially newer ones who weren’t even swimming up the fallopian tubes yet when the movie first came out, ones who now see a dozen titles with the word exorcist in it on the video store shelf thanks to the craze that began after the re-release of this amazing movie; or worse yet, young horror fans who are waiting for a remake to view it, their minds mistakenly thinking newer means better. So, what is The Exorcist about? Simply put it is the story of a 12 year old girl named Regan who slowly becomes possessed by a demon named Pazuzu, and the struggle her mother faces in trying to save her daughter, first with the help of doctors who try to identify this strange illness, and then, when that fails and things continue to get worse, from a Jesuit priest who reluctantly excepts the idea that possession is to blame and an exorcism is needed. Going further the novel is about the lives of all those involved, be it the priests who try to help Regan and her mother, the staff that works for Regan’s mother, and the detective who tries to solve the mystery surrounding the movie director who may have fallen (been pushed?) from Regan’s window; Regan’s possession forcing all of them to reexamine their understanding of the world they live in, if, that is, they survive.

One question I am always asked by people who are interested in reading a book that a movie was based upon (sadly an interest that seems uncommon lately in the people I am surrounded by) is whether or not the movie follows the written story. Most of the time my answer is no, but with this book the answer is yes. In fact, of all the books I have ever read that were turned into movies this was one of the closest in terms of matching up, so close that even though it has been ten years since I have seen the movie I could still almost view the movie in my head while reading the book, and always had a pretty good idea what was going to happen next as the scenes unfolded. For some this would be reason enough to skip the book, but I strongly discourage this because even though the two match up really well there is still so much in the book that just couldn’t be put into the movie, interesting stuff about ancient demons, Satanism, exorcisms, the Catholic church, and psychology as seen through the eyes of professionals in the seventies. Also, the characters within the book are fleshed out more, especially the detective investigating the death of the director who went down the stairs after falling from Regan’s window -- his character was actually one of my favorites and I’m glad to know there is a sequel that focuses on him called Legion which I will read soon -- and the housekeepers employed by Regan’s mother. Readers also learn more about Merrin, the priest who performs the exorcism, and his past battles with the demon Pazuzu, and his strained relationship with the church and humanity in general. Because of all this, and because of how well written it is, I highly recommend this novel. I also now can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of his writings, much of which I never even knew existed until doing a search today.