Regan MacNeil is a young girl who is living with her famous actress mother, Chris, when Regan becomes inexplicably ill and she becomes the target of poltergeist activity. As time goes on, Regan becomes fully demonically possessed and in desperation her mother takes her to a Catholic priest who deals with psychiatric issues. Father Damien Karras has recently lost his mother and starts out not truly believing that Regan is actually demonically possessed.
Suffering from a crisis of faith, it only takes a couple of visits with young Regan for Father Karras to begin to suspect possible possession. In trying to get the Catholic Church to perform an exorcism of Regan, Karras turns to a local bishop who initially refuses the exorcism unless Father Karras can contact Father Lankester Merrin to be primary exorcist of Regan.
The doubt-ridden Father Karras contacts Father Merrin, currently on an archaeological dig in Iraq but who has begun to feel that in time, he will face an immense spiritual battle. Father Merrin returns to the United States and both priests prepare themselves physically, mentally and spiritually for the upcoming battle with something that will drain them almost to the point of death. I really enjoyed reading this book again and give it an A+!
Easily one of the most controversial books of the 20th century, William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist is a slow burning rumination on faith that explores the crossroads between psychology and religion in a way that's as thought-provoking as it is sacrilegious as it is spiritually chilling.
Despite seeing the film many times over the years, I still felt like I needed to go to confession immediately upon completing this book. Blatty's language throughout is boldly deliberate in its blunt blasphemy and insightful examination of the psychological and spiritual desperation of these imperfect, wholly relatable characters, bringing their struggles to life with dire urgency and lasting consequence. The prose and narrative throughout is daring and propulsive, but the dialogue is downright flawless; whether through the deeply theological or the shockingly profane, Blatty fills these pages with dialogue that's richly authentic to each character, leaving a truly lasting mark upon the reader.
And above all else, Blatty's work is a masterclass in atmosphere, putting these characters and the reader together in room after room that's dripping with doubt, dread, and the weight of our wavering faith. I shivered, I cringed, I cursed, I gagged, and I blessed myself... time and time again. The Exorcist is a thematically groundbreaking, utterly haunting piece of literary horror that will shake the very foundation of your beliefs.
this was a book i was given by my dad. i watched the movie in high school, and so i thought i would watch this movie. i almost stopped reading 20 pages in, because i thought the writing style was horrible. i checked out reviews to see what others said, and since they all raved about it, i decided to give it more of a chance. by 25 pages in i was hooked! the movie is very true to the book, although the book is more graphic in detail. i definitely enjoyed it.
How do you describe a book which movie one has seen for more than 10 times during the past 15 years ? It is difficult to see the book as the inspiration for a great horror movie because they are so different from each other. While the movie focuses mainly on Regan's possession the book rather keeps everything a bit like a mystery. Like for example who killed the director Burke Dennings and the police detective Kinderman's investigations into his mysterious death.
However, I can imagine why a lot of people thought this book is so frightening. In some parts it becomes very clear in how Regan's behavior emerges to the surface and impacts her surroundings. For me however, it wasn't frightening at all. I believe you've got to be religious to become frightened.
The movie clearly has an advantage to let the viewer know how Regan's head turned or how her famous spider crawling looked like. But even if there would not have been a movie the book couldn't keep up with my expectations caused by the hype.
I waited eight years to read this book because the movie scared me so bad. I was not disappointed, as it was very interesting and kept my attention well. However, it did not scare me. I think what makes the idea of demon possession so frightening is actually seeing it rather than just imagining. If I had not seen the movie prior to reading the book, it would have been difficult for me to imagine a lot of Regan's physical actions during her possession. The book is not hard to understand in that it uses "big words" but the dialog switches rapidly (blink and you'll be lost). I wasn't fond of the dialog between Kinderman and Karras, as it took a while to get to the point. Kinderman seemed to ramble a bit too much and came off a bit too insecure for a 'cop,' imo. It also describes extremely graphic sexual content, satanic rituals and is best kept away from even older teens (imo). Overall, I enjoyed reading it and recommend it for those who are morbidly curious like me. ;)
I read this a very long time ago; I'd never pick it up today. Do with that as you will.
The scariest book on the occult, EVER! A good read if you like horror & the occult.
Horror doesn't get any better than this. A classic!
Loved it more than the movie!
Not my type of book, but my mom loved it...
Much better than the movie!!
