Is this little girl possessed or just mentally ill. Home forums questions and answers was reagan sexually abused by burke dennings. Doubtless, the extreme popularity of the exorcist, both book and movie, is due to its connection to many social. The exorcist theme hd read description pls youtube. Now, over forty years later, it remains a truly chilling story. In his 1974 book william peter blatty on the exorcist from novel to film, he explained, for here at last, in this city, in my time, was tangible evidence of. Before the exorcist, i was a comic novelist which way to mecca, jack. But blattys novel was recognized as an important contribution to the genre long.
Purposefully raw and profane, the exorcist still has the extraordinary ability to disturb readers and cause them to forget that it is just a story. The exorcist is a 1971 horror novel by american writer william peter blatty. If there is a the exorcist sparknotes, shmoop guide, or cliff notes, you can find a link to each study guide below. At last, all of what blatty said on the page, now on the screen. In neither the case exorcist was based on the 1940s possession of a boy given the pseudonym roland doe nor in its leading characters, is catholicism a crucial piece of information. It tells the story of the possession of a young girl named regan macneil. Published here in this beautiful fortieth anniversary edition, it remains an unforgettable reading. A tv reboot of the 1971 novel and its film adaptation debuts this week, but the deeper religious themes of the original story might be lost on. William peter blattys novel is based on the reallife 1949 exorcism of a young boy, known by the pseudonym roland doe. David blackthorn every genre has definitive works that set a standard. But unlike the movie, the book is about much, much more than ouija boards, spinning heads and projectile vomit, blatty said in an article exactly 40 years later. The book details the demonic possession of twelveyearold regan macneil, the daughter of a famous actress, and the jesuit psychiatrist priest who attempts to.
The exorcist is a deeply disturbing novel that has horrified its readers since it was published in 1971. Exorcist author william peter blatty based his 1971 book on a real case of demonic possession that occurred in maryland in the 1940s. The sites critical consensus reads, the exorcist rides its supernatural theme to magical effect, with remarkable special effects and an eerie atmosphere, resulting in. E xorcism is a debatable topic, even among christians. The theme is further underscored by the fact that regans mother, movie star. In 1973, director william friedkin the french connection brought to the screen an adaptation of william peter blattys novel, the exorcist. It was followed by a 1983 sequel, legion, which was later adapted into the exorcist iii. He wrote the novel the exorcist 1971 and the subsequent screenplay version for which he won an academy award. Meanwhile, a young priest at nearby georgetown university begins to doubt his faith while dealing with his mothers terminal sickness. The exorcist rides its supernatural theme to magical effect, with remarkable special effects and an eerie atmosphere, resulting in one of the scariest films of all. Even the epigraphs of the three sections of the novel show a movement from the problem of evil, both supernatural and human, to an affirmation of faith and love by st. Freebooknotes found 4 sites with book summaries or analysis of the exorcist.
The exorcist is one of the very, very few horror films that actively seeks to limits the scope of interpretation of its meaning by persistently shutting down all avenues of ambiguities which could pave the way for open and extended analysis. How does one explain the existence of evil, and can that be reconciled with the existence of a benign god. Some of the highestgrossing films in the years adjacent to the exorcist contained catholic storytelling or themes without being preachy. Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like faith versus reason and guilt and parenthood. Anyone who enjoyed the movie should take the time to read the book which preceded it. For twenty first century horror, the exorcist is one of these definitive works. Burke dennings enjoys tormenting the housekeeper karl simply. The question and answer section for the exorcist 1973 film is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. The story line goes further, has more characters and. Some feel that it is a real, godpowered battle against demons.
Although sprawling in prose, the exorcist is a surprisingly tight novel, with relatively few characters. William peter blatty on why there is good in the exorcist. How the exorcist redefined the horror genre fandom. The exorcist by florencemcc tuesday, october 25, 2016 0 book vs movie adaptation, books, film, horror, movies permalink 0 william peter blattys the exorcist was pretty much an instant bestseller when it came out in 1971, and when the movie version came out just a couple of years later people lined up around the block to go. William peter blatty recently brought a revised and expanded version of his blockbuster horror novel the exorcist back to stores in celebration of the 40th anniversary since his spectacularly. Paying tribute, another author described the exorcist as the great horror novel of our time. This is the same name as chris macneils swiss, male housekeeper in the original exorcist novel and film. The book details the demonic possession of elevenyearold regan macneil, the. Newly polished and added to by it author and published here in this beautiful fortieth anniversary edition. While the show tells a different story, its primary protagonists are, as in the book and movie, two troubled priests who agree to fight a possessing demon at the request of the victims mother played by. The classic horror novel the exorcist inspired an even creepier movie, but author mark danielewski says after he saw the film, it changed the book in his mind forever. Yet the most important part of the novel was left out of the film. The exorcist stays remarkably true to the feel of the bestselling 1971 novel of the same name and the classic 1973 movie based on the book.
For an author that started out writing comedy and working with director blake edwards, its somewhat of a surprise that his 1971 novel, based on a true story about the. Blattys reoccurring themes in his faith trilogy exorcist, ninth configuration and legion are slightly obscured in the theatrical releases, you can still suss out that the author actually champions faith in humanity and in a higher power represented by the conquering of evil. And, book ending the story, a frail, elderly priest recognizes the. The exorcist takes christianity seriously wesley j. Exorcist was just a novel written by william peter blatty before william fredkin directed and made it one of the horror movie classics in the cinema industry. The death of william peter blatty in january of this year was met with a flurry of tributes, none of which failed to acknowledge his most famous work, the exorcist. This study guide consists of approximately 17 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the exorcist. Certainly, there are gothic conventions in the exorcist, including the monstrous body of regan once she is possessed, the ancient and hidden nature of the menace, and the battle within an isolated place refreshingly, a childs bedroom in washington, dc, instead of a crumbling castle.
Bestselling author, filmmaker, and oscar winner william peter blatty, whos best known for writing the novel the exorcist, passed away this january at the age of 89. William peter blatty, author of the novel the exorcist and a producer of. The exorcist theme i will upload more horror movie themes soon. The central and overt themes in the exorcist are metaphysical. There was the sentimental and optimistic representation of nuns in the sound of music, sir thomas mores. The exorcist is a 1971 novel in the horror genre by william peter blatty.
The exorcist and the lost art of great catholic storytelling the. The exorcist was, and is, more than just a novel and a film. Based on a reported case of demoniac possession in the washington, d. The the exorcist 1973 film community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. William peter blatty on why there is good in the exorcist america. This topic contains 16 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by granville1 6 years, 10 months ago.
But blatty and friedkin both came from families with. Cobb, jason miller, linda blair as a 12yearold girl named regan plagued by pazuzu the. The exorcist is a novel of the horror fiction genre by author william peter blatty and deals with themes of demonic possession. William peter blatty in 1971 wrote the exorcist, a deeply unsettling theological thriller that later became an extremely lucrative and controversial hollywood blockbuster. William peter blatty was an american writer and filmmaker. Dive deep into william peter blattys the exorcist with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion. Born and raised in new york city, blatty received his bachelors degree in english from the georgetown university in 1950, and his masters degree in english literature from the george washington. The the exorcist 1973 film community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography. Roland doe came from a lutheran family, and in blattys book, regan and her family are agnostic at best.