The Exorcist

Rating:
Summary: IF YOU NEVER READ ANOTHER BOOK AGAIN, THIS IS THE ONE!
Review: William Peter Blatty, who had just finished writing comic screenplays for a living, wrote this horror classic in a cabin near Lake Tahoe. It is about Chris MacNeil, big actress and loving mother, and her daughter, Regan MacNeil. Then Regan begins showing signs of what, at first, the doctors think is a lesion on the brain, then they think that, after that fails, a psychiatrist will help. Nay, nay, nay. Nothing works until some one suggests, maybe if it is psychological, that an exorcism might "drive out" the "demon" in Regan psychologically. At first Chris is skeptical, then, after even stranger things begin to happen (stuff that can't be mentioned in this review) she realizes that she has to have an exorcism done on her daughter, for maybe it really isn't psychological. The final confrontation is horrorifying and skocking, but the climax is abolutely stunning. It will leave you TOTALLY breathless and quivering. When reading this book (which should, regardless of its 385 pages, take one sitting) I suggest cigarettes, lots of hot coffee, long fingernails, doors locked, lights on and a crucifix hanging around the neck, and maybe a bible nearby. An exceptional horror novel! Highly reccomended

Rating:
Summary: A Frightening, excellent piece of work!
Review: I have not seen the movie "The Exorcist" yet, but I enjoyed the book and hope the movie is just as good. I liked reading about how she was possesed by the devil because I have never read anything like it before. Everyone says the movie was excellent, so I'll have to see it soon. It was based on a true story, too which was interesting

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, highly recommended
Review: A powerful vision of what is God, the devil, and how do we as a people veiw such things as possession. Loved the characters. Pick up this book, it will change your perspections. for good.

Rating:
Summary: Terrifying
Review: The Exorcist

The Exorcist, by William Peter Batty, is a chilling experience which brings you closer into the
constant battle between good and evil. It focuses on the story of a young girl, Regan MacNiel,
who becomes possessed by the Arab demon of sickness, Pazuzu. It all starts when Regan begins
exhibiting strange behavior, such as cursing, laziness, and aggression. Things become worse as
time goes by. Regan develops monster like facial features and speaks in completely different
voices, almost as if she were a another person. Regan s mother, Chris, seeks help, but no doctor
can give any explanation. Meanwhile, Father Damien Karras begins questioning his own faith after
having his mother die. The exorcist tells the terrifying story of the struggle of good and evil and
the how Father Karras and Father Merrin fight to save the soul of this poor little girl. I would
suggest this books to fans of horror and suspense novels. On the other hand, would warn those
who have a weak stomach. "He hastened toward Mosul and his train, his heart encased in the icy conviction that soon he would face an ancient enemy."


Peter Blatty, William. The Exorcist. New York, NY: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc., 1971.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Horror book I have ever read.
Review: I thought that The Exorcist was an great novel, that never failed to keep me on the edge of my seat. The creativity that Blatty uses to depict the terrifying phenomenom that young Regan is undergoing is extrodinary. I read the book twice just so I could pick up some of the details that i missed the first time through. The characters are also well created, Regan the young girl that is slowly turning into a monster, Father Karras a young man who's concious is tainted with the death of his mother, and Father Merrin a old man who is fighting a life long enemy.The Demon that has possesed Regan, Pazuzu. I thought this was a very well put together story that is a must read.

Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable!!
Review: I have to admit, this book didn't scare me as much as Hell House (Matheson) or Ghosts (Hynd), but I loved it nonetheless. By far, the most enjoyable parts, if it's even possible to use that word, was the conversations between the demon and Father Karras. I loved the way the demon tried to mess with his mind. And the ending that involved Karras was brilliant. All in all, a very very good horror novel.

Rating:
Summary: "What an excellent day for an exorcism!"
Review: "The Exorcist" is a masterpiece that combines horror, religion, inexplicable phenomenon and most of all, the puzzling question and struggle of faith. Every character in this story must deal with events that are either unexplainable or challenge his/her system of beliefs. There is the police detective, who logically connects the murder of a director to black mass desecrations yet has no suspect except a very ill girl. Then there are the priests: one who must face an old foe bent on demonic vengeance and another whose guilt over his mother's death has shattered his faith. Finally, there is the secular mother of a possessed girl who has no religious beliefs but desperately seeks to cure her from her inexplicable transformation into a monster.
Whether you are religious or not, this book is likely to have a long and lasting effect on you for many years to come. I highly recommend the movie as well.

Rating:
Summary: Chills and thrills
Review: OK, I hadn't read The Exorcist until now - October 2004. I really wish I'd read this book before, because it was excellent. I can't wait to read Legion.

Rating:
Summary: "What a glorious day for a scary story..."
Review: Going home from the gym one day, a girl asked me what I was reading on the bike. Apparently I looked so engrossed in the book that she had to know what I was reading.

This is a page-turner in the purest sense of the word. This book is creepy and haunting. A great story that moves along at a quick pace yet still has the power to shock (particuarly when Pazazu fakes being possessed by the dead). This may not be one of my favorite books, but I give it five stars because it was one of the most enjoyable. It's consistently entertaining. Even if you have seen the movie, I'd recommend it. (I saw the tepid "Version You've Never Seen" of The Exorcist and hated it, but I loved this book). The book just involves the characters inner thoughts into the book a lot better, and explains a lot of the scenes that came off badly (i.e. the desecrated Virgin Mary). This is a must!

Rating:
Summary: READ THIS EVERYBODY!!
Review: 5 out of 5 stars: Scary Possibilities And Horrifying Realities

The Exorcist(1971). William Peter Blatty's First #1 Bestselling Novel.

In 1971, 'The Exorcist' leaked out to bookstores everywhere, and critics instantly praised the novel for it's spell-binding and disturbing subject matter, not to mention it dealt with the problems of the day(the 70's) and was written well. With the critics behind it, people began to pick up the novel daily, and it became quite controversial, building up controversy from christians and (oddly) satanists, not to mention scaring the be-jesus out of the easily frightened. THAT was before the movie came out. When 'The Exorcist' debuted in theaters, it became easily the highest grossing horror film, and to this day, among 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'The Shining', is considered the scariest movie ever. Today, the movie is a household name, yet few actually know of the book. Well, as usual, behind every good movie there's always a book, so, being a fan of the movie, I decided to check out the book that originated it. So, was I happy or disheartened with the results? Read on to find out!

Plot-

For Chris Macneil, budding actor/director, she and her 12-year old daughter Regan(known as Rags affectionately) spend a humble tenure at an apartment near Georgetown University, where Chris is shooting a movie with renound director Burke Dennings. Chris is exceptionally happy to learn that her agent has even gotten her a directing job, something she's wanted but not been able to get for years! Soon after the good news, weird things start happening to Chris and her daughter Regan. During the middle of the night, mysterious thumps and scratches are heard, and Regan's furniture is moved to odd parts of the room without her knowing. Oddly, Regan even starts muttering obscenities that even her mother didn't know! Then, at a dinner party, Regan, dressed only in a nightgown, came down in front of all of Chris's friends and "wet" herself and fainted. After this *disturbance*, Chris takes Regan to a psychiatrist, who notices Regan's odd behavior but can't diagnose it(he believes she's suffering from depression). As the months go by, Regan progresses to the point where she is turned from a cute, loveable young 12-year old to a disgusting, hate-filled monster, undoubtedly not the person that her mother knows. As her mother desperately searches for her problem, with psychiatrists and doctors, thinking Regan is possessed, she risks her one last hope on local Jesuit Damien Karras before Regan disappears forever.....

Writing/Opinion/Etc.-

'The Exorcist', unlike the movie, hardly features any interaction between the priest and Regan until the end, so most of the novel you see Regan's general descension into her own hell. As the reader knows, Regan is possessed by a demon, but psychiatrists and doctors try to convince Chris otherwise, and it shows how stubborn people can be, when clearly Regan isn't suffering from any "known disease". Blatty's dialogue of Regan and Chris's hellish expirience is professional and imaginative, basing fiction on fact to create a story rich with disturbing possibilities and documented truths. One thing you'll get out of the novel is a deep understanding of mental disorders, satanism, possesion, and religion, and all of Blatty's "statements" are entirely true, even if the plot isn't, making it all the more eerie. While the story starts slowly, as soon as Regan starts to "misplace" things in her room the story is set in motion and doesn't slow down from then until the apocolyptic ending, and the reader is *possessed* to read the book in a few days. 'The Exorcist' is all it's cracked up to be, a chilling portrait of possession that blends fiction with fact to create an easily possible story that the reader might have trouble sleeping on. While Blatty's basic point is the never-ending battle between "Good & Evil", I liked how neither side *won* at the end of the novel, and the reader never learns if the demon was killed or not.

Overall, 'The Exorcist' is a chilling, eerily possible novel on possession that stays believeable and well-written throughout to create a book enjoyable not only to *popcorn* readers but to Lit teachers too.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO FANS OF HORROR, FICTION, AND THE MOVIE! READ THE BOOK, THEN SEE THE MOVIE: YOU'LL LOVE BOTH OF THEM!

Also Recommended-

The Exorcist- DVD
The Exorcist: The Beginning- Theatrical Release
Whispers- Dean Koontz

Thanks For Reading!