The phenomenal bestseller that inspired the classic motion picture--newly re-released in a version you've never seen before
read full description
reviews
Nov 21, 2011
Stephen
rated it: 
A masterpiece...unqualified, unadulterated and unequaled.
How better to describe the definitive, 40th Anniversary edition of one of THE classic horror novels of the 20th century...rendered in audio format and narrated with passion, verve and pitch-perfect delivery by William P. Blatty himself.
I’ve seen both the original and extended, remastered versions of The Exorcist several times and believe it ranks among the finest horror films ever made. Until this week, More...
42 comments
like
(52 people liked it)
Jan 20, 2012
Lou
rated it:
This is a really chilling and frightening story.There is nothing more powerful and engrossing than a story about a persons battle with their state of mind and Demons. In this frightening story you have a mother and her 12 year old daughters bond shaken, faced with a state of mayhem immersed in a struggle for survival and triumph over adversity, you just feel for them immensely and love for their solitude to prevail. The Jesuit priest also had a love for his deceased mother and guilt of no More...
6 comments
like
(21 people liked it)
Dec 07, 2011
D_Davis
rated it:
So I don't know if it's because of the new updated version, or just because I'm getting more out of it during my third read, but I have to say that The Exorcist is better than ever. I used to rate Legion above it, but now I'm not quite sure. I will say one thing for sure - it shames every other piece of pop-horror I've ever read by a country mile (how long is a country mile?) in every way possible. It is smarter, funnier (this is one that often surprises people, but what should you expect from B
More...
6 comments
like
(12 people liked it)
Jan 24, 2011
jzhunagev
rated it:
In the Grip of Evil
(A Book Review of William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist
Inspired by a reported case of exorcism of a child in 1949, The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty, published in 1971, is a novel about demonic terror, a modern-day spiritual warfare that pits good against evil for possession of a soul and examines the question of evil.
Being the book that paved the way for the popularity of this horror sub genre, The Exorcist tells the now-famous plotline of More...
12 comments
like
(7 people liked it)
Dec 27, 2010
Maciek
rated it:
Having recently seen a film called The Last Exorcism, I decided it was finally time to read the first exorcism, the one which made masses of people interested in demonic posessions, scared the beejesus out of readers and was made into one of the best films ever.
I've seen the film several times, though I've never read the book. I always assumed that it was a cheap potboiler, heavy on shock value (who can forget the green vomit?) and thin on everything else. I was totally wrong. The Ex More...
I've seen the film several times, though I've never read the book. I always assumed that it was a cheap potboiler, heavy on shock value (who can forget the green vomit?) and thin on everything else. I was totally wrong. The Ex More...
18 comments
like
(15 people liked it)
May 18, 2008
Jorge
rated it:
The film adaptation of this novel is one of my all-time favorite movies.
I hesitate to say the book is even better, but this is a fantastic book. Fans of the "The Exorcist" onscreen will find deeper explorations of the characters and the story's theological underpinnings.
While the movie "The Exorcist" doesn't delve as deeply into philosophy, I consider it the equal of this novel in quality. Director William Friedkin and co. tweak every minute element o More...
I hesitate to say the book is even better, but this is a fantastic book. Fans of the "The Exorcist" onscreen will find deeper explorations of the characters and the story's theological underpinnings.
While the movie "The Exorcist" doesn't delve as deeply into philosophy, I consider it the equal of this novel in quality. Director William Friedkin and co. tweak every minute element o More...
Jan 25, 2012
Leigh
rated it: 
I'm sorry, but talk about a stylistic mismatch: William Peter Blatty is not particularly "literary," and I don't know why he felt he needed to be for THIS book. This is one of those rare cases where I actually do prefer the film. You don't have to read the film.
(Side note of interest: Blatty's sons attended the same Catholic school as my younger brother, and I ate dinner with a teacher who swore he had firsthand evidence that this book was true. I'm an atheistic-leaning agnos More...
(Side note of interest: Blatty's sons attended the same Catholic school as my younger brother, and I ate dinner with a teacher who swore he had firsthand evidence that this book was true. I'm an atheistic-leaning agnos More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jun 11, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
when i was younger my mum wouldnt let me watch the movie as she said it would give me nightmares so i cunningly got my older brother to get this from the library so i could read it. i read it in one night mainly as i was too scared to go to sleep so i just kept reading! this was the first horror book ive ever read and it started a whole love of horror books for me. subsequently i watched the movie a few years later and i must say the book is much better, whilst the movie can illistrate the seque
More...
5 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Nov 30, 2011
Debra
rated it: 
Stephen King said in Danse Macabre (1981): "... two novels of the Humorless, Thudding Tract School of horror writing are Damon, by C. Terry Cline, and The Exorcist, by William Peter Blatty – Cline has since improved as a writer, and Blatty has fallen silent... forever, if we are lucky."
However, S.T. Joshi stated in his The Modern Weird Tale : A Critique of Horror Fiction that Stephen King went up to Blatty and said: "You know, in a way, you're my father."
More...
However, S.T. Joshi stated in his The Modern Weird Tale : A Critique of Horror Fiction that Stephen King went up to Blatty and said: "You know, in a way, you're my father."
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 21, 2008
Bill
rated it:
In several of my reviews at my website I tend to whine about being a relatively slow reader. I'd like to retract that statement once and for all. Like the adrenaline rush triggering superhuman agility when a bull charges you (yes this happened to me once), there is nothing like the
uneasiness of a story like this to flood the words into your mind. No horror review page would be complete with out a review of this classic, and a good friend of mine loaned me his old, jacket-less first edition More...
uneasiness of a story like this to flood the words into your mind. No horror review page would be complete with out a review of this classic, and a good friend of mine loaned me his old, jacket-less first edition More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jan 23, 2008
Hunter
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
17 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Jan 21, 2009
Matt
rated it: 
The Exorcist film (in particular, the director's cut) is almost a carbon copy of Blatty's book, with a few exceptions. There is a lot more medical and psychological ground work in the book, more information on what drives key characters and a sub plot involving servants of the MacNeil family. The style of writing is punchy and fast paced, and the conversations between Father Karras and the demon are well written. They don't focus on trying to be scary as in the film, and Father Karras's attempts
More...
Dec 14, 2008
Bekah
rated it:
Absolutely, positively THE scariest book EVER! I saw the movie before I read the book when I was 16 in the basement of the old creaky house where I grew up, and I couldn't sleep for 3 days. I read the book 5 years later, and it scared the pants off me even worse. I think one of the reasons it's so scary is because it's of such high quality that it gets into your head and, at least to me, becomes completely believable. I have a thing about possession, though, in that it almost guarantees a sc
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 31, 2012
Tim
rated it:
Grounding the supernatural and the horrific within the ordinary and everyday is the biggest strength of "The Exorcist" — that and scaring the bejesus out of us.
Really, William Peter Blatty's name-making novel is that true rarity: a cultural phenomenon that is of high quality and doesn't pander.
It's Blatty's emphasis on the normal that makes the scarifying tactics work so well. Here we have a seeming possession of a sweet, pretty girl, daughter of a down-to-earn More...
Really, William Peter Blatty's name-making novel is that true rarity: a cultural phenomenon that is of high quality and doesn't pander.
It's Blatty's emphasis on the normal that makes the scarifying tactics work so well. Here we have a seeming possession of a sweet, pretty girl, daughter of a down-to-earn More...
Jan 09, 2012
Paul
rated it:
by William Peter Blatty, published in 1971.
What happens in a world where demons really can exist, where they can manifest themselves in the bodies of children, where crimes of the soul may go unpunished?
Read The Exorcist and you are sure to find out.
I was expecting greater things from this book than were offered to me, and I think it had to do with the fact that I saw the movie (way back when) and it scared the living begeezes out of me.
So much so that I h More...
What happens in a world where demons really can exist, where they can manifest themselves in the bodies of children, where crimes of the soul may go unpunished?
Read The Exorcist and you are sure to find out.
I was expecting greater things from this book than were offered to me, and I think it had to do with the fact that I saw the movie (way back when) and it scared the living begeezes out of me.
So much so that I h More...
Dec 26, 2011
Lori
rated it:
Heard Blatty talking about this rerelease on NPR around Halloween, and immediately rewatched the movie. So, so much to love. So when I saw the anniversary edition of the book -- which I'd never read -- on the "new" shelf at the library, I immediately picked it up.
And I think I'd have been more wowed if I hadn't recently seen the film.
There's a NYT blurb on the back about how literary the novel is. And I don't dispute that. I'd have never guessed it was so well writt More...
And I think I'd have been more wowed if I hadn't recently seen the film.
There's a NYT blurb on the back about how literary the novel is. And I don't dispute that. I'd have never guessed it was so well writt More...
Nov 07, 2011
Richard
rated it:
Because I basically now only read books for research material for my writing projects, and doing reviews on them would be BORING… I decided to post some thoughts on books that influenced my life. When I say “influenced” it could be profound… or even a book that I enjoyed so much that I it became a marker for a particular type of genre of entertainment that I have since enjoyed all my life.
I’d like to share a few thoughts on the book “The Exorcist.”
The novel is a big influenc More...
I’d like to share a few thoughts on the book “The Exorcist.”
The novel is a big influenc More...
Oct 25, 2011
Renee
rated it:
Here's what you need to know about me. I don't do soft-porn horror movies, and I abhor the pop culture industry built around torturing, dismembering and killing women (or men, but mostly women). Mostly, because they go for cheap thrills and fabrications.
However, I think the most brilliant so-called horror writers (Shirley Jackson, Richard Matheson, etc) are so-titled because they tap into human's primal flight or fight response. And they do it in a real and intelligent and believable way. More...
However, I think the most brilliant so-called horror writers (Shirley Jackson, Richard Matheson, etc) are so-titled because they tap into human's primal flight or fight response. And they do it in a real and intelligent and believable way. More...
Oct 01, 2011
Mitch
rated it:
October is here and Halloween season is upon us, which means I'm in the mood for some spooky fun! Although I never usually delve into the realm of horror novels, I decdied to use the month of October to explore this genre that I'm unfamiliar with. First up: William Peter Blatty's "The Exorcist", rumoured to be the scariest book of all time.
I will keep my plot decription as brief as possible to avoid any spoilers (even if this story is pretty familiar to most people):
More...
I will keep my plot decription as brief as possible to avoid any spoilers (even if this story is pretty familiar to most people):
More...
Sep 05, 2011
Brian
rated it:
* "...(two novels of the Humorless, Thudding Tract School of horror writing are 'Damon,' by C. Terry Kline, and 'The Exorcist,' by William Peter Blatty--Cline has since improved as a writer, and Blatty has fallen silent...forever, if we are lucky.)" - Stephen King, "Danse Macabre"
* This, from the man who brought us The Tommyknockers and Insomnia. You remember Insomnia. That's the one where people walk around with little comic-strip balloons floating over their h More...
* This, from the man who brought us The Tommyknockers and Insomnia. You remember Insomnia. That's the one where people walk around with little comic-strip balloons floating over their h More...
May 23, 2011
H. Anne
rated it:
I feel sort of bad giving the book such a low rating. I remember reading it when I was younger and loving. I think the film's worthwhile. And I do like the novel itself, mostly because I really like the character of Karras.
However, and there always seems to be a however. I found Chris MacNeil to be one of the most annoying characters ever to encounter. I'm still puzzled as to why she had housekeepers. I just didn't get it. Maybe because her attitude was so centuries ago rather t More...
However, and there always seems to be a however. I found Chris MacNeil to be one of the most annoying characters ever to encounter. I'm still puzzled as to why she had housekeepers. I just didn't get it. Maybe because her attitude was so centuries ago rather t More...
Apr 26, 2011
Trowzers
rated it:
The directors cut of the Exorcist stands as one of the scariest movies I've ever seen, and about the only movie ever to give me genuine nightmares (and I grew up adoring horror movies). I was shocked by many scenes, and left the theatre really questioning my view on religion and whether I believed in a force of evil personified. At the same time, the movie was strikingly beautiful in some parts, and stunningly shot. A real classic.
Imagine my delight in finding the movie only mirrors More...
Imagine my delight in finding the movie only mirrors More...
Apr 11, 2011
Breauna
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Mar 31, 2011
Наташа
rated it:
Книга сильная и произвела на меня впечатление. Описание одержимости само по себе достаточно полно и интересно. Все отношения, вопросы и прочее заставляют углубляться в подробности сюжета, искать ответы вместе с главными персонажами. Замкнутое пространство почти всегда ограниченное одним домом, и хорошо передаваемая мрачная, гнетущая атмосфера тревог и сомнений. Особенно мне очень понравились характеры всех священников. Это достаточно редкая книга где они выглядели и правда здорово. А сила сцены
More...
Feb 22, 2011
Ashley
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Oct 14, 2010
Harmonybites
rated it:
So much of the supernatural has religious underpinnings, but much fantasy and even genre horror novels underplays or eliminates that aspect. Witches are lovable like Tabitha and Hermione, werewolves have a "furry problem" at worst, vampires are smexy. The Exorcist, on the other hand, brings me back to my Catholic upbringing where you take those things that go bump into the night very seriously.
Indeed, my most vivid memory associated with the novel was a fellow student in m More...
Indeed, my most vivid memory associated with the novel was a fellow student in m More...
Apr 15, 2010
Jason
rated it:
Review by Jason Rowe
The book starts out with Father Merrin in Iraq, he studies an ancient dig site. He finds the bones of a man, and an Assyrian ivory toilet box. He leaves the site and enters a taxi cab to go to the city of Nineveh, while Father Merrin is in the taxi he realizes that a statue he saw at the dig site was a statue of the demon Pazuzu. A woman by the name of Chris Macneil just rented a house in Washington D.C near Georgetown. She is awake in the morning when she hears o More...
The book starts out with Father Merrin in Iraq, he studies an ancient dig site. He finds the bones of a man, and an Assyrian ivory toilet box. He leaves the site and enters a taxi cab to go to the city of Nineveh, while Father Merrin is in the taxi he realizes that a statue he saw at the dig site was a statue of the demon Pazuzu. A woman by the name of Chris Macneil just rented a house in Washington D.C near Georgetown. She is awake in the morning when she hears o More...
Nov 12, 2009
Jeff
rated it:
I read this over Halloween weekend; it was a quick read. Of course I knew the movie, but I saw that like 15 years ago. The book is decent. It's entertaining and fast-paced and has a little depth.
As an older adult, I found myself adding context to both the book and the movie as I went through it. The early '70s... hmm. There were elements in the background that hinted at the social upheaval of the time, there is talk of student protests. In that sense, The Exorcist is kind of r More...
As an older adult, I found myself adding context to both the book and the movie as I went through it. The early '70s... hmm. There were elements in the background that hinted at the social upheaval of the time, there is talk of student protests. In that sense, The Exorcist is kind of r More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 21, 2009
Laura
rated it:
I read this book in either 7th or 8th grade during my horror phase that lasted a very long time.
I cannot believe I read this so young. Growing up I was very lucky that I had parents that, essentially, let me read whatever I wanted. And not because they didn't care or weren't involved, but because they trusted my judgement and encouraged my reading. So, going through a horror stretch in the early teens really opened my eyes to things in the world.
Times have changed, rolls More...
I cannot believe I read this so young. Growing up I was very lucky that I had parents that, essentially, let me read whatever I wanted. And not because they didn't care or weren't involved, but because they trusted my judgement and encouraged my reading. So, going through a horror stretch in the early teens really opened my eyes to things in the world.
Times have changed, rolls More...
May 26, 2009
Owen
rated it:
This infamous novel spawned the legendary film that is considered by many to be the scariest movie ever made. In some ways the novel is even better than the film. The story is more complete. The Exorcist is more than "just a horror story". For one thing, it is loosely based on actual events that occurred a few years earlier. Furthermore, there is just as much drama and mystery to the story as there is horror. And, ultimately, this is a tale about faith and redemption. This book
More...
