The Exorcist audiobook

”In our sleep, pain, which cannot forget, fallsdrop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, come wisdomthrough the awful grace of God. --AeschylusI get a wild hair every so often and recently I decided that I needed to go on a 1970s blockbuster horror novel extravaganza tour. It all started with shifted some books around and finding this ratty well loved copy of The Exorcist that inexplicably found its way into my book collection. I’d swear it was stolen from one of Kemper’s now famous Rubbermaid container boxes of nostalgic paperbacks, but I gave my midget ninjas specific instructions NOT to take anything from Kemper’s abode, but simply take a look around, so the presence of this book on my shelves is still a mystery. The Mysterious copy of The Exorcist.When I was in middle school I rode the bus to school and every day this teenager with rumpled hair and scuffed motorcycle boots would catch a ride with us. He had been clocked for speeding by the cops and had led them on a merry chase around the countryside until he turned a corner too quickly, hit gravel, and rolled his car. He was a LEGEND. Needless to say he lost his driving privileges for a long, long time. He would always sit in the front and there was always this sweet scent coming off his clothes that later when I went to college and attended my first party I had that ah ha moment. He’d lean back against the window and hoist those boots out in the aisle where we could all admire them. He always had a paperback novel with him, usually of the horror genre, and he would studiously ignore us and read his book. We of course were boring holes through him with fevered eyes because he was the most fascinating thing we’d ever seen. One day he looked back down the bus at us and said, “You want me to read you some of this?” as he flopped the latest paperback in the air. It was called The Exorcist. I don’t know if he understood or even understands today how cool a gesture that was, but it was pretty damn cool. So he started reading to us. We never got the whole story just bits here and there. Sometimes he would disappear for a while usually because he was jammed up in a little more trouble than normal. He’d show up with different paperbacks, The Omen, Psycho, Rosemary’s Baby, The Other, and The Amityville Horror to name a few. We were enraptured.He scared the crap out of us. The ghastly images those books inspired in my mind kept my eyes wide open late into the late which might have something to do with why my mom wouldn’t let me read such books.Those moments on the bus with him reading to us and scaring us are some of my most fond childhood memories. Boy, did we feel like we were getting away with something. So I started reading my ratty, not Kemper’s copy, of The Exorcist and could not believe how much I was struggling with the writing. The dialogue was horrible. How could this guy sell millions of copies of this book? I did some research. It seems that William Peter Blatty finished writing the rough draft of this book and was offered a lucrative screenwriting job and never polished the book. An editor, obviously not someone in the same category as Maxwell Perkins, allowed the book to go to print as basically a rough draft. Decades later Blatty is asked to read the book for the audio version. He kept having to stop to ask “who wrote this crap?” This story does have a happy ending. Blatty went back through and polished and rewrote and even added a critical scene to the book. It was released in time for the fortieth anniversary edition. William Peter Blatty looking like he is ready for his casting call for a spaghetti western.The Dodge City Public library, they never has anything I absolutely need immediately, had a copy of the fortieth anniversary edition. Hallelujah! Praise the book gods! The difference between the books is a two star rating which I was already worried about how I was going to explain that rating to the legions of fans out there, and a four star rating which is much easier and much more fun to write a review for. So if you have thoughts of reading this book make sure you read the fortieth anniversary edition because as Blatty stated. ”This is the version I would like to be remembered for.”This is a novel about a demon possession of a twelve year old girl, but Blatty also spends a good amount of time explaining the other psychological aspects that could be causing the symptoms other than a demonic possession. The priest Damien Karras, who also happens to be a psychologist, finds himself confronting not only an evil entity beyond his wildest imaginations, but also his personal struggles with his own faith. He is damaged, dark, and brooding...a magnet for women if he were interested. Jason Miller is Damien Karras in the movie.”As he lifted the Host in consecration, it trembled in his fingers with a hope that he dared not hope, that he fought with every particle and fiber of his will. “‘For this--is--My body.’” he intoned with a whispered intensity.No, it’s bread! It’s nothing but bread!He dared not love again and lose. That loss was too great, that pain too keen. The cause of his skepticism and his doubts, his attempts to eliminate natural causes in the case of Regan’s seeming possession, was the fiery intensity of his yearning to be able to believe. He bowed his head and placed the consecrated Host in his mouth, where in a moment it would stick in the dryness of his throat. And of his faith.”The thought that kept going through my head as I read this book is if you find proof of the devil or a demon or even true evil doesn't that mean you’ve found proof of God? Glory be to God for dappled things,For skies of couple-color as a brindled cow;For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;Fresh-fire-coal chestnut falls; finches’ wings...He fathers forth whose beauty is past change.Praise him. Regan or Rags as her mother likes to call her starts exhibiting strange behavior, talking in tongues, and levitating. It is never really explained how or why she becomes possessed. Unless I somehow missed that part. Changing editions midstream has me a little worried about that as I did not go back and read the hundred or so pages that I’d read before the switch. She goes from being a creative, likable, normal twelve year old girl into something that is not only horrifying, but barely recognizable as human. Linda Blair played Regan in the famous movie version.”Reining in his revulsion, he closed the door and then his eyes locked, stunned, on the thing that was Regan, on the creature that was lying on its back on the bed, head propped against a pillow while eyes bulged wide in their hollow sockets shone with mad cunning and burning intelligence, with interest and with spite, as they fixed upon his; as they watched him intently, seething in a face shaped into a skeletal mask of unthinkable malevolence. Karras shifted his gaze to the tangled and thickly matted hair; to the wasted arms and legs and distended stomach jutting up so grotesquely; then back to the eyes: they were watching him...pinning him...” Transformed!!!Terrifying stuff!”Requested and performed exorcisms had begun to decline in the Western world by the 18th century due to advancements in medical understanding, and occurred rarely until the latter half of the 20th century when the public saw a sharp rise due to the media attention exorcisms were getting. There was “a 50% increase in the number of exorcisms performed between the early 1960s and the mid-1970s”.Media suggested hysteria. Iconic shot from the movie.The church has a priest who had performed the last exorcism in 1949. He is an elderly Jesuit priest named Lankester Merrin. The two priests know they are over their heads, but in a true act of courage and faith take on the demon. No need for more details as I’m sure most of you have seen the movie and if you have not I would encourage you to read the book before watching the movie. The movie was nominated for ten academy awards and grossed over $441 million worldwide. No wonder the demand for priests and their knowledge of exorcisms went up exponentially. The tour of 1970s horror will continue with Jaws. Stay tuned. ADDENDUMMy friend, Gary Wyatt, supplied me with a picture of the house where the famous exorcism case happened in 1949. This was the case that inspired William Peter Blatty to write this book. Instead of a girl this case involved a thirteen year old boy named Roland Doe. Walter Halloran a Catholic priest of the Society of Jesus performed the exorcism. The setting: St. Louis, Missouri. Exorcism House in St. LouisIf you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.comI also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten

Who doesn´t know those nasty, itchy childhood diseases that can cause potential long-term complications when one gets them as an adult such as chickenpox, scarlet fever, demonic obsessive compulsive disorder, ... It´s a well-written novel, but what interests me more is the development of the horror genre, how it changed over time, and especially what has meanwhile become possible. The book was revolutionary for its time, cause it deals with religion, vulgarly talking young women, and some horror elements. May have been shocking and controversial for its time when the Philistines were still a strong force, but nowadays it seems benign, nearly cute, compared to computer games dealing with war crimes and genres like extreme horror that go to the, haha extreme. I just heard about that, it´s not as if I would be reading such sick genres or even have an own shelf dedicated to it or something. But if, let´s say, in a parallel universe, I would be reading such nasty things, I would argue with the fact that I don´t watch (horror) movies anymore and simply need a surrogate. Yea, that sounds logical and credible and absolutely not hypocritical... That there are less and less taboo topics is great for the openness of society, but bad for authors who need more and fresh ideas to still shock the audience that is already pretty apathetic and badass. In general, authors who follow a new path in the form of previously unprecedented ideas, instead of copying and modifying the mantra of better good copying than horribly self-made, should be praised for their creativity. However, if a subgenre is launched with such an impact that, in a certain way, up to the xth paranormal activity cucumber today, there is an almost imperceptible echo, the artist has ennobled himself by creating something fully justified called "cult". The story of the actress' daughter, who is gradually becoming more and more special in her behavior, shines with facts from occultism, psychology, neurology, and religion that have been meticulously researched, which helps to create an entertaining reading experience and increases the horror significantly through this apparent reference to reality.One of the most remarkable features of the book is the disassembly of stereotypes in the form of a science and reason-oriented priest and the contrast of an actress who is uninterested in any rational approach and tends to literally “paint the devil on the wall”. The difference between and the path to the respective perspectives of the two make up an essential part of the narrative structure and, in parallel to the ever-worsening obsession-related symptoms of the not just mental disease, the explanatory or repression patterns also increase to unimagined heights and complexities.How to play on the keyboard of the nerve-wracking arc without striking violence and with a virtuoso, slow increase of suspense, while contradicting explanatory approaches collide and effectively resolve everything in a finally redeeming culmination, deserves a paranoid look over your shoulder when you stay alone in the dark at home after finishing this outstanding novel.Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

Absolute classic, good atmosphere, compelling story... if you want to met William F. Kindermann again, read Legion, the follow up; clear recommendation, both books!

Curiosity compels you to read this! THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS It was kinda hard to decide the rating on this novel. If I'd think only on the raw reading experience, I would say that it was a 3-star material.However, I had to ponder about the whole additional info and further development of characters compared with my experience with the film adaptation (which certainly is one of my favorite horror films). So, I think that the fairest rating is giving a solid 4-star rating.Certainly due all those deeper details in the original book, I think that novel & movie make an irresistible combo to do.You watched the film, and then you'll appreciate even more the extended information that you'll find in the original novel, but in matters of frightening, well the movie has a clear advantage, but don't dismiss the novel so quickly.Since, may be not the best horror novel that I've ever read,......but certainly the book has......something to compel you to read it, and have it a huge respect to it. MOVIE V. BOOK: DAWN OF POSSESSION I am not surprised if almost any reader has watched the film before reading the novel.. ...And my case wasn't any different.I have watched the three film versions: Original theatrical, "The Never-Before-Seen" version and the "Extended Director's Cut". Any comment that I'd make in this review about the film adaptation it will be based on the latest mentioned version, the "Extended Director's Cut", due it's the most complete and also it's the one that I have on Blu-ray so it's the one that I have more fresh on my mind.It's interesting how the film is generally accepted as the most terrifying movie of all time, while the novel doesn't keep that distinction. Actually the debate about which novel is the most terrifying of all, it's an endless dispute that I'm sure the general reading community never would be able to agree in a specific novel.While the imagination is the best special effects generator, I have to admit that it wasn't so shocking to read scenes than in the visual presentation where they are truly scary. Even, I don't know if there was the choice of words used in the narrative of the book, since I think that I'd some "technical" difficulties to visualize some of those scenes, if I wouldn't have previous notion of how they supposed to look like, thanks to the film. PLAYING DEVIL'S ADVOCATE So, I am still glad of having read the original novel, since not matter the film adaptation covered the most important elements of the general storyline;......the novel indeed gives you enlighting info about the background of the characters, even "new" characters that didn't appear on the movie version, and deeper development of many of the scenes.On the film, you never have doubt that there is a demon inside of Regan,......but in the novel, there are plausible scenarios causing suspicions on other characters, with the chance of a more rational explanation. So, not so ironically, in the same way that you have faith to believe in God, well, the story requires of you to have "faith" to believe in the existence of The Devil.That, it's something so curious about many priests in Catholic Church, that I understand that there must be an investigation to discard a simpler explanation to some situations, but it seems that if you say that you're possessed by The Devil or to the contrary, you were witness of the word of God, in any case, the priests will see you as a perfect nut job to send to some psychiatric asylum.So, while the priests are supposed to believe in God, it's like they don't want to believe in the existence of The Devil, that's it's quite odd, since they are both sides of the same religious coin. Also, some elements in the novel, that you may perceive as "random" in the film version, even not clarify enough for really understanding why they are in the story, those elements are well developed on the novel and even making ties to the demon inside Regan that you may didn't think about before.Moreover, some reactions and conducts of the characters, knowing key info about their pasts, you can rationalize better why they are reacting in such ways. Even some conversations, they are the same in terms of dialogue, but the mood of them are perceived in a different way in the book, giving some new angles to the dynamics between characters. SPEAKING OF THE DEVIL That's exactly what I expect when I decide to read a book (original novel or novelization) when I already watched the film adaptation.Since while I invest only two hours to watch the movie, I can invest like a week (or more) to read a novel. So, if I read just the exact story on the book, I think that it would kinda pointless, but if I got enough additional info,......certainly then, it was well invested time.I think that the most effective element on the construction of the story is that you get a lot of arguments and plausible explanations of what it's going on, so in some reverse psychology gimmick, you get to believe more and more that Regan is indeed possessed by a demon. While in some other novels where they approach the paranormal angle directly, the reader tends to accept it without a doubt.Maybe you don't believe in The Devil or in God even, but don't worry,......since you also can say that you don't believe in Jupiter (the planet, not the Roman god) and that doesn't make that that planet isn't out there. Many people are atheists until they have to face a demon by themselves.And it's not like that I am saying that you have to believe in the Christian God, since while I am Catholic, my wish is only that all people believe in some higher power, that you may name whatever you prefer, but believe, in something higher than us.Since some others may call as unrealistic, to believe in gods or higher powers,......for me, not believing in some higher power, I'd call it as sad.Believe in God. Beware of The Devil. Both are real, not matter if you believe in them or not.Getting back to the book, I recommend the novel for any fan of the film and wishing to get a deeper developement on the story.P.S. (Updated Jan, 13th, 2017)I just knew that William Peter Blatty passed away. I'm glad that I was able to read his most iconic work way before he would die.

I really enjoyed this one. It has all the elements of eerie paranormal horror with some mystery. The plot involves a little girl who's life goes from normal to complete terror. The little girl, Regan, starts playing with a ouija board and an unknown presence begins communicating with her. The unwanted entity, who goes by the name of Mr. Howdy, slowly becomes problematic. As with all paranormal activity, the plot tracks the demonic activity commonly seen in the four stages: infestation, oppression, obsession, and eventual possession of the little girl. The plot is riddled with psychiatric, religious, and occult-witchcraft fervor that adds to the atmospheric heaviness leading to the exorcism. 'Could you help an old altar boy, Father?'- The Demon'And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, "Legion, for we are many."'- Mark 5:9The book is well-written and flows very nicely. All the characters are well-developed and life-like. All the characters have their personal demons and struggle with them in the story. The overall tone throughout the book is eerie and solemn. For me this is tied with Stephen King's Salem's Lot for creepiness. I would highly recommend this to anyone. Thanks!

THE EXORCIST is on quite a few of my favorite lists.I have read this book once before, and I own- and have watched the movie numerous times. This time I listened to the audio book.It is my favorite movie poster.It has one of my favorite "the making of" documentaries. It's in my top ten favorite movie list, and top five favorite horror movie list...and now that I have listened to the audio book. Favorite audio book...by far.William Blatty's voice is like butter...slathered on the perfect horror filled bagel with cream cheese.Georgetown, Washington:Chris MacNeil- an actress, and her young daughter- Regan- are living in Georgetown, while Chris is filming a movie. And everything is going along hunky dory until Regan starts playing around with the Ouija board from the attic.Regan starts receiving messages from Captain Howdy- who at first, Chris sees as a harmless invisible playmate..until frightening things start happening in Regan's room.After a party at the Georgetown home- Chris cannot ignore the fact that something horrible is going on in her house, and with her once so innocent daughter...and when a person close to her is killed- she knows she must do something drastic- and seek help from people she never would have dreamed of asking before.THE EXORCIST- I can't recommend it enough. The movie...the book, and now the audio book. Go!! Now!! Watch! Read! Listen! I beg of you.

El exorcista es, sin lugar a dudas, el libro más terrorífico que he leído. Recordemos que el miedo es subjetivo, y mi debilidad siempre han sido las posesiones satánicas. No me esperaba el análisis psiquiátrico ni las explicaciones psicológicas para enfrentarnos a las posibles explicaciones de las "posesiones", pensé, que habría mucha religión involucrada y actos de fe, pero me encontré con razonamientos lógicos que la verdad nos dejan a todos una sensación de: ¿ok entonces, todo está en la cabeza o de verdad existe el diablo?Es un libro completamente engatusador y repugnante que me dejó realmente perturbada pero ¿en el buen sentido? Una obra maestra

You gotta be impressed with a book that inspires a movie that managed to turn entire generations off of pea soup.Chris MacNeil is an actress who is filming a movie in Georgetown when her young daughter Regan starts to exhibit bizarre behavior, and since medical science fails to provide any answers she turns to Father Damien Karras for blah, blah, blah, blah. There’s no point in a plot summary because we all know the set up on this one. It’s also one of those books where the film version has become so well known that it’s nigh on impossible to separate the two versions. In fact, I don’t see how anybody could read this without hearing Tubular Bells in their head. So just to get this out of the way: The movie is better. That’s not to say that the book is bad. Blatty does a very good job of putting us in a normal early ‘70s setting, and then he slowly turns the dials up from what seem to be mild annoyances to the point where Regan has been turned into a head-spinning puppet of the devil. I particularly liked how there’s a systematic investigation of all the non-supernatural explanations for Regan’s behavior, and that when the subject of an exorcism is first brought up it’s presented as a kind of psychological shock treatment rather than a needed religious ritual. The book has more of an underlying theme of questioning whether Regan is possessed that the movie lacks in part because once you see that kid’s demonic features and her head spin all the way around on screen, you know it’s supernatural in origin. Whereas the book can spend more time on the whole question of whether she is or isn’t while making the answer more a bit more ambiguous. Father Karras, a Jesuit psychiatrist suffering from his own crisis of faith, is also a great character to eventually put in the middle of this, and the way he swings from doubt to belief is well done. It’s also a nice twist that he’s kind of secretly hoping that Regan does have a demon in her because it would validate his beliefs. That doesn’t prevent him from questioning everything and seeking hard evidence to prove it. However, I did get a laugh that at this point in the ‘70s Blatty thought there was enough evidence for the existence of ESP to have Karras consider things like telepathy and telekinesis possible without being demonic in nature. So it’s a solid horror story that plays more with the suspense of making you question what’s happening to Regan rather than just making you ascared of the Devil like the movie does. One personal note: I had been meaning for a while to reread the old paperback I’ve had for years as part of my Rubbermaid Treasure reviews, but I just never seemed to get around to it. Then Audible had this on sale shortly before Halloween so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally get it done. It was only after downloading it that I learned that this version is actually the 40th anniversary edition in which the author rewrote parts of it, and since I last read The Exorcist something like 25 years ago I have no idea how much it differs from the original. So already this thing has turned from a simple gimmick review to what felt like a pain in the ass. Since I don’t have the time and/or patience to figure out all the differences I won’t dig into that, but I’m not calling it a Rubbermaid Treasure either since it’s technically a different book. I know that nobody but me cares about the stupid internal logic I use, but it nags at me if I don’t explain what I’m doing and why. I’ll also note that Blatty himself is the narrator for most of it, and it confirms my belief that most authors just shouldn’t read their own works aloud. Blatty isn’t the worst I’ve heard, and he seems to delight in evil laughter and doing the demon voice, but this really could have used a professional actor/narrator. It’s even weirder that he reads the Regan parts early on, but then a woman is brought in to do a child’s voice later to speak and sing as Regan’s ‘actual’ voice once she is possessed. It’s just jarring.

It’s no surprise to me that this book was a very spiritual read for me. I knew, considering the topic, that this was going to come down to a showdown between light and dark, good and evil, God and Satan.In which case, there could only really be one clear outcome. But more on that later. I’m going to try to be as spoiler free as I can considering some people may not have read this *or* haven't seen the movie, in fact, it would help you to know that I only saw the movie when I was very young and I kept my eyes closed most of the time, so even though this book is old, there are those who have intentions of reading it and don’t want the story spoiled.That being said, if you want to go into this book totally blind, maybe skip the rest of this review and just know this: I recommend this book for fans of horror. It was well written, it scared me pretty damn good and it had great, memorable characters. It’s classic, legendary horror that must be read if you consider yourself a big fan of the genre.“for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.” Rev. 12:10At the beginning of this story, I was a little bored. I grew restless with the mother, Chris and all the scenes around her acting career. I felt like her parenting left much to be desired and found myself already blaming her for what I knew was coming, who lets their 11 year old child play with Ouija boards?? Especially considering that child already has a made up friend that talks to them through the Ouija Board and the child is becoming increasingly afraid of it??Um, anyways. Now that I finished the book, I think it is the intention of the author to cast doubt and blame at all the adults in the story, for us to stand as accusers of one another when really, our battle isn’t with each other, but with something much, much worse. Something that wants us to be wrapped up in our hate and anger and displaced blame so that we are found weak and distracted.“But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” Acts 15:15-16I think this is one of the scariest verses from scripture. The demon possessed man says to some people trying to perform an exorcism and cast out demons, hey look: I know the name of Jesus and I know the name of Paul, but I have no clue who you guys are and I’m going to kick your ass.There were so many times this scripture came to mind while I read this book. People just don’t know what the hell to do when they are dealing with demonic activity and truth be told: If you don’t know what you’re doing, DON’T EFFING CALL UPON IT! You know what I mean?? That’s my ultimate warning and what I learned from this story, maybe you don’t believe in demons, that’s fine—whatever, then you don’t care either way about them, you’re indifferent, so BE indifferent, I wouldn’t run around and tempt it or dare it, like people who say they aren’t allergic to poison oak so they rub it all over themselves?? NOT SMART.And maybe you do believe in demons, like me so you just make wide circles around that stuff okay? Don’t touch it! Don’t think you’re so faithful and pious you’d know what to do in a situation like this.That’s why this book was so terrifying.It scared the hell out of me.But I loved the different way the characters approached it—The detective with his logic and sleuthingThe Father with his background in psychologyThe Exorcist with his unflinching faithEven the mother scored points with me in the end with her unwavering plea for help.I cried as she begged for help. I could empathize with her as she sought medical, mental and spiritual help for her daughter in horrific crisis.I really loved the ending too but I don’t want to spoil anything. I’ll just leave a fitting scripture:“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13Lastly, while parts of this story were very difficult for me to read because they were so crude and blasphemous, I thought it was, in contrast, a beautiful story of sacrificial love against impossible danger. So I gladly mucked up my heart and my mind with grotesque language and offensive, vivid details in order to finish. I wanted to see that outcome I was waiting for...and it was delivered as expected. My review would have been very different if it didn't go the way I thought it would.

What a fantastic and scary but fascinating book. The film with Linda Blair and Max Von Sydow was so far ahead of its time. I was just a young boy when the film was released and remember that there was heaps of controversy at the time. Ambulances and police were rushing to theatres because people were fainting and screaming with hysteria. In some extreme cases priests were called. I know that the film was back in theatres a while ago and my partner and I went to see it again with our nephew and niece. They were both in their twenties back then and I recall them laughing all the way through the film. I guess times and tastes have changed. The book is great and the original film too, whatever the younger generation may think. The new TV series is good though, I must admit. I think it stars Ben Daniels as the priest.🐯👍

"We mourn the blossoms of May because they are to whither; but we know that May is one day to have its revenge upon November, by the revolution of that solemn circle which never stops - which teaches us in our height of hope, ever to be sober, and in our depth of desolation, never to despair."The unusual occurrences in the MacNeil house could easily be explained away - rats in the attic, misplaced furniture - but the disturbing changes in Regan MacNeil's behaviour could not. Doctors are unable to diagnose what could have caused this shift in personality, so Regan's mother turns to Father Damien Karras, who is suffering from his own lack of faith.I'm finally writing a proper book review for one of my favourite books of all time after reading it for the third time. But let's go way back to the start… The Exorcist was pretty much my gateway into reading horror. Growing up I hated horror, you couldn't have paid me to watch a horror movie - I blame my brothers forcing me to watch Freddy Krueger at a very young age and mentally scarring me - but in my late teens, I was intrigued. I started off by watching the Scream movies to ease me into the genre, but pretty quickly my movie choices escalated into what is considered one of the most terrifying movies of all time - The Exorcist. It quickly became one of my favourite movies and I decided I needed to read the book. And so my journey into horror literature began.I remember thinking the book wouldn't be as scary the movie, but boy was I wrong. I think the book is somehow more terrifying. Granted, we don't have the incredible cinematography or that haunting score, but what we have instead is a slow and tense build as Regan falls under the possession of Pazuzu. During my readalong of this book a number of people seemed to be surprised by William Peter Blatty's prose. A lot of people were like "Shit, this guy can write". And he can! After reading this, Legion and The Ninth Configuration, he would rank as one of my favourite authors, and so I take a lot of pleasure in people "discovering" Blatty as a writer.Another surprising aspect for a number of people was how emotional the book is. I shed a few tears at the end myself. Damien Karras is one of the most well-written and believable characters I've ever come across. He struggles with his faith as he tries to decipher exactly what is happening with Regan and you can really feel the turmoil he is going through. He is a psychologist as well as a priest, so I found it really interesting to get inside his mind and follow his thought process and research - is Regan possessed or can this be explained by some psychological disorder? As someone who believes in demonic possession, I find these sections of the book incredibly informative. And they help me build my argument for people who try to tell me that these things don't exist because all the symptoms can be explained away by science. In my opinion, they can't. *insert sassy emoji*This book is one of the very very few that I struggle to read in bed at night. I've become very desensitised to horror, but I think a lot of us still have certain triggers that overwhelm us and send our brain into overdrive. Demonic possession is one of my triggers, as are murderous home invaders (I'm looking at you Golden State Killer). As well as being unnerving and scary, it gets pretty uncomfortable to read at times, particularly when it comes to trying to imagine a young girl screaming expletives in a growling voice coupled with her constant projectile vomiting. And the crucifix scene. I honestly felt like I needed to go to mass after reading that scene. It will always remain one of the most horrific sections I've ever read.One of my favourite aspects of The Exorcist, and Blatty's works in general (what I've read so far anyway), is his examination of good vs evil. This seems to be a recurrent theme and one that he is very accomplished at exploring. This merely isn't a story about the possession of a young girl, but its really a commentary on a vast range of topics such as faith and the lack of it, to what exists after death, if anything exists at all. It might be presented as "horror" on the surface, but really it goes so much deeper than that.All the stars!! It somehow gets better on each read.

The Exorcist (The Exorcist #1), William Peter BlattyAn elderly Jesuit priest named Father Lankester Merrin is leading an archaeological dig in northern Iraq and is studying ancient relics. After discovering a small statue of the demon Pazuzu (an actual ancient Assyrian demon), a series of omens alerts him to a pending confrontation with a powerful evil, which, unknown to the reader at this point, he has battled before in an exorcism in Africa. Meanwhile, in Georgetown, a young girl named Regan MacNeil is living with her famous mother, actress Chris MacNeil, who is in Georgetown filming a movie. As Chris finishes her work on the film, Regan begins to become inexplicably ill. After a gradual series of poltergeist-like disturbances in their rented house, for which Chris attempts to find rational explanations, Regan begins to rapidly undergo disturbing psychological and physical changes: she refuses to eat or sleep, becomes withdrawn and frenetic, and increasingly aggressive and violent. Chris initially mistakes Regan's behavior as a result of repressed anger over her parents' divorce and absent father. After several unsuccessful psychiatric and medical treatments, Regan's mother, an atheist, turns to a local Jesuit priest for help as Regan's personality becomes increasingly disturbed. Father Damien Karras, who is currently going through a crisis of faith coupled with the loss of his mother, agrees to see Regan as a psychiatrist, but initially resists the notion that it is an actual demonic possession. After a few meetings with the child, now completely inhabited by a diabolical personality, he turns to the local bishop for permission to perform an exorcism on the child. The bishop with whom he consults does not believe Karras is qualified to perform the rites, and appoints the experienced Merrin—who has recently returned to the United States—to perform the exorcism, although he does allow the doubt-ridden Karras to assist him. The lengthy exorcism tests the priests both physically and spiritually. When Merrin, who had previously suffered cardiac arrhythmia, dies during the process, completion of the exorcism ultimately falls upon Father Karras. When he demands that the demonic spirit inhabit him instead of the innocent Regan, the demon seizes the opportunity to possess the priest. Karras heroically surrenders his own life in exchange for Regan's by jumping out of her bedroom window and falling to his death, regaining his faith in God as his last rites are read.تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سال 1995میلادیعنوان: ج‍ن‌گ‍ی‍ر؛ نویسنده: وی‍ل‍ی‍ام‌ پ‍ی‍ت‍ر ب‍لات‍ی‌؛ مت‍رج‍م: ب‍ه‍رام‌ اف‍راس‍ی‍اب‍ی‌؛ ت‍ه‍ران ن‍ش‍ر ال‍ب‍رز، 1372؛ در 355ص، مصور؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی - سده 20مهمانگونه که از عنوان کتاب پیداست، روایت یک «جن گیر»، یعنی پیرامون «جن» و تسخیر انسان است، ماجرای دختری است، که «جن» او را تسخیر کرده، کتاب «جن گیر»، بسیار شناخته شده، و با گذشت چند دهه، هنوز هم یکی از بهترین رمانهای ژانر ترس، و با گذشت زمان، هنوز جزو ترسناکترین داستانهای جهان است؛ و بسیاری از رمانها، و داستانهای ژانر ترس و وحشت، از این کتاب الهام بگرفته اند؛ فیلم و سریال، با اقتباس و الهام از این داستان نیز ساخته شده است.؛ نخستین فیلم، که دو سال پس از چاپ کتاب، یعنی سال هزار و نهصد و هفتاد و یک میلادی، که کتاب چاپ شده و مورد استقبال چشمگیر قرار گرفته بود؛ فیلمی با همین نام «جن گیر» ساخته ی «پازوزو» نیز به سینمای جهان عرضه شد، که این فیلم نیز از بهترینهای سینمای ترس میباشدتاریخ بهنگام رسانی 04/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

An absolutely riveting tale of horror and faith. Compelling, shocking, and unflinching, this story will inspire thought provoking discussions (as well as nightmares)! Fantastically executed drama and mystery, with an air of creeping dread, and later hope.