Book #614 – The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

I’d say I’ve kept the fear factor down to a minimum with my reading list so far. I think it’s time to change that. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten the creepy crawling gooseflesh like I did with this novel. The Exorcist is partially based on the exorcism of Roland Doe (aka Robbie Mannheim), a 1949 case that could not conclude if the 14 year old boy was having a psychotic episode or was truly possessed, with most leaning towards the more scientific explanation. With the Catholic exorcism rites being modified in 1999, it’s actually even harder now to get permission to get one, and this book may be one of the reasons (just saying). Well, that and the trial after the 1976 death of Anneliese Michel, deemed negligent homicide after her failed exorcism.

The Exorcist was originally published in 1971, and Blatty also worked on the screenplay for the 1973 film. One thing to note is that I’ve rarely heard of the visceral reactions that the film apparently produced. In fact, reactions to the film led to the naming of a mental illness called cinematic neurosis. I’ve seen the movie, and its certainly earned its R rating and while I don’t agree with the video ban that the UK gave it until 1999, I sort of see how it could have earned that too. As for the book, I don’t normally try to persuade people against any book, but this is certainly not something for the faint of heart.