SERIES: The Exorcist, Book #1
AUTHOR: William Peter Blatty
AUTHOR: William Peter Blatty
NARRATOR: William Peter Blatty
PUBLISHER: HarperAudio
PUBLICATION DATE: October 4, 2011
FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook
LENGTH: 12 hrs and 51 mins
GENRE: Horror
Four decades after it first shook the nation, then the world, William Peter Blatty's thrilling masterwork of faith and demonic possession returns in an even more powerful form. Raw and profane, shocking and blood-chilling, it remains a modern parable of good and evil and perhaps the most terrifying novel ever written.
MY REVIEW:
If you think the movie is scary, you should listen to the audiobook! Hands down, this is the most chilling book that I have ever read.
Chris MacNeil is a 32-year-old actress and she lives with her 11-year-old daughter, Regan, and their housekeepers, Willi and Karl. Chris is recently divorced, and her ex-husband is not really in the picture where Regan is concerned. One night, Chris hears tapping sounds that seem to be coming from Regan’s bedroom. However, the sound stops as soon as Chris enters but she notices that the room seems unusually cold despite the heat from the radiator.
Following Regan’s birthday, things get worse. Regan starts to undergo behavioural changes, and Chris contributes it to the lack of communication from Regan’s father who did not call on her birthday. Regan begins behaving erratically, with fits of anger where she throws things and screams. She stops eating, and her grades at school begin to suffer. Chris phones her doctor in Los Angeles and asks for a referral to a local psychiatrist for Regan, who gives her the name of an internist in Washington as she is currently there filming a movie on location. Furniture and objects are being moved in the house, and Chris chalks it up to Regan’s attention-seeking behaviour. The internist diagnoses Regan with Hyperkinetic Behaviour Disorder and prescribes Ritalin for her. However, despite the medication, Regan continues to deteriorate. Her behaviour gets worse, and there is a foul smell emanating from her bedroom. Chris is desperate for help and answers, and she meets and confides in a Jesuit priest named Father Damien Karras. Considering that Chris is an atheist, this reveals her desperation and she expresses her fear that Regan is possessed. The only problem is that Father Karras is going through his own issues, and he feels that he is losing his faith. However, Father Karras is also a trained psychiatrist and agrees to see Regan. After spending time with Regan and witnessing her disturbing behaviour, he turns to the local bishop to ask for permission to perform an exorcism. Because of Father Karras’ current lack of faith, the bishop is concerned that he is not equipped to successfully perform the exorcism and he asks an elderly priest named Father Merrin to lead the exorcism.
This is a re-read for me, and I purchased the 40th Anniversary edition of the audiobook in 2011. I listened to it then, and I was completely riveted by the story. There is nothing more chilling than demonic possession, and to hear Blatty narrate his own story gave me goosebumps! He was fantastic! Five years later, I listened to this audiobook again and it has not lost its fear-provoking ability! I think knowing what was going to happen made it all the more scary the second time around.
I did watch The Exorcist (1973) movie as a teen, and who doesn’t remember Linda Blair’s green vomit and how her head spun around? However, aside from those memorable gems, I did not recall a lot of the details in the book. In fact, I was actually a bit shocked by Regan’s vulgarity! I did not remember that from the movie at all. I have requested the DVD from the library and will have to re-watch it.
MY RATING:
5 stars!! It was superb! I loved it and plan to re-read it again in the future. You definitely have to put it on your TBR list if you enjoy horror!
This book qualifies as:
#57 for my 2016 You Read How Many Books? Challenge
#57 for my 2016 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
#51 for my Backlist Books Reading Challenge
#41 for my 2016 Audiobook Challenge
#6 for my 2016 Book to Movie Challenge
#20 for my 2016 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge
#7 for my 2016 Horror Reading Challenge
#3 for my The Hard Core Re-Reading Challenge 2016
#14 for my R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Reading Challenge
Task #2 for my Goodreads Fall 2016 Scavenger
View all my reviews
Chris MacNeil is a 32-year-old actress and she lives with her 11-year-old daughter, Regan, and their housekeepers, Willi and Karl. Chris is recently divorced, and her ex-husband is not really in the picture where Regan is concerned. One night, Chris hears tapping sounds that seem to be coming from Regan’s bedroom. However, the sound stops as soon as Chris enters but she notices that the room seems unusually cold despite the heat from the radiator.
Following Regan’s birthday, things get worse. Regan starts to undergo behavioural changes, and Chris contributes it to the lack of communication from Regan’s father who did not call on her birthday. Regan begins behaving erratically, with fits of anger where she throws things and screams. She stops eating, and her grades at school begin to suffer. Chris phones her doctor in Los Angeles and asks for a referral to a local psychiatrist for Regan, who gives her the name of an internist in Washington as she is currently there filming a movie on location. Furniture and objects are being moved in the house, and Chris chalks it up to Regan’s attention-seeking behaviour. The internist diagnoses Regan with Hyperkinetic Behaviour Disorder and prescribes Ritalin for her. However, despite the medication, Regan continues to deteriorate. Her behaviour gets worse, and there is a foul smell emanating from her bedroom. Chris is desperate for help and answers, and she meets and confides in a Jesuit priest named Father Damien Karras. Considering that Chris is an atheist, this reveals her desperation and she expresses her fear that Regan is possessed. The only problem is that Father Karras is going through his own issues, and he feels that he is losing his faith. However, Father Karras is also a trained psychiatrist and agrees to see Regan. After spending time with Regan and witnessing her disturbing behaviour, he turns to the local bishop to ask for permission to perform an exorcism. Because of Father Karras’ current lack of faith, the bishop is concerned that he is not equipped to successfully perform the exorcism and he asks an elderly priest named Father Merrin to lead the exorcism.
This is a re-read for me, and I purchased the 40th Anniversary edition of the audiobook in 2011. I listened to it then, and I was completely riveted by the story. There is nothing more chilling than demonic possession, and to hear Blatty narrate his own story gave me goosebumps! He was fantastic! Five years later, I listened to this audiobook again and it has not lost its fear-provoking ability! I think knowing what was going to happen made it all the more scary the second time around.
I did watch The Exorcist (1973) movie as a teen, and who doesn’t remember Linda Blair’s green vomit and how her head spun around? However, aside from those memorable gems, I did not recall a lot of the details in the book. In fact, I was actually a bit shocked by Regan’s vulgarity! I did not remember that from the movie at all. I have requested the DVD from the library and will have to re-watch it.
MY RATING:
#57 for my 2016 You Read How Many Books? Challenge
#57 for my 2016 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
#51 for my Backlist Books Reading Challenge
#41 for my 2016 Audiobook Challenge
#6 for my 2016 Book to Movie Challenge
#20 for my 2016 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge
#7 for my 2016 Horror Reading Challenge
#3 for my The Hard Core Re-Reading Challenge 2016
#14 for my R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Reading Challenge
Task #2 for my Goodreads Fall 2016 Scavenger
View all my reviews
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