The Exorcist

“Ah yes! The holy urine now! The semen of the saints!” I just finished the book that lead to this magnum opus of cinema and horror and it was incredible the immense amount of detail that William Peter Blatty put into the narrative of medicine vs religion and the major question of life being, is there a god and a devil? is exponentially clear whether it’s from just the sheer words used or just Chris MacNeil going through a book of witchcraft and the pages being described as if it were the very book you were reading it’s incredible and not too mention terrifying and as someone who’s watched the film countless times I found myself genuinely questioning whether all this is psychological which the film tried to do but due to the boundaries and constraints of filmmaking couldn’t get across nearly as detailed. **“Yes, sprinkle! Sprinkle, Merrin! Drench us! Drown us in your sweat! You Sanctified, saint Merrin! Bend and fart out clouds of incense! Bend and show the holy rump that we may worship and adore it! Kiss it! Lick it” ** In the book there is even more scary shit that happens to Regan and the family on top of everything the film shows just too up the anti on an already uncomfortable journey we are being put through with this innocent 12 year old girl I would quite literally happily watch a film that has a scene for EVERY SINGLE page no matter how long because the depth of the characters make it all the more impactful which the film also excelled in may I add this just takes it up a level given life to Willy, Karl and Shannon it’s fantastic. “I would put it in the hands of a higher authority” And a question I always had from the film, was answered within which is why lieutenant Kinderman was so ok with everything that happened and didn’t press on the case of Denning’s death more.? There was an entire segment of pages where Kinderman and Damien Karras (who btw is one of my favourite characters ever now) spoke about the case and Kinderman physically asks Karras what he should do and the quote above this segment of text was the conclusion and I thought it was a beautiful quote Kinderman does reply something of the lines of: **“I believe he is already in that house” ** That to me secured the book as a clear superior to the film and will remain as my favourite book to exist potentially ever. I recommend it highly the audible version is just as good if not better also. **“Yes, she will die and Merrin’s god will not save her, Karras! You will not save her! She will die from Merrin’s pride and your incompetence! Bungler! You should not have given her the Librium!” ** William Peter Blatty (1928-2017) **you are a genius. **