The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty (Audiobook)

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Published: October 4, 2001

HarperAudio

Listening Length: 12 hours 51 minutes

Narrator: William Peter Blatty, Eliana Shaskan

Genre: Horror

KKECReads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I purchased this book on Audible.

William Peter Blatty is the bestselling author of The Exorcist, which he turned into an Academy Award-winning screenplay. The son of immigrant parents, he was a comic novelist before embarking on a four-decade career as a Hollywood writer, penning the screenplays for A Shot in the Dark, What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?, the Julie Andrews romantic comedy Darling Lili, and The Ninth Configuration (which he also directed), among many other films. A graduate of Georgetown University, he lives with his wife, Julie, in Bethesda, Maryland.

Originally published in 1971, The Exorcist, one of the most controversial novels ever written, went on to become a literary phenomenon: It spent fifty-seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, seventeen consecutively at number one. Inspired by a true story of a child’s demonic possession in the 1940s, William Peter Blatty created an iconic novel that focuses on Regan, the eleven-year-old daughter of a movie actress residing in Washington, D.C. A small group of overwhelmed yet determined individuals must rescue Regan from her unspeakable fate, and the drama that ensues is gripping and unfailingly terrifying. Two years after its publication, The Exorcist was, of course, turned into a wildly popular motion picture, garnering ten Academy Award nominations. On opening day of the film, lines of the novel’s fans stretched around city blocks. In Chicago, frustrated moviegoers used a battering ram to gain entry through the double side doors of a theater. In Kansas City, police used tear gas to disperse an impatient crowd who tried to force their way into a cinema. The three major television networks carried footage of these events; CBS’s Walter Cronkite devoted almost ten minutes to the story. The Exorcist was, and is, more than just a novel and a film: it is a literary landmark. Purposefully raw and profane, The Exorciststill has the extraordinary ability to disturb readers and cause them to forget that it is “just a story.” Newly polished and added to by it author and published here in this beautiful fortieth anniversary edition, it remains an unforgettable reading experience and will continue to shock and frighten a new generation of readers.

“My heart has a wish: that you would not go.”

This was the scariest book I’ve ever listened to. I’ve seen the movie, and to this day, it terrifies me. I’ve always wanted to read the book but never had.

On a day when I had no podcasts to listen to, this was the only audiobook that was already downloaded, so I pressed play. Whew.

I listened to this in my car and while at my desk at work. There were several times my boss accidentally ended up startling me.

I had to take several listening breaks when things got intense, but this was a well-done novel, and the audio is fantastic.

William Blatty did a phenomenal job narrating this novel. There was something extra having the author, the brain behind this story, record it. Blatty performed beautifully.

I usually don’t particularly appreciate being read to, but between the contents of this novel and the method in which it was performed, I couldn’t stop. When I finished this book, I just sat staring at the wall for several moments.

This is such a terrifying story. The film is scary, but the book is so much scarier! I think every horror fan needs to give this novel a read (or listen) at some point.

If you listen at work- just be cautious. Anyone walking into your office while you’re listening to an exorcism will scare the daylights out of you.

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