Reading The Exorcist

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as spiritual reading.

The author, William Peter Blatty, is a devout Catholic and from what I hear, wrote the book to explain the battle of Good vs Evil. It’s supposedly a book on the importance of faith and religion (especially Catholicism).

So I decided to read it for some spiritual reading.
 
I haven’t read it. In which ways does the book compare to the movie?

The Exorcist vies with The Ring for the number one creepiest/scariest movie I’ve ever seen, even taking into consideration the lack of modern special effects.

Unlike some other posters I’ve seen on CAF, I’ve never been one to give much thought to “the devil” himself (as an abstract force of evil). But I wonder, if I weren’t a religious person, would it have creeped me out as much?🤷
 
I saw the exorcist when I was onlly twelve years old. It deeply affected me to this day. I know there is satan amoung us, but I personally think he works through people and their mindsets. He uses our weakness for us to sin and knows what they are. I try not to think about things like this, and focus on prayer and St.Michael when I think satan is involved.
The exorcist is fiction. I recently saw the movie ‘the rite’ and that seemed more about Possession than the exorcist-of course hollywood ruined it with fake graphics, but it seemed more inline with my beliefs about such things.
Just my 2 cents
 
SalesianSDB said:
as spiritual reading.

The author, William Peter Blatty, is a devout Catholic and from what I hear, wrote the book to explain the battle of Good vs Evil. It’s supposedly a book on the importance of faith and religion (especially Catholicism).

So I decided to read it for some spiritual reading.
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When I was in 8th grade, the good sisters that taught in our school sent a note home telling the parents not to let us read the book. My parents bought the book, read it, and then got it out of our house. When I was an adult, I finally read the book. It does have some strong themes of faith and the dangers of evil.

That being said, I am really glad that Sr. Elizabeth and my parents worked together to keep it out of my hands when I was 13. :eek: I seriously think I would have been scarred, spiritually and emotionally at that age and stage.
 
Read it during the day only. :eek::eek:

Anyone here seen the Conjurer (also based on a true story). I’m a bit of a scaredy cat, will have to watch it during the day and then watch a comedy so I can forget what I have seen. 😃
 
If you really want to be creeped out, check out a book called “The Dark Sacrament.” It’s a collection of stories of exorcism/deliverence, half come from a Catholic priest and half come from a Protestant minister. It’s been years since I’ve read it, but I remember it having some of the creepiest/scariest stuff I’ve ever read.
 
I read it 35 years ago, as a full-grown adult, with the lights full on, in my USAF barracks room, and I was scared spitless.:eek:

Never saw the movie. Too scary for me.
 
Some of the images in the movie (depicting sacrilege and the demonic self-abuse of the possessed girl) are quite difficult to watch. The book has the same incidents, but reading isn’t as bad as seeing them. I think it is a moral book, and it doesn’t flinch at showing the battle between good and evil being played out on a small stage. It definitely isn’t for children or the easily disturbed or those prone to nightmares.

Blatty has been a lifelong (85 years!) Roman Catholic, incidentally. His parents came from Lebanon on a cattle boat. His mother, who was deeply religious and raised him in the Faith, was the niece of Bishop Germanos Mouakad, who founded the Missionary Society of St. Paul in The Lebanon.
 
I read it again a few years ago, almost 35 years from the first time–even better and scarier

Most horror does not hold up well with the passage of years. This one does
 
I read it only once, sometime in the mid-80s, when I was 13 years old. Scared me silly.

Made the mistake, early on, to read at night alone in my room with the window open. I became convinced something was just outside, looking in. Creepy … Goose bumps all up and down my arms. Kept looking over and finally was unable to concentrate on the book. I finally raced out of the room, got my brother to come in on some pretense or other so I could close the window, lock it and pull the shade down.

Still gives me chills just thinking about it!
 
Exceedingly creepy. Read it when it came out in the seventies (I was in high school). I think the general consensus is that the story that Blatty used–a supposed case of possession in Maryland–did not actually occur. There are interesting passages in the book about possession itself and its history. Idk if they are 100% true though. I also saw the movie when it first came out. Made my flesh crawl. :bigyikes:
 
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