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Exorcising My Demons: An Actress' Journey to the Exorcist and Beyond
Exorcising My Demons is the story about dreams, about taking great chances, believing in yourself, and never looking back. For Eileen Dietz--a skinny, little, flat-chested, buck-toothed child from Queens-those dreams and a myriad of choices led to a role in the scariest movie of all time... The Exorcist. For the first time, Eileen tells her heartbreaking, funny and inspiring story. From auditioning for the role of a demon to becoming the legendary "Pazuzu," to performing some of the most infamous scenes in the movie, Eileen got to be part of film history...only to be denied credit for the work she did. With over fifty film, stage and television credits to her name, Eileen has had a career most actors dream of. But like most, her success was not had without a price. Her story is one of a fighter, but also a dreamer. For Eileen, it was never enough to simply have the dream; you have to follow the dream.
372 pages, Paperback
First published December 20, 2012
4 people are currently reading
235 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Loubier
8 books5 followersDaniel Loubier lives on the Connecticut shore with his wife and son. His first novel, "Dead Summit," was released on October 15, 2011, in tandem with Kane Hodder's biography, "Unmasked," under AuthorMike Dark Ink. His short stories have been featured online and in numerous anthologies under Open Casket Press, an imprint of Living Dead Press. "Exorcising My Demons: An Actress' Journey to The Exorcist and Beyond," co-written with Eileen Dietz, is his first nonfiction release. He is currently working on his third novel, "Those Among Us," along with a children's book with artist and co-author Brian J. Orlowski; both books will be available in 2014. To find out more about the author, visit him on Facebook (Daniel Loubier), Twitter (@DeadSummit), and on his website, www.danloubier.com.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 9, 2019
Exorcising My Demons follows the standard formula for memoirs the world over with ample time spent covering the author’s childhood and upbringing. There are countless anecdotes regarding family and a desire for attention. Dietz is self-deprecating, frequently referring to herself as “a skinny, little, flat-chested, buck-toothed child from Queens” with dreams of being an actress. There is also much discussion regarding several “bad decisions” and a willful defiance of good advice over the years.
You can read ZigZag's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read ZigZag's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
September 28, 2013
With the myriad of autobiographies that literally flood the market like a tsunami of self-serving life-scenarios & sullen tragedies, it is a complete satisfaction to read one's story of both triumph & hardship, and in the end you find yourself standing up to applaud. Now all you need is one of the most terrifying films to grace the silver screen as a backdrop, compliment it with a storyteller that seems to speak to YOU, the reader directly, and there you have it....page-turning GOLD.
Eileen Dietz, the actress with over fifty screen credits to her illustrious career, (most notably, the demon Pazuzu that possessed Linda Blair's character in The Exorcist), gives the reader a look into her beginnings as a scrawny kid from Queens, NY who dreamed big, and achieved even bigger...but these dreams were attained by traveling some roughly-paved roads. The thing that I found so sincere about this book is that not even 5 pages in, Dietz apologizes to those that she may have hurt in her life - now I've read a multitude of autobiographies in my time, and I don't think I've seen BOTH an apology and a true feeling for the sadness that one holds for aggrieving another..and that fellow readers, is a rarity among the celeb set.
Mrs. Dietz conveys many stories of both her youth and later years, funny on one end, and heavyhearted on the other, and they way that they are presented to you is as if you are sitting in a room with her, and she is confiding in a warm-souled, longtime friend. True fans of The Exorcist will find her behind-the-scenes tales about the movie engaging and fulfilling, from her audition attempt to the words that sent William Friedkin into a tailspin and proclaimed that "you'll never work in this business again !!" Lest we forget about the soap opera fanatics that will want to pick this book up, as there are many accounts of her days working on long-running daytime dramas General Hospital & Guiding Light.
Her story is compelling and inspiring to say the least - as she gave the utmost of herself for the filming of The Exorcist, it was quite a long time before she was truly appreciated for the work that she'd done for the movie itself, and while most performers would have simply given up, Dietz pressed on and used the incident as a springboard to propel herself into numerous other roles. I'm simply a reviewer of movies & books - my words often go unlooked at, and that's fine with me, but if I could advise anyone to give a certain book a look that will make the inner dreamer in them want to jump out, it would be this one. Pick it up and use Mrs. Dietz's words as a guide, and enjoy her stories along the way.
Eileen Dietz, the actress with over fifty screen credits to her illustrious career, (most notably, the demon Pazuzu that possessed Linda Blair's character in The Exorcist), gives the reader a look into her beginnings as a scrawny kid from Queens, NY who dreamed big, and achieved even bigger...but these dreams were attained by traveling some roughly-paved roads. The thing that I found so sincere about this book is that not even 5 pages in, Dietz apologizes to those that she may have hurt in her life - now I've read a multitude of autobiographies in my time, and I don't think I've seen BOTH an apology and a true feeling for the sadness that one holds for aggrieving another..and that fellow readers, is a rarity among the celeb set.
Mrs. Dietz conveys many stories of both her youth and later years, funny on one end, and heavyhearted on the other, and they way that they are presented to you is as if you are sitting in a room with her, and she is confiding in a warm-souled, longtime friend. True fans of The Exorcist will find her behind-the-scenes tales about the movie engaging and fulfilling, from her audition attempt to the words that sent William Friedkin into a tailspin and proclaimed that "you'll never work in this business again !!" Lest we forget about the soap opera fanatics that will want to pick this book up, as there are many accounts of her days working on long-running daytime dramas General Hospital & Guiding Light.
Her story is compelling and inspiring to say the least - as she gave the utmost of herself for the filming of The Exorcist, it was quite a long time before she was truly appreciated for the work that she'd done for the movie itself, and while most performers would have simply given up, Dietz pressed on and used the incident as a springboard to propel herself into numerous other roles. I'm simply a reviewer of movies & books - my words often go unlooked at, and that's fine with me, but if I could advise anyone to give a certain book a look that will make the inner dreamer in them want to jump out, it would be this one. Pick it up and use Mrs. Dietz's words as a guide, and enjoy her stories along the way.
March 8, 2023
I have loved "The Exorcist" for years but only found out recently that there was an adult actress playing Regan/Pazuzu for parts that Linda Blair was considered too young to perform. And then I found out even more recently that that actress wrote a book, which I wanted to read immediately.
This autobiography will only be of interest to fans of "The Exorcist", and, unfortunately, that part of the book is pretty brief. Also, very unfortunately, Eileen Dietz and her co-writer left out significant details that became important later in the book.
The book goes into how, after "The Exorcist" was released, the film-makers were angry that Dietz's role in the movie came out because they thought she violated a promise not to reveal her involvement, and it goes into how Dietz fought to get recognition for her role so that she could put it on her resume. But, when Dietz discussed the making and release of the film earlier in the book, she left out any discussion of the promise and her lack of recognition.
Other issues with the book are that it's not very well-written, and, aside from the part about "The Exorcist", it's boring. Ms. Dietz had a respectable career for an actress who is not famous, but it's just not very interesting.
I will recommend it only for people obsessed with "The Exorcist".
This autobiography will only be of interest to fans of "The Exorcist", and, unfortunately, that part of the book is pretty brief. Also, very unfortunately, Eileen Dietz and her co-writer left out significant details that became important later in the book.
The book goes into how, after "The Exorcist" was released, the film-makers were angry that Dietz's role in the movie came out because they thought she violated a promise not to reveal her involvement, and it goes into how Dietz fought to get recognition for her role so that she could put it on her resume. But, when Dietz discussed the making and release of the film earlier in the book, she left out any discussion of the promise and her lack of recognition.
Other issues with the book are that it's not very well-written, and, aside from the part about "The Exorcist", it's boring. Ms. Dietz had a respectable career for an actress who is not famous, but it's just not very interesting.
I will recommend it only for people obsessed with "The Exorcist".
October 17, 2024
I'm a huge fan of The Exorcist, I've seen it a million times and own the 40th anniversary dvd with all the 'never before seen' scenes in it...because it wasn't terrifying enough, right? Anyway I bought this book because I saw Eileen on youtube or something, in an interview, where she said she'd been the VOICE of the demon in The Exorcist and I thought 'cool, I wanna read her story.'. It started out really good, I enjoyed her story of the beginning of her career and thought she had a good attitude. It was so interesting to read how the film was made but I did question that she didn't mention being the voice, that she was Linda Blair's stunt double and the face of the demon. I didn't really dwell on that but then the big kaboom happened. Not gonna say what in case someone is reading or going to read the book but the inconsistencies were too hard to over-look. I'm not calling her a liar, but lets just say the first thing I questioned about her is her absolute mis-remembrance of a rather important scene in the film. And then she tells some 'secrets' and I just couldn't. I put the book down. I read some of the end of it but the sparkle had gone out of it for me. This is just an attempt at grabbing a bit of spotlight again for Eileen IMO. I may be wrong and if I am I apologize. I cannot, however, in good conscience, recommend this book.
October 3, 2022
First let me start with I LOVE The Exorcist. But Pazuzu, the character of the demon portrayed by Eileen Dietz in the movie, scares the ever loving crap outta me. And like Beetlejuice, I’ve seen the movie like 167 times. (It’s a comfort film, don’t judge me)
I worked with Eileen at a convention and she is the sweetest most adorable person, and honestly I kinda want her to adopt me! She was selling copies of her book at the show and I’m so glad I got a copy, as this was a really fun read. She even signed it for me! (I told you, she’s super sweet!)
This book is a fast read, really detailed and informative and is a fascinating look at what goes on behind the scenes in the movies business. Eileen describes in pretty awesome detail the work that goes into creating all the horrifying and fascinating characters she has played over the years, not just on The Exorcist but in productions like Planet of the Apes (for TV) & a successful run on General Hospital.
This is actually one of my favorite autobiographies I’ve read in a while. If you like autobiographies, or movies, or horror films, or if you just want to know a little more about what it takes to make it in Holly-weird, read this book!
I worked with Eileen at a convention and she is the sweetest most adorable person, and honestly I kinda want her to adopt me! She was selling copies of her book at the show and I’m so glad I got a copy, as this was a really fun read. She even signed it for me! (I told you, she’s super sweet!)
This book is a fast read, really detailed and informative and is a fascinating look at what goes on behind the scenes in the movies business. Eileen describes in pretty awesome detail the work that goes into creating all the horrifying and fascinating characters she has played over the years, not just on The Exorcist but in productions like Planet of the Apes (for TV) & a successful run on General Hospital.
This is actually one of my favorite autobiographies I’ve read in a while. If you like autobiographies, or movies, or horror films, or if you just want to know a little more about what it takes to make it in Holly-weird, read this book!
March 29, 2014
I just found out I won this book in a First Reads drawing. I can't wait to receive it, read it, and review it.
UPDATE:
I wanted to like this book. I really, really did. I like memoirs and I like Hollywood tell-alls. And when people are nice enough to give me a free copy of a book, I would prefer to write a positive review for them. But in this case, I just can’t.
First of all, the writing just isn’t very good. Some of the sentences are so awkwardly constructed that I couldn’t figure out what they were trying to convey. The book is full of sentence fragments. Verb tense often shifts within a single sentence. And I certainly hope that I was given an advanced reader’s copy, because this book is rife with grammatical errors and typos. I hope all of these problems are going to be fixed before people start buying this book.
Worse than the technical errors was the fact that Loubier’s writing didn’t grab me, move me, or compel me to continue reading. I could have put this book aside at just about any point and not felt any disappointment if I never learned what happened next. Honestly, the only reason I finished reading this book was because I felt a responsibility to write a fair review. Bottom line: if I were going to hire a ghost writer to help me write my memoirs, I would be sure to find someone who could construct sentences and paragraphs capable of holding a reader’s attention.
Perhaps I would like this book more if I were actually a fan of The Exorcist. In fact, I’ve never seen the movie. However, I thought the best parts of this book were the chapters dealing with the film, the parts about how Deitz was chosen for her role as the demon Pazuzu, how the makeup was applied, how many of the stunts and special effects were done in the pre-CGI early 1970s. The book might have been less of a chore to read if the chapters dealing with everything in Dietz’s life before and after her role in The Exorcist had been tightened up and condensed. Really, this book did not need to be more than a longish magazine article.
Also unnecessary (at least to me), is the thirteen pages of Dietz’s favorite fan letters. Sure, a person can toot her own horn in her memoir, but I think including these letters (which are all about how awesome and inspiring and life-changing she and the movie were) makes Dietz seem needy and lacking in confidence.
Deitz says that her childhood was “so painful” that she “blocked out many details,” but is quick to point out that she “was never mistreated…never beaten or smacked around or locked up in the playhouse in the backyard…” What was it that hurt Dietz so much as a little girl? She didn’t get enough attention. Her older sister and her twin with a disability got all or her parents’ attention. And then—horrors!—Deitz was given the smallest bedroom in the house! Give me a break. Sure, her parents gave her very little encouragement when she proclaimed she wanted to be an actress (although they did allow her to attend, and presumably paid for, acting classes at The Neighborhood Playhouse in NYC), but I think most parents would view such a career choice as a pipe dream. Yes, Deitz wanted her parents to notice her and support her aspirations, but isn’t that what most young people want? I don’t think exaggerating the “trauma” of Deitz’s childhood makes her seem more tragic or special.
This book is best as a document of a specific moment in cinematic history. It will appeal to fans of both The Exorcist and of Eileen Dietz. I really can’t recommend it to anyone else.
UPDATE:
I wanted to like this book. I really, really did. I like memoirs and I like Hollywood tell-alls. And when people are nice enough to give me a free copy of a book, I would prefer to write a positive review for them. But in this case, I just can’t.
First of all, the writing just isn’t very good. Some of the sentences are so awkwardly constructed that I couldn’t figure out what they were trying to convey. The book is full of sentence fragments. Verb tense often shifts within a single sentence. And I certainly hope that I was given an advanced reader’s copy, because this book is rife with grammatical errors and typos. I hope all of these problems are going to be fixed before people start buying this book.
Worse than the technical errors was the fact that Loubier’s writing didn’t grab me, move me, or compel me to continue reading. I could have put this book aside at just about any point and not felt any disappointment if I never learned what happened next. Honestly, the only reason I finished reading this book was because I felt a responsibility to write a fair review. Bottom line: if I were going to hire a ghost writer to help me write my memoirs, I would be sure to find someone who could construct sentences and paragraphs capable of holding a reader’s attention.
Perhaps I would like this book more if I were actually a fan of The Exorcist. In fact, I’ve never seen the movie. However, I thought the best parts of this book were the chapters dealing with the film, the parts about how Deitz was chosen for her role as the demon Pazuzu, how the makeup was applied, how many of the stunts and special effects were done in the pre-CGI early 1970s. The book might have been less of a chore to read if the chapters dealing with everything in Dietz’s life before and after her role in The Exorcist had been tightened up and condensed. Really, this book did not need to be more than a longish magazine article.
Also unnecessary (at least to me), is the thirteen pages of Dietz’s favorite fan letters. Sure, a person can toot her own horn in her memoir, but I think including these letters (which are all about how awesome and inspiring and life-changing she and the movie were) makes Dietz seem needy and lacking in confidence.
Deitz says that her childhood was “so painful” that she “blocked out many details,” but is quick to point out that she “was never mistreated…never beaten or smacked around or locked up in the playhouse in the backyard…” What was it that hurt Dietz so much as a little girl? She didn’t get enough attention. Her older sister and her twin with a disability got all or her parents’ attention. And then—horrors!—Deitz was given the smallest bedroom in the house! Give me a break. Sure, her parents gave her very little encouragement when she proclaimed she wanted to be an actress (although they did allow her to attend, and presumably paid for, acting classes at The Neighborhood Playhouse in NYC), but I think most parents would view such a career choice as a pipe dream. Yes, Deitz wanted her parents to notice her and support her aspirations, but isn’t that what most young people want? I don’t think exaggerating the “trauma” of Deitz’s childhood makes her seem more tragic or special.
This book is best as a document of a specific moment in cinematic history. It will appeal to fans of both The Exorcist and of Eileen Dietz. I really can’t recommend it to anyone else.
October 16, 2014
I received a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads giveaways.
I am not much of a writer, which I think is why I like to read. I am in awe of those that are able to tell a story, true or completely made up. I like books that I can read in small increments of time, so I thought this would be a good book for me and I was very grateful to receive an autographed copy.
The thing I liked the most about this book was that even though it is written by both Eileen Dietz and Daniel Loubier, it reads like an autobiography. I really liked the first tense point of view.
The story moved along really well. I am not sure I could go back and recall that much detail, but it was really insightful. The end seemed a little more rushed than the beginning, but the story pulled me in. As a child, I took some acting lessons and as a child dreamed I might be an actress, but was told by so many how hard it was and you have to be able to take rejection well, which I do not. It was refreshing to hear it mentioned over and over again.
I have not seen The Exorcist as I was too young when it came out, but I have always wanted. Having some background information might make it less scarier if I am looking for Eileen instead of getting caught up in the story. Probably not. I was impressed that she was able to get across such a true and honest view of her life and the life of those that pursue the craft. Thank you for the journey.
I am not much of a writer, which I think is why I like to read. I am in awe of those that are able to tell a story, true or completely made up. I like books that I can read in small increments of time, so I thought this would be a good book for me and I was very grateful to receive an autographed copy.
The thing I liked the most about this book was that even though it is written by both Eileen Dietz and Daniel Loubier, it reads like an autobiography. I really liked the first tense point of view.
The story moved along really well. I am not sure I could go back and recall that much detail, but it was really insightful. The end seemed a little more rushed than the beginning, but the story pulled me in. As a child, I took some acting lessons and as a child dreamed I might be an actress, but was told by so many how hard it was and you have to be able to take rejection well, which I do not. It was refreshing to hear it mentioned over and over again.
I have not seen The Exorcist as I was too young when it came out, but I have always wanted. Having some background information might make it less scarier if I am looking for Eileen instead of getting caught up in the story. Probably not. I was impressed that she was able to get across such a true and honest view of her life and the life of those that pursue the craft. Thank you for the journey.
May 16, 2014
This is a fun autobiography that combines insights into the life of a career, journeywoman actress of stage and screen with memories of participating in high visibility projects. Act I of this telling, is the yearning to be an actress and the early break that led to wearing the makeup and doing the most demonic possessed Regan as Pazuzu and Captain Howdy in The Exorcist. Act II is building on her career and turmoils of career and love life, with highlights being appearing in General Hospital and The Planet of the Apes. Act III finds the mature and settled Dietz keeping in touch with the fans through indie productions and horror conventions.
December 30, 2014
This was a very interesting book. Eileen is a very remarkable woman. She handles all of her ups and downs with great professionalism. Every fan of the Excorcist should read this!!! I received this book in a giveaway.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews