If There Were Demons, Then Perhaps There Were Angels: William Peter Blatty's Own Story of the Exorcist

by William Peter Blatty

An authorized account of how William Peter Blatty came to write both the novel and the screenplay of The Exorcist. Excited by an article he read as a student, Blatty describes the work he put into researching his novel and the frustrations he encountered in turning the book into the screenplay. Blatty's fascination with the subject was born out of an interest in showing that the existence of God, in contemporary America, could be proved, as he says, If there were demons, then perhaps there were angels and probably God and a life everlasting. His research eventually led him to tracking down priests who had participated in actual exorcisms. In doing so, Batty gathered enough evidence to write a novel that incorporated many of his factual findings.

Genres: Nonfiction, Horror, Memoir

58 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 1999

About the author

William Peter Blatty was an American writer and filmmaker. He wrote the novel The Exorcist (1971) and the subsequent screenplay version for which he won an Academy Award. Born and raised in New York City, Blatty received his bachelor's degree in English from the Georgetown University in 1950, and his master's degree in English literature from the George Washington University in 1954. He also wrote and directed the sequel "The Exorcist III". Some of his other notable works are the novels Elsewhere (2009), Dimiter (2010) and Crazy (2010).
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Reviews

[Omar Ahmad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mastermind novelist and screenwriter behind 'The Exorcist' shares his story about the infamous movie / book. His insights into the realms of religion and the cosmos betray a sharp intelligence; one relentlessly grappling with the metaphysical dimensions that are deeply intertwined with the mundane occurrences of everyday life.

An important indicator of success for any work of art is its ability to engender continuous debate and 'The Exorcist' does fulfill that ideal owing to the countless hate mail the author received post-release. In a way it reminds me of Ram Gopal Varma's 'Guns and Thighs' sans the auteur's cheesy references to hairy men with sweaty faces.

This tome is a must read for all curious souls. However, do make sure to read it in safe company. You do not want them demons to pounce!

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting account of the research and writing of The Exorcist. My only criticism is that it was way too short. It seemed to end abruptly.

[itchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

i guess this is his way of writing a comedy with the words demon(s) and exorcist in the title.

~2000 pages--we've had quite a run after a classmate introduced me to the exorcist (though it's a little sad that i've only acquired ~60%).
rest in peace.

the comedies were quite good, too.

p15: any yet all these findings taken together did not constitute the slimmest reed of evidence.

[Gabriel Benitez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Se trata de un ensayo de Blatty sobre como conoció el tema de la posesión y sobre su proceso para escribir EL EXORCISTA, así como un análisis sobre el fenómeno de las posesiones, el caso que inspiró la novela y el proceso de edición de la novela así como su adaptación al cine.

[Noreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting account by the author of how the novel and movie came into being. I knew a lot of it all ready. But did not know that Shirley MacLaine originally wanted to be Chris MacNeil.

[Rhiannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just some self indulging backstory, but it convinced me to read the novel.