Forty years ago on this date one of the top horror films of all times was released. Based on a book by the same name, the movie The Exorcist was well received by the movie going public. Little known is that when the book was first released in 1971 it was selling so poorly that stores were shipping their copies back to the publisher. In fact, a major department store at the time, Mays, returned all copies they had been provided.
However, it was a by chance appearance on the Dick Cavette show that changed everything. While eating lunch with a publisher at a NY restaurant, the publisher received a call seeing if Blatty, who had been turned down by the show in the past (who wants a failed author on their show) would be able to fill in for a scheduled guest. Blatty said yes, and literally ran to the studio for taping. Luck was on his side, his couple minute stint turned to 45 minutes when the primary guest was unable to, apparently, stay sober. His on -air discussion of the book would launch it to the best seller list, where it would stay for one year. Let us remember this is the early 1970's well before Al Gore invention of the internet made it the world wide web. Blatty started writing the book in 1969. After graduation from college, Blatty who is now in his mid-eighties, was a vacuum cleaner salesman. Not exactly an illustrious career path, particularly for a Georgetown graduate. But his Jesuit Georgetown education would serve him well in giving him the background to write about demonic possession, and propel him to success.
The movie received mixed reviews, but was a hit with the public. Directed by William Friedkin, Blatty would write the screenplay for a movie which garnered many academy award nominations. Blatty would win an Oscar for his writing of the screenplay. Top honors were not earned as they would go to The Sting. The movie also had the affect of making the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington DC rather famous. People would flock to see the locations at which the movie was filmed. This work is apparently based on a 1949 exorcism that took place in Maryland. Friedkin was allowed access to diaries of the priests, and medical personnel involved in that 1949 exorcism. Exorcism today is more regularly practiced by Protestant denominations, than Roman Catholic, even though the book and movie tend to make it a practice by the Latin church.
What is it about the movie, and the book, that made this story so popular? William Peter Blatty believes it to be a simple message, redemption and salvation. This of course gets to the core teaching of Christianity, that we often hear, that "God so loved the world that he sent his only son" for our redemption. While classified as a Horror film, I am not so sure that the author would agree of its placement in this genre. In his 1994 book The Exorcist Tells His Story, Gabriele Amorth makes some telling comments a few of which are: First, that Satan, having been defeated by Christ, fights against the followers of Christ. Second, that even Satan was originally created by God, and God never rejects his creatures. Third, Satan and his angels (I guess contrary to what we usually think, not all angels are good angels) "maintain their power and rank even if they use them for evil purposes" (p. 26). Finally, in perhaps one of his more poignant statements, at the beginning of his book, Amorth brings up the difference between predestination, and God's providence when he comments:
When I am told that God already knows who will be saved, and who will be damned, and therefore anything we do is useless, I usually answer with four truths that the Bible spells out for us: God wants that everyone be saved; no one is predestined to go to hell; Jesus died for everyone; and everyone is given sufficient graces for salvation. (p. 22)This brings us back to Blatty's comment on the success of the book and movie. Is there anything more powerful than that God loves us and gives us what we need for salvation and eternal life?
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