The Exorcist Review

I cannot stress enough how much I loved this book. Blatty has a way with words. The opening paragraph does a beautiful job of setting up the rest of the book. This had the right balance of character and horror elements of most of the readings this semester. Blatty’s verse has this literary quality to it, which lends it a quality which lends the story an unearthly tone and carries the mood throughout the novel.

I found Chris to be stronger character than I think most people will give her credit for. In some ways, she reminds me of my own: if there was a problem, why not tackle it head-on? And if it doesn’t give, take a few more whacks at it. Reagan, yes, she is a child, but she does show an acute sense of self up until her possession. Father Karras is a deal more complex. However, Blatty doesn’t ignore any supporting characters, like Dennings the drunk.

What is truly frightening about this novel was certainly the demon, but the fear is multilayered. In one sense, the plight of the characters pulls the reader in and drags them through their own personal Hell. Father Karras, has the plight of his faith, his profession, and his ailing mother. Karras was an Everyman in this sense. Chris, too. Her attempts to balance her career, raising a daughter on her own. This is what gives this novel its power. When confronted with the evil that has taken her daughter, she was literally and figuratively, watching her daughter die.

During Reagan’s possession, we see the true evil, and the true terror of this novel. Not only does the demon take a child, but it speaks vulgarities against the divine aspect of creation, but it is aware of events. Such as Damien Karras’s loss of his mother. It is moments like this that made me wonder if evil will win. Another frightening aspect of the demon is surely its disdain for human life, calling Reagan a piglet on several occasions. With Blatty’s writing, we see a weakness I the demon. When Karras questioned whether or not it was in fact the devil (Satan), the demon became irate. Surely, if this was Lucifer himself, the possession would not be as violet. I would even go so far as to say this was a lower demon.

If Dante’s Divine Comedy is any parallel, Lucifer is stationary in the center of the ninth circle of Hell with the lower demons acting as emissaries to give him souls. God is the center of Paradise, and usually acts through His angels. With this in mind, it seems that the demon was lying to itself, but it couldn’t fool Karras.

If there’s anything to be said about Blatty’s writing, I would have to say he is a bit long-winded at times, but he makes up for this with his high-tension scenes. I’ve noticed he has his calm periods, but the tension is still there and it builds in such a way where I spent entire afternoons turning pages. One of the most chilling aspects of Blatty’s writing style is the combination of simple and yet literary style: you know what’s going on around you, but you’re utterly helpless to stop it.