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The Exorcist

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The Exorcist

By: William Peter Blatty
Narrated by: William Peter Blatty
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE MOST TERRIFYING NOVEL EVER WRITTEN.

THE SCARIEST MOVIE EVER MADE.

Father Damien Karras: 'Where is Regan?'

Regan MacNeil: 'In here. With us.'

The terror begins unobtrusively. Noises in the attic. In the child's room, an odd smell, the displacement of furniture, an icy chill. At first, easy explanations are offered. Then frightening changes begin to appear in eleven-year-old Regan. Medical tests fail to shed any light on her symptoms, but it is as if a different personality has invaded her body.

Father Damien Karras, a Jesuit priest, is called in. Is it possible that a demonic presence has possessed the child? Exorcism seems to be the only answer...

First published in 1971, The Exorcist became a literary phenomenon and inspired one of the most shocking films ever made. This audio edition, polished, expanded and narrated by the author, includes new dialogue, a new character and a chilling new extended scene, provides an unforgettable listening experience that has lost none of its power to shock and continues to thrill and terrify new listeners.

A tremendous novel...fast, powerful and completely gripping - Sunday Express

Immensely satisfying... holds its audience in a vice-like grip - LA Times

©2011 William Peter Blatty 1971 (P)2011 Penguin Audio
Classics Exorcism Ghosts Occult Supernatural Tie-in Scary Fiction Haunted
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What listeners say about The Exorcist

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LISTEN TO THIS BOOK

What a story, truly terrifying and heartbreaking.
William Peter Blatty is a terrific narrator and truly adds to the story.
Highly, highly recommend.

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Overall solid audio with minor annoyances

I find this one somewhat tricky to review as I don't want to misjudge it.

For someone who has been over exposed to the genre, I found quite tiresome the fact that a very large part of this book is trying to explain the possession with reasonable / logical theories.
That was getting really boring for me and found myself just skipping forward.
If you have been living under a rock, are new to the genre or simply a young listener this might not be an annoyance to you.

The narration is not great, but not bad either. Gets creepy at times. I would have liked a narrator with a more clear enunciation.

Generally though this is a classic. You know what to expect and you can't go wrong with it. The ammount of enjoyment you will be getting out of this comes from the familiarity with the genre and possibly your age, I would say.

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Brilliant book, read brilliantly also...

Great book, scary as well as a great story.
Perfect to listen to on a rainy day smoking a dutch cigarette.

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Exorcist experience

Great story kept me interested with each turn page leaving you with a happy customer

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brilliant

Was looking for a book that actually made me quake. This is it. Enjoy.

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great reading of a modern classic

great reading of a modern classic. no more to say but I have to pack this out to fifteen words.

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Blatty nails this. It caused a nightmare for me.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. We all know the story but Blatty adds so much to it in his reading. Genuinely impressed with the mood and atmosphere he injected into the reading.

What other book might you compare The Exorcist to, and why?

I keep thinking of Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. In a way another tale of evil, and awful demons with souls on the line.

What about William Peter Blatty’s performance did you like?

Just brilliant. Moody and somewhat depressing. You can really feel the hopelessness of the situation.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No: Almost too intense. Needs to sipped.

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Took a while but in the end I loved it!

Hi, I imagine most of you, like me, have seen the film first, and this audiobook is pretty damn close to the film. So if you just want a little bit more, or are just curious then I recommend this book highly.
The audiobook has obviously been recorded since the film was released in 1973 and its no wonder that it caused such controversy back in the day as it still holds it’s own now in 2020.
Narration-wise, I think that William Peter Blatty must have mimicked the actors of said film because often it’s almost exact! However, I found it difficult to listen to an elderly gentleman “acting” the part of an hysterical woman/mother and parts of the book had me cringing.
That said, I really enjoyed the male-to-male conversations and especially the demon-to-whomever parts which were second to none!
It’s a slow burner, I almost gave up on it, but it was well worth it in the end. And if I’m the only person that often laughs at what the demon says, then I’m a very bad person 😂
Enjoy.

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Fantastic

As is typical the book is massively superior to the movie. However after listening to this I appreciate how good the movie is and how true to the source material it is.
The movie was deemed a horror although that wasn't the directors intention.(something I read online)

The movie petrified me as a kid.
As I'm older and less emotional /more dead inside the book didn't scare me as much as I thought it would. But it was still plenty creepy and this was listening to it during the day at work. I'm sure it would be different listening to it at night in bed.

I cried at the end, something I definitely didn't expect since I'm a heartless bastard these days. I especially didn't expect to be moved by this book like I was.


The narrator was fantastic.

8/8

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Outstanding

A well crafted story. The mix of extreme horror and realism makes it even more shocking. The language is explicit and possibly blasphemous, but not gratuitous. There are elements of humour: the dialogue between Karras and Dyer, and Karras and Kinderman is amusing. There are kind, tender moments too. It is a sad story. The author is, at times, over indulgent; it could have been condensed, yet somehow because of the rhythm of the writing and the narration it is acceptable. The narrator (the author) is exceptional. Loved it.

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