“The Exorcist”: the main differences between the 1973 classic and the book that gave rise to the film

Since it was announced, The Exorcist: The Devotee has generated a lot of expectations, especially after the release of trailers and comments from professionals involved in the production. The film is directed by David Gordon Green (in Halloween Kills It is Halloween Ends) and tells the story of two girls, Angela (Lidya Jewett) and Katherine (Olivia O’Neill), who disappear into a forest and return after three days, with no memories and accompanied by a strong evil presence.

The film is a continuation of the 1973 classic and features the actress Ellen Burstynwho reprises her role as Chris MacNeil, Regan’s mother (Linda Blair).

On the eve of the release of the film, which arrives in Brazil on October 11th, there is nothing better than learning a little more about this story that has terrorized the world for more than five decades. And a great way to do this is to know the main differences between The Exorcistfrom 1973, and the book that gave rise to the film, published two years earlier.

It is worth remembering, at the outset, that William Peter Blatty, author of the novel, was also responsible for adapting the script. His work was so efficient that he guaranteed the Oscar in Best Adapted Screenplay in the following year’s awards.

The fact that both – book and script – were written by the same person, however, does not mean that the works are the same. There are several differences, especially with regard to the construction of characters and the relationship dynamics between them.

Regan, for example, has a stronger bond with her father in the book, to the point of suffering greatly from his absence. In the film, the situation seems milder and Chris’s ex-husband is rarely mentioned.

Still regarding the protagonist, another pertinent change is that in the literary work the author leads readers to doubt, by implementing false clues that indicate physical and psychological problems instead of possession. In the film directed by William Friedkin, this suspicion is basically limited to doctors, as viewers know from the beginning that it is something supernatural.

Friendships and disagreements

The book also highlights a strong friendship between Father Damien Karras (played by Jason Miller in theaters) and Lieutenant William Kinderman (Lee J. Cobb), something that in the film adaptation is limited to a much more superficial relationship.

Another striking difference is that in the novel there are clashes between Chris and his assistant Sharon (played by Kitty Winn in the movie). While Chris is an atheist and avoids talking about religious matters with Regan, Sharon does so secretly, which bothers Chris and causes some arguments. Still about Sharon, her role in the literary work is much more relevant, including her participation in the exorcism ritual.

And speaking of exorcism, the book dedicates a lot of time to explaining how the investigations necessary for the Vatican to approve the ritual, something covered somewhat more briefly in the cinema.

Finally, although The Exorcist Although it caused great discomfort when it was released, mainly due to the scenes considered heretical, there is much more in the book. This is because the devil is willing to publicly humiliate Regan and Chris and, to achieve his objective, forces the girl to perform absurd sexual scenes and commit even more serious blasphemies.

New look

Far from harming the quality of the film, the changes to the script were conscious decisions by William Peter Blatty and William Friedkincapable of offering a new look at some aspects of the original story.

Now, with the launch of The Exorcist: The Devoteethe expectation is that the legacy of the greatest horror film in history will be continued, through a worthy production, unlike what happened with the sequels already made, especially with the infamous The Exorcist 2 – The Hereticfrom 1977.

Watch the trailer for The Exorcist: The Devotee below: