Since 1973, The Exorcist and its progeny have scared and inspired half a century of filmgoers. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the original movie release, this is the definitive story of the scariest movie ever made and its lasting impact as one of the most shocking, influential, and successful adventures in the history of film.
He remembers the frenzy firsthand. But his new book dwells on production forensics: how the movie and its concept were developed and written and massaged ... Segaloff’s accounting of Exorcist spin-offs and versions is positively Wikipedian in its thoroughness.
Dutiful, soup-to-nuts ... Segaloff argues, convincingly, that The Exorcist is about faith ... Segaloff...quotes Kermode extensively, adding some intellectual heft to what is otherwise a pretty straightforward procedural.
[An] encyclopedic overview ... The surfeit of minutiae and workmanlike accounts of film production will test readers’ patience ... Still, the author’s love for the original film buoys this, and his insights into how Blatty’s ruminations on faith and the existence of God animate his book and screenplay shed new light on the story. The result is a competent celebration of a horror classic.
