The Exorcist is a 1971 horror novel written by American writer William Peter Blatty and published by Harper & Row. The book details the demonic possession of eleven-year-old Regan MacNeil, the daughter of a famous actress, and the two priests who attempt to exorcise the demon. The novel was the basis of a highly successful Oscar-winning film adaptation released two years later, whose screenplay was also written and produced by Blatty, for which he won an Academy Award. More movies and books were eventually added to The Exorcist franchise.
Linda Denise Blair is an American actress and activist. Her portrayal of Regan MacNeil in the horror film The Exorcist (1973) established her in popular culture and as a scream queen, earning her a Golden Globe Award, as well as an Academy Award nomination. She reprised the role in two sequels: Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and The Exorcist: Believer (2023).
Exorcist II: The Heretic is a 1977 American supernatural science fiction horror film directed by John Boorman and written by William Goodhart. It is the second installment in The Exorcist film series and the sequel to The Exorcist (1973), and stars Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, Kitty Winn, Paul Henreid, and James Earl Jones. It was the last film to feature veteran actor Paul Henreid. Set four years after the previous film, the film centers on the now 16-year-old Regan MacNeil, who is still recovering from her previous demonic possession.
William Peter Blatty was an American writer, director and producer. He is best known for his 1971 novel The Exorcist and for his screenplay for the 1973 film adaptation. Blatty won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Exorcist, and was nominated for Best Picture as its producer. The film also earned Blatty a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama as producer.
The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair, and follows the demonic possession of a young girl and the attempt to rescue her through an exorcism by two Catholic priests.
Exorcist: The Beginning is a 2004 American supernatural horror film directed by Renny Harlin from a screenplay by Alexi Hawley. It is the fourth installment in The Exorcist film series and serves as a prequel to The Exorcist (1973). The film stars Stellan Skarsgård, Izabella Scorupco, and James D'Arcy. The film follows Father Lankester Merrin, whose faith has been renounced after his experiences in World War II, as he works as an archeologist and discovers dark occurrences while excavating in Kenya.
Pamelyn Wanda Ferdin is an American animal rights activist and former actress. Ferdin's acting career was primarily during the 1960s and 1970s, though she appeared in projects sporadically in the 1980s and later years. She began her acting career in television commercials, made 250 television shows and films and gained renown for her work as a voice actress supplying the voice of Lucy Van Pelt in A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969), as well as in two other Peanuts television specials.
Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist is a 2005 American supernatural horror film directed by Paul Schrader and written by William Wisher Jr. and Caleb Carr. The film serves as an alternative prequel to The Exorcist (1973) and is the fifth installment in The Exorcist series. It was intended to be the official prequel to The Exorcist before it was retooled into Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), as Morgan Creek Productions executives feared the already completed film would be unsuccessful. The film stars Stellan Skarsgård, Clara Bellar, Gabriel Mann and Billy Crawford.
Father Damien "Demis" Karras, SJ, is a fictional character from the 1971 novel The Exorcist, its 1983 sequel Legion, one of the main protagonists in the 1973 film The Exorcist, and a supporting character in The Exorcist III, the 1990 film adaptation of Legion. He is portrayed by American TV and stage actor Jason Miller.
Legion is a 1983 horror novel by American writer William Peter Blatty. A sequel to The Exorcist, it also involves demonic possession and was adapted for the film The Exorcist III in 1990. The book was the focus of a court case over its exclusion from The New York Times Best Seller list. Blatty based aspects of the Gemini Killer on the real-life Zodiac Killer, who in a January 1974 letter to the San Francisco Chronicle had praised the original Exorcist film as "the best satirical comedy that I have ever seen".
Pazuzu is a fictional character who is the main antagonist in The Exorcist horror novels and film series, created by William Peter Blatty. Blatty derived the character from Assyrian and Babylonian mythology, where the mythic Pazuzu was considered the king of the demons of the wind, and the son of the god Hanbi. In The Exorcist, Pazuzu appears as a demon who possesses Regan MacNeil.
American Exorcist: Critical Essays on William Peter Blatty (2008) is an anthology of essays studying all of William Peter Blatty's novels, from Which Way to Mecca, Jack? (1959) to Elsewhere (2009).
Father Lankester Merrin is a fictional title character in the 1971 novel The Exorcist and one of the main protagonists in its 1973 film adaptation. He figures prominently in several of its prequel and sequel films. In addition to his role as a priest, Merrin is an accomplished archaeologist.
Eileen Dietz is an American actress who is best known for her appearances in many horror films such as the face of the demon in The Exorcist and for her portrayal of characters on the soap operas Guiding Light and General Hospital.
The Exorcist III is a 1990 American supernatural psychological horror film written for the screen and directed by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1983 novel Legion. It is the third installment in The Exorcist film series, and the final installment in Blatty's "Trilogy of Faith" after The Ninth Configuration (1980). The film stars George C. Scott, Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson, Nicol Williamson, and Brad Dourif.
La plume de ma tante is a phrase in popular culture, attributed to elementary French language instruction and used as an example of grammatically correct phrases with limited practical application that are sometimes taught in introductory foreign language texts. As Life magazine said in 1958, "As every student knows, the most idiotically useless phrase in a beginner's French textbook is la plume de ma tante ." The phrase is also used to refer to something deemed completely irrelevant. The term lent its name to the musical play La Plume de Ma Tante, which won a Tony Award in 1959.
The Exorcist is an American horror media franchise that originated with William Peter Blatty's 1971 horror novel and most prominently featured in a 1973 film adaptation of the novel, and many subsequent prequels and sequels. All of these installments focus on fictional accounts of people possessed by Pazuzu, the main antagonist of the series, and the efforts of religious authorities to counter this possession.
My Best Friend's Exorcism is a 2016 horror novel by Grady Hendrix. A hardback edition was published on May 17, 2016, through Quirk Books and an audiobook narrated by Emily Woo Zeller was released through Blackstone Audio.
The Exorcist is a play by John Pielmeier based on the novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and is part of The Exorcist franchise. The story revolves around a young girl, Regan MacNeil, who is possessed by a demonic spirit. Her mother, Chris, seeks out to the church to perform an exorcism.
The Exorcist: Believer is a 2023 American supernatural horror film directed by David Gordon Green, who co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler from a story by Scott Teems, Danny McBride, and Green. The sixth installment in The Exorcist franchise, it serves as a direct sequel to The Exorcist (1973). The film stars Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Olivia O‘Neill in her film debut, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, and Ann Dowd. Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair reprise their roles from the original film. Its plot follows a photographer who must confront the nadir of evil when his daughter and her best friend are possessed.
