From Novel To The Screen Part one

Hello my fellow afficianados of horror, and welcome to another trip down the road where things go bump in the night! In this blog we will discuss an example of a novel that was perfectly adapted to the big screen.

In 1971 a screenwriter by the name of William Peter Blatty had a novel published. It was a story based on a real life incident that became an international sensation. I'm referring to a hair-raising little story called THE EXORCIST. By the time it had already become a runaway bestseller, there was talk of a movie adaptation. Many people were skeptical, believing it would be almost impossible to replicate on screen, the horrific scenes depicted in the novel. But director William Friedkin, fresh from his oscar winning film " The French Connection" obviously disagreed.

I had the distinct pleasure of reading the novel shortly before the film opened on December 26, 1973. I remember thinking to myself, the day after Christmas? How ironic. But years later I would see differently. It was my aunt who recomended the book to me. Even though the subject matter was very mature for a 13 year old, she said that if I liked horror that much, I shouldn't be denied the experience. Boy if my father only knew... after all it was his sister!

I went to the local library and took the book out. I brought it to school every day. I can imagine what the teachers were thinking! Well I'm glad that I took her advice , BECAUSE IT WAS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ! Remains so to this very day. Upon finishing this gutwrenching classic, I as well as many others thought it would be impossible to make it into a movie, after all, some of the scenes in the novel could'nt possibly be recreated on the big screen, or so I thought! Special effects were too unsophisticated back in 1973 to do the book justice in a filmed version. Technically, some of the incredible scenes in the book seemed too complicated to reproduce on screen. But much to everyones surprise they were!
The special effects were brought to the screen by a Frenchman named Marcel Vercoutere. He devised ways to replicate the incredible transformation of demonic possession and its effects that it had on 12 year old Regan MacNeil played electrifyingly by newcomer Linda Blair. The details on how he created the horrific effects can be found in a very interesting book entitled " William Peter Blatty on The Exorcist From Novel to Film" published in 1974. (Bantam) These special effects were groundbreaking at the time, and led to the explosion of similiar effects in the horror movies to come. Of course the movie " The Exorcist" cannot be mentioed without the masterful makeup of the legendary Dick Smith, who brought the unforgettable facial transformation of Regan to iconic levels in the history of the horror film.

I'll discuss other aspects of this classic horrorfest in part two. Till we meet again, HAVE A BLOODY GOOD DAY!