The Exorcist is one of those legendary films that is featured at the top of many lists as the scariest horror film ever made, and for good reason. Its tale of a little girl possessed by demons shocked audiences in the early '70s, leading to many viewers either leaving the theater, or passing out in the aisles.
While director William Friedkin went to great lengths to ensure that audiences would be terrified, he didn't include everything from William Peter Blatty's best-selling novel, as it is nigh impossible to include every minute detail in a film adaptation. Here are 10 of the biggest differences between the book, and the classic film.
10 The Black Mass Connection
There's a famous scene in The Exorcist where a priest in a church approaches the altar, turns, and sees a statue desecrated in a vile manner. Later on in the film, Lt. Kinderman mentions to Father Karras the idea of a Black Mass ceremony being performed. Though the movie makes no further mention of the subject, the book delved deeper into the topic.
In the novel, there are many more desecrations than just the one shown in the film, and for a time being, Kinderman is actually suspicious that Father Karras is behind them. After all, he's a priest going through a crisis of faith, might be resentful toward the church, and his mental state is somewhat skewed thanks to the recent death of his mother. However, after careful investigation work by Kinderman, he learns that it was Regan who was behind the desecrations, as an explicit note on an altar card written in Latin was typed up using Sharon's typewriter, and the paint left behind on the statues was the same paint Regan used on her clay sculptures.
9 Captain Howdy's Origins
When Regan takes her mother down into the basement and Chris finds the Ouija board her daughter has been using, Regan mentions that the name of the entity she's been communicating with is Captain Howdy. That's the extent the film goes to with explaining the origins of Regan's demonic friend.
In the novel, it's revealed that Regan's father is named Howard, and thus early on other characters suggest that her subconscious conjured up the name as a way to replace her absentee father. While Chris dismisses these allegations, they're backed up later on by medical professionals when it's suggested that Regan isn't possessed, but rather suffering from mental strain due to her parent's divorce.
8 Regan's Missing Father
Speaking of Howard MacNeil, he's barely mentioned in the film, except for when we see Chris fighting with a telephone operator after he fails to call Regan on her birthday. In the novel, Howard's role was much more prominent.
He may not have been present, but we get a deeper sense of how Regan feels about him, and the reasons for his divorce from Chris. As she's a famous film star, they were always hounded by paparazzi, who loved to take pictures of the two together. After Regan was born, it was all about Chris and the baby, leaving Howard to feel jaded about the attention the two received, as he was pushed aside. This, coupled with other personal problems, was the reason for their divorce.
7 No Question of Ambiguity
While William Friedkin's film version leaves no doubt in the mind of the audience that Regan is possessed by a demon, William Peter Blatty's novel calls everything into question.
With Regan undergoing a series of physical and mental evaluations in the novel, we are left to question whether or not there's truly a demon inside of her. As crazy as it sounds, even with all the supernatural goings-on, Blatty takes care to leave it up to the reader to decide what's happening. Even the ending of the book begs the question: was she really possessed? Of course, we all know the answer to be yes, but ambiguity plays a big part in the construction of the book.
6 Explicit Warning
When The Exorcist premiered in 1973, viewers were left horrified by the obscenities emanating from the mouth of a 12-year-old girl. Not to mention the scene of her masturbating with a crucifix, or shoving her mother's head between her legs while screaming, "Lick me!" It was truly terrifying material to witness on screen.
In the novel, the explicit content is turned up even further, with the demon using Regan to embarrass Chris by having her daughter commit sexually explicit acts in front of guests, and spew even worse filth than was heard in the movie. We won't mention what was said, you'll just have to read the book to find out for yourself.
5 The Friendship Between Karras and Kinderman
While Father Karras and Lieutenant Kinderman do share one scene together in the film version of The Exorcist, it's mostly to share information on a professional level. Nothing really comes of the exchange, but the novel tells a whole different story.
In Blatty's story, Karras and Kinderman often get together to talk about cinema, make idle chit-chat, and at one point they even watch a sunset together. They actually become friends in the book, a dynamic that's entirely left out of the film. While we understand not everything from a novel can make it into a film adaptation, it would have been nice to see these two besties watch the sun go down.
4 The Sharon Sub-Plot
In The Exorcist, Sharon is somewhat of a minor character, assisting Chris MacNeil with her day-to-day duties, and taking care of Regan on occasion. She serves little purpose other than just being a constant presence in the MacNeil's lives.
However, the book goes to great lengths to sow dissension between Chris and Sharon, after Chris finds out that her assistant has been speaking to Regan about matters of God and faith. Chris, an atheist, has largely avoided the topic with her daughter, and is furious when Sharon's Christian faith is spoken of with Regan. At one point, she blames Sharon for the crucifix she found in Regan's bed, while in the film the blame is placed solely upon Karl. Sharon also plays a larger role in Kinderman's investigation of Burke Dennings' death, being interviewed at length by the Lieutenant. In the novel, she even plays a greater role in assisting with the exorcism, though she's rarely seen in the film once it begins.
3 Chris MacNeil's Career
We all know Chris MacNeil is an actress, that much is determined at the onset of the film when it switches from Northern Iraq to Georgetown. Her fame is even brought up when Lt. Kinderman asks her for an autograph, and says he loved her in the movie 'Angel.' While that's the extent the film goes to in examining Chris' career, there's a smaller sub-plot in the novel that's never mentioned.
Near the beginning of the book, Chris is offered a chance to direct, making it the first time ever she'd be on the other side of the camera. She's hesitant, and seeks counsel from her good friend, Burke Dennings, adding to the rapport the two share. The whole prospect of directing increases her level of stress in the novel when Regan starts to go downhill, and when her daughter truly goes off the deep end, Chris has to abandon her directorial aspirations to care for her ailing child.
2 Karl's Addict Daughter
Willi and Karl are an elderly husband and wife team that serve as housekeepers to Chris MacNeil. In the film, Karl gets a few moments of screen time, with his wife Willi receiving even less than that. They have little to do in moving the story forward, and serve as background noise for the overall plot.
In Blatty's novel, though, there's an entire subplot about the secret Karl is hiding from his wife. As Kinderman suspects Karl might have more to do with Burke Dennings' death than he's letting on, the Lieutenant follows Karl one night to a dilapidated apartment building, and learns that Karl has a daughter. Willi believes the girl to be deceased, but in reality, she's alive and not-so-well, living in shambles as a drug addict. Karl helps her when he can, keeping the secret from his wife for fear that it will bring shame upon her.
1 Exorcism Approval
We've all seen exorcism films where the priest has to jump through hoops in order to get one approved. The Catholic Church runs deep, and there's a lot of red tape to go through. While it's briefly mentioned in the film by Karras that he'd have to seek approval to perform an exorcism on Regan, this is a much more prominent plot point in the novel, adding further to its ambiguity.
We read about Karras pouring through research materials, studying exorcisms of the past, and cross-referencing all of Regan's symptoms with what medical information is available. He goes to great lengths to prove that there's no demonic possession involved, and that Regan is just suffering from totally explainable physical and mental ailments. In the end, though, he's left with no choice but to believe possession is involved, and gets the approval needed for an exorcism.
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