Description
Book Synopsis“At a time when critics are expected to be publicists, and anything famous is ‘classic’ or ‘iconic,’ Carlos Acevedo has managed to hold the line. The Devil Inside is a sharp, hard-nosed aesthetic and cultural investigation into what everybody was throwing up about fifty years ago. It succeeds as criticism, history, and social analysis.”
—Charles Taylor, film critic at Esquire, and author of Opening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-In Near You: The Shadow Cinema of the American ’70s
In 1973, The Exorcist left moviegoers gripping their rosary beads, vomiting in their popcorn buckets, and fainting in the sticky aisles. Cynically marketed as a cursed production based on a “true story,” The Exorcist quickly became one of the most controversial films ever released. With its groundbreaking special effects, relentless pace, and terrifying finale, the film revolutionized the horror genre and paved the way for future blockbusters.
In The Devil Inside, Carlos Acevedo goes beyond the myths to examine the national uproar The Exorcist caused, as well as the dark, real-world effects it had on a jittery audience. Until now, books about The Exorcist have largely perpetuated its legends while overlooking its cultural background. The Devil Inside places the film in its cinematic and social context—as a product of the New Hollywood, when maverick directors hijacked the film industry, and as part of the supernatural trends of the times, when the occult permeated music, books, and movies.
From the original possession case that inspired the novel to the troubled production to the conflicts on the set to the uptick in demands for actual exorcisms, The Devil Inside sheds new light on a shocking phenomenon that has remained a pop-culture touchstone for fifty years.
Trade Review"Doggedly researched and smartly presented. A highly readable book."
—Don Stradley, Film Matters
"Absolutely fascinating! Carlos Acevedo takes us step by step from the 'true life' inspiration to the novel to the movie to the global feeding frenzy. He cuts through myths and embellishments, shares terrific backstage stories and bios, and offers his own first-rate film criticism. This rich work of cultural history is both highly informative and wildly entertaining."
—Christopher Bram, author of Gods and Monsters
“Carlos Acevedo's prose is thrilling—this isn’t a stuffy academic breakdown. I’ve loved his writing on boxing, and his film writing is equally insightful, dynamic, and addictive. The Devil Inside is required reading for fans of Friedkin and of the film and for anyone who loves great writing on cinema.”
—William Boyle, author of Shoot the Moonlight Out, City of Margins, and Gravesend
“Acevedo brings a Mencken-at-the-Scopes-trial level of tenacity to the task of forcibly separating legend from truth when it comes to The Exorcist. [His] strategy is multipronged, combining social history and cultural analysis with the hero’s journey, behind-the-scenes lore, and showbiz gossip. He aims to dispel the hype and arrive at the material facts and the artistry that propelled them. He writes with great clarity and knowledge. . . The Devil Inside leaves almost nothing out when it comes to the film’s conception, its production, its critical legacy, and its ongoing controversies.”
—City Journal
“For far too long The Exorcist has been in the domain of hacks and hagiographies. In The Devil Inside, Carlos Acevedo offers a truly critical probe into one of the most unusual cinematic releases in history. Unsparing, fair, and eloquent, Acevedo leaves no stone unturned as he sloughs off decades of PR bunk and challenges the (it turns out) numerous myths promulgated by Messrs. Friedkin and Blatty. Scrupulous and panoramic, The Devil Inside delves into the original possession case that inspired the film, recounts its infamous production, and analyzes its extraordinary impact on an unsuspecting America. Acevedo shows once again, as he has long shown in his masterful boxing writing, that he is a peerless prose stylist and synthesizer of ideas.”
—Sean Nam, contributor to Cineaste , and author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, Fixed Fights, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing
Table of ContentsPart I - Prelude
The Real Exorcism
William Peter Blatty
The Novel
The Rise of the Occult
Part II - Overture
Novel into Film
William Friedkin
Horror Films & The New Hollywood
Making of The Exorcist
Phenomenon
Critical and Audience Response
Part III - Coda
Analysis of The Exorcist
Aftermath
Sequels and Re-releases
Cultural Touchstone
