Why The Exorcist is the best horror movie of all time – Looper

One of the oddest facts about The Exorcist is that novelist William Peter Blatty was primarily a comedy writer, and it was directed by someone who wasn't a fan of horror films. But Blatty was a devout Catholic, and he wrote The Exorcist when he was having what The Guardian categorized as a "crisis of faith" after his mother died. Ultimately, writing The Exorcist brought Blatty back in touch with his faith, but the book wasn't an immediate bestseller.

As recalled in the horror history Reel Terror, it was by chance that there was an opening for Blatty to appear on The Dick Cavett Show. With one of Cavett's guests unable to attend, Blatty was able to talk at length about his novel, and The Exorcist suddenly became a major literary hit. It reportedly sold 13 million copies in the States.

When Warner Brothers secured the film rights, most Hollywood A-list directors turned it down, but William Friedkin (pictured) jumped at it immediately. Where a lot of books are usually adapted into scripts by other writers, Blatty adapted his own work with Friedkin's guidance, insuring a strong transition from the page to the screen.

In so many horror films, the story is often sacrificed for terrifying visuals, but The Exorcist was a great adaptation of Blatty's novel that delivered a strong aesthetic punch, as well. In fact, one of the only Oscars The Exorcist would win would be for Best Adapted Screenplay.

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Why The Exorcist is the best horror movie of all time - Looper