#15 in Horror
The Exorcist
- 400
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The Exorcist” is more ambiguous than its reputation suggests: for most of its length it leaves open whether the girl is possessed at all. That doubt sharpens the central conflict instead of weakening it, and gives the two priests something real to wrestle with. The shocks are strong enough that squeamish readers should take note, and some find the book overlong and prone to wander.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Exorcist is a 1971 horror novel by American author William Peter Blatty and published by Harper & Row. The book depicts a demonic possession of twelve-year-old Regan MacNeil, the daughter of a famous actress, and the two Roman Catholic priests who attempt to exorcise the demon. The novel was the basis of a highly successful 1973 film adaptation, whose screenplay was also written and produced by Blatty, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and was nominated for Best Picture. More movies and books were eventually added to The Exorcist franchise.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.2 across 537 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 79% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Horror average of 7.5. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.3 | 24 | 5% |
| Hardcover | 8.2 | 513 | 96% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Exorcist?
It has 400 pages — longer than 50% of the ranked books in Horror.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Horror — with scores between 7.5 and 8.0, closest to this book.
