Wlliam Peter Blatty discusses the Exorcist-part 2

It was 1973, a 90 minute Tonight show, and it was almost unfair for Johny to have Mr Blatty come on last, and thats the way it happened, first came the sexy actress, then the Virile leading man-Fernando Lamas, that an angry Richard Pryor, and if all that was enough, out comes William Peter Blatty to talk about the Exorcist. I mean if you are laying in your bed at 12;45 AM with the sheets pulled up, the world outside dark and ominous , now, how are you going to sleep after hearing about the Exorcist.
And Blatty was not a reassuring figure, he wan't coming out smiling and full of mirth, if anything he was the opposite of that, just as grim and disturbing as the movie he rived to discuss.
And Johnny did the audience no favors in the way he introduced Blatty, speaking in a calm almost clinical tone: " William Peter Blatty is with us tonight, who is the Author and also the producer of the motion picture 'The Exorcist' and the book as you know was on the best sellers list for over a year, um, those of you who have seen the motion picture, a lot of things have been said, practically everywhere you go now, if you are at a cocktail party or in the home that picture comes up and you get violent reactions on both sides. Some people think it was a great picture and some critics think it was not. I'll tell you one thing, when you leave the theatre it leaves an impact on you. You have known you've seen something. Will you welcome the Author and producer Mr William Peter Blatty.

Blatty strolls out wearing jeans, a sweater vest, he wear glasses, and has a beard, he looks the part of somebody involved in the making of films. He is a serious man, who doesnt smile much and is passionate about his movie. This is th type of guy you know if you met him at a cocktail party, you'd tell him a joke and the joke would fall flat at his feet, one of those types.The type of person who had the vision to right a book like 'The Exorcist."

JC: 'We screened it one night and about 10 people watched the movie. Because we were told not to watch the movie alone, they said -see it with people- and i think its better to see it with people because you get divergent reactions to the picture."

Blatty:" there is a -one should not see the film alone-which is probably one of the problems with the reviewers, the reviewers insist upon sitting alone in scold screening room, there is a chemistry-i mean the dil is an assault upon the nervous system. And the concentration of other bodies around you, of other Brains around you, is a part of the effect of the impact of the film."

JC:" Yeah, its like watching a picture in a drive-in sometime, you don't have the reaction with the other people. You're hearing it all bu yourself."

Blatty: " Or a comedy , you can't see a comedy in a drive-in. "

JC: Talks about the fact that the movie is getting mixed reviews from critics,,"it seems to get that kind of violent reaction. But i suppose thats true in this kind of picture or anything that is shocking and has a controversial theme about it."

Blatty goes off on movie critics including Pauline Kael who he singles out for the worst of it-saying she needs an Enema-
Johny has to interrupt him and get the interview back on track-and talking about the movie itself

JC " Sorry to interrupt you but i've asked people who have seen the picture-have you read the book-and they say yes, and i say thats what the picture really is, it sticks to the book very faithfully and the book was horrifying and shocking and it is an assault to your senses and i assume when you went to make the picture thats what you went to do,,,what the story is about."

Blatty: " absolutely, the intent is to move the viewer, this is based upon, what we believe, is an actual case. In addition to having a passionate impact upon you , it's suppose to tell you something , as you know there have been people who have been fainting in the theatre--between five and ten every performance. And you wonder is that too much? well. when the Orriestia was first presented before an ancient greek audience -its reported that grown men fainted. ..only a psychiatrist is confident to comment on why we get this reaction. But, i hope that's it Because ..the viewers-some viewers are frightened, but it's touching a nerved and i wonder how often that nerve is the realization that the horror on the screen, that demon is the ultimate Father , the ultimate blood relation and the ultimate destiny of cheating your brother and calling it Bussiness. I think thats what it comes down to. But I'm happy about it" said very calmly, and seriously with not even the trace of a smile
"We have the smelling salts handy all the time and I'm sorry that some people are made uncomfortable for it, But Im glad -It's dome what its suppose to do."

note: you have to understand that by this time Mr Blatty ppeared on The Tonight Show he had probably been interviewed hundreds of times from everyone from Time Magazine to The new York Times, to every hick newspaper across the country so he had every line pretty much well rehearsed, and he is just trying to ring up bussiness, because i doubted too many people actually fainted, but its a good gimmick - a good way to scare up an audience, because of all the countlesss horror films ever made, no one actually fainted, and thats the magic of the Exorcist, we know all the other horror films in the past are just make believe, a guy wearing green paint, another with fake fangs, but the devil, to may people is very real, so there is a sense a reality, a sense of this could happen to you- and they milked that for all it was worth, because this was the first film to really take on the devil, to show the devil in action, to show priests as holy warriors in direct battle with Satan.