I read the book before seeing the movie. It was a huge best seller. My sister handed it to me and said, "Don't start reading this at night. You won't be able to put it down." I ignored her, started reading it that night, and could not stop until I finished it. At 3 AM or 4 AM, I said to myself, "Now i have to turn off the light..." A lot of people reported this experience.
I don't remember the differences between the book and the movie. I saw the movie with a friend, who had not read the book. I distinctly remember my friend (and many of the people in the theater) getting nervous when scary tense music was playing as there was a knock on the house door. I was smiling, as I knew from the book that it was simply the detective knocking on the door. The director knew how to build tension.
I have two uncles who both knew the author, William Peter Blatty. One knew him before he wrote the novel and the other knew him and his wife well, long after the book and movie were made.
The government of DC put a marker near the bottom of the Georgetown steps a few years ago, to commemorate the making of the film.
reply
share