‘The Exorcist’ Mini-Series?

Whoa! My head is spinning and I’m spewing green stuff everywhere over the news that Shock Till You Drop first bleeped about that William Peter Blatty and William Friedkin will reunite for an Exorcist mini-series.

Cemetery Dance magazine interviewed Blatty for their latest edition, where he talks about The Exorcist and his novel Legion. Exorcist III was based on the novel and is quite good. All hail the great George C. Scott and Brad Dourif! When CD mag asked if there was anything he would change about the original film, Blatty replied:

“Yes and no. I would love to have been able to include the subplot involving Karl and his daughter Elvira which I did in my first draft, but that script ran to 172 pages, much, much too long. But I might have it my way in the near future, inasmuch as I’ve written an Exorcist miniseries script that not only faithfully includes all the main elements of the novel, but also some rather spooky new material and scenes, as well as a totally new (and perhaps much more satisfying) ending. I’ve also updated it. Billy Friedkin has agreed to direct.”

The Exorcist was probably the first horror film I ever saw (tied with An American Werewolf in London) and is still the only movie that truly terrifies me to this day. I guess that’s what I get for watching it at the tender age of 7. My mom and dad used to tell me stories about going to see it in the theater and how everyone was passing out and leaving half way through the film. When the restored version came back to theaters in 2000, my brother and I made a pilgrimage to see it and practically peed our pants during the spider walk scene.

For those of you who have been living under a rock, The Exorcist is adapted from Blatty’s 1971 novel of the same name and deals with the demonic possession of a young girl and her family’s attempts to reclaim her. The mini-series news is curious and exciting. Hopefully it will find the appropriate venue for uncensored enjoyment. Stay tuned for further details but for now enjoy this trailer for the original film.