The Exorcist Was a True Pop Culture Phenomenon First, a bit of “Exorcist 101.” The novel by William Peter Blatty was based on reports of an actual exorcism performed on a 13-year-old boy that ...

That’s how the narration starts in the original trailer for The Exorcist. It promptly jumps to quick flashes of the possessed Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) in black and white, and the demonic ...