The Exorcist Legacy: book looking back on 50 Years of Fear coming in July

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of director William Friedkin‘s horror classic The Exorcist (watch it HERE) – and author Nat Segaloff, who worked as a publicist on the film and also wrote a Friedkin biography, is marking the occasion with his book The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear, which is set to reach store shelves on July 25th… but you can pre-order a copy from Amazon at THIS LINK right now!

Here’s the description for The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear: Since 1973, The Exorcist and its progeny have scared and inspired half a century of filmgoers. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the original movie release, this is the definitive, fascinating story of the scariest movie ever made and its lasting impact as one of the most shocking, influential, and successful adventures in the history of film. Written by Nat Segaloff, an original publicist for the movie and the acclaimed biographer of its director, with a foreword from John Russo, author and cowriter of the seminal horror film Night of the Living Dead.

On December 26, 1973, The Exorcist was released. Within days it had become legend. Moviegoers braved hours-long lines in winter weather to see it. Some audience members famously fainted or vomited. Half a century later, the movie that both inspired and transcends the modern horror genre has lost none of its power to terrify and unsettle.

The Exorcist Legacy reveals the complete story of this cultural phenomenon, from the real-life exorcism in 1949 Maryland that inspired William Peter Blatty’s bestselling novel on which the movie is based, to its many sequels, prequels, TV series, and homages. Nat Segaloff, biographer of the film’s director, William Friedkin, draws on original interviews with cast, crew, and participants as well as revelations from personal papers to present an intriguing and surprising new view of the making of movie, and its aftermath.

Segaloff also examines as never before the keys to the movie’s enduring appeal. Friedkin and Blatty’s goal was far more ambitious than making a scary movie; they aimed to make people “think about the concept of good and evil.” The Exorcist succeeds, and then some, not just by creating on-screen scares, but by challenging viewers’ deepest personal beliefs—and fears.

Segaloff interviewed Ellen Burstyn, Louise Fletcher, and “a host of writers, editors, and movie historians” while compiling this book.

Will you be picking up a copy of The Exorcist Legacy? Let us know by leaving a comment below. I will be reading this book for sure.