Writer William Peter Blatty Dead at 89 – Wrote THE EXORCIST

Responsible for one of the most iconic horror novels (and films…and posters!) of all time, THE EXORCIST author William Peter Blatty has passed away at age 89. Blatty started as a scriptwriter with credits including the Blake Edwards comedy A SHOT IN THE DARK and (uncredited) THE OMEGA MAN. He adapted his 1971 best-seller The Exorcist for the screen in 1973, which resulted in his Oscar win for ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’. In 1980, he directed an unusual film I saw at the theater then, but have never seen since. THE NINTH CONFIGURATION, an odd allegory starring Stacey Keach and Neville Brand about a remote castle that served as an insane military asylum, deserves to be rediscovered. In 1996, he wrote and directed THE EXORCIST III, based on his novel Legion. Just last year, the director’s cut of the film, now titled THE EXORCIST III: LEGION, was released on Blu-ray. Blatty had a type of blood cancer.

From The New York Times:

“William Peter Blatty, the author whose best-selling book “The Exorcist” was both a milestone in horror fiction and a turning point in his own career, died on Thursday in Bethesda, Md. He was 89. The cause was multiple myeloma, his wife, Julie Blatty, said…….”

Read the rest HERE