About the Book
"At a time when criticsare expected to be publicists, and anything famous is 'classic' or 'iconic,'Carlos Acevedo has managed to hold the line. The Devil Inside is asharp, hard-nosed aesthetic and cultural investigation into what everybody wasthrowing up about fifty years ago. It succeeds as criticism, history, andsocial analysis."
-Charles Taylor, film critic at Esquire, and authorof Opening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-In Near You: The Shadow Cinema ofthe American '70s
In 1973, The Exorcistleft moviegoers gripping their rosary beads, vomiting in their popcorn buckets,and fainting in the sticky aisles. Cynically marketed as a cursed productionbased on a "true story," The Exorcist quickly became one of the mostcontroversial films ever released. With its groundbreaking special effects,relentless pace, and terrifying finale, the film revolutionized the horrorgenre and paved the way for future blockbusters.
In The Devil Inside,Carlos Acevedo goes beyond the myths to examine the national uproar TheExorcist caused, as well as the dark, real-world effects it had on ajittery audience. Until now, books about The Exorcist have largelyperpetuated its legends while overlooking its cultural background. The DevilInside places the film in its cinematic and social context-as a product ofthe New Hollywood, when maverick directors hijacked the film industry, and aspart of the supernatural trends of the times, when the occult permeated music,books, and movies.
From the originalpossession case that inspired the novel to the troubled production to theconflicts on the set to the uptick in demands for actual exorcisms, TheDevil Inside sheds new light on a shocking phenomenon that has remained apop-culture touchstone for fifty years.
Table of Contents:
Part
I - Prelude
The
Real Exorcism
William
Peter Blatty
The
Novel
The
Rise of the Occult
Part
II - Overture
Novel
into Film
William
Friedkin
Horror
Films & The New Hollywood
Making
of The Exorcist
Phenomenon
Critical
and Audience Response
Part
III - Coda
Analysis
of The Exorcist
Aftermath
Sequels
and Re-releases
Cultural
Touchstone
About the Author :
Carlos Acevedo is theauthor ofSporting Blood: Tales from the Dark Side of Boxing,The Duke: The Life and Lies of Tommy Morrisonand the forthcoming American Hellfire:Cults, Killings, Possessions, and Hoaxes of the Satanic Age, all from Hamilcar Publications. He lives in Brooklyn.
Review :
"Doggedly researched and smartly presented. A highly readable book."
—Don Stradley, Film Matters
"Absolutely fascinating! Carlos Acevedo takes us step by step from
the 'true life' inspiration to the novel to the movie to the global feeding
frenzy. He cuts through myths and embellishments, shares terrific backstage
stories and bios, and offers his own first-rate film criticism. This rich work
of cultural history is both highly informative and wildly entertaining."
—Christopher
Bram, author of Gods and Monsters
“Carlos Acevedo's prose is thrilling—this isn’t
a stuffy academic breakdown. I’ve loved his writing on boxing, and his film
writing is equally insightful, dynamic, and addictive. The Devil
Inside is required reading for fans of Friedkin and of the film and
for anyone who loves great writing on cinema.”
—William Boyle, author
of Shoot the Moonlight Out, City of Margins, and Gravesend
“Acevedo
brings a Mencken-at-the-Scopes-trial level of tenacity to the task of forcibly
separating legend from truth when it comes to The
Exorcist. [His] strategy is multipronged, combining social history and
cultural analysis with the hero’s journey, behind-the-scenes lore, and showbiz
gossip. He aims to dispel the hype and arrive at the material facts and the
artistry that propelled them. He writes with great clarity and knowledge. . . The
Devil Inside leaves almost nothing out when it comes to the film’s
conception, its production, its critical legacy, and its ongoing controversies.”
—City
Journal
“For far too long The Exorcist has been in the
domain of hacks and hagiographies. In The Devil Inside, Carlos Acevedo
offers a truly critical probe into one of the most unusual cinematic releases
in history. Unsparing, fair, and eloquent, Acevedo leaves no stone unturned as
he sloughs off decades of PR bunk and challenges the (it turns out) numerous
myths promulgated by Messrs. Friedkin and Blatty. Scrupulous and panoramic, The
Devil Inside delves into the original possession case that inspired the
film, recounts its infamous production, and analyzes its extraordinary impact
on an unsuspecting America. Acevedo shows once again, as he has long shown in
his masterful boxing writing, that he is a peerless prose stylist and
synthesizer of ideas.”
—Sean Nam, contributor to Cineaste , and author of Murder
on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, Fixed Fights, and the Last
Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing
