By: William Peter Blatty
Narrated by: William Peter Blatty, Eliana Shaskan
Series: The Exorcist, Book 1
4.7 out of 5 stars 4.7 (7,108 ratings)
Narrated by: William Peter Blatty,Eliana Shaskan
A young boy is found horribly murdered in a mock crucifixion. Is the murderer the elderly woman who witnessed the crime? A neurologist who can no longer bear the pain life inflicts on its victims? A psychiatrist with a macabre sense of humor and a guilty secret? A mysterious mental patient, locked in silent isolation? Lieutenant Kinderman follows a bewildering trail that links all these people, confronting a new enigma at every turn even as more murders surface. Why does each victim suffer the same dreadful mutilations? Why are two of the victims priests?
Better than book 1
By BB on 01-31-20
By: Ira Levin
Narrated by: Mia Farrow
She is a housewife: young, healthy, blissfully happy. He is an actor: charismatic and ambitious. The spacious, sun-filled apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side is their dream home, a dream that turns into an unspeakable nightmare. Enter the chilling world of Ira Levin, where terror is as near as your new neighbors and where evil wears the most innocent face of all.
What not to expect when you're expecting
By Michael G Kurilla on 05-08-19
By: David Seltzer
Narrated by: Holly Palance, Mark Owen
Jeremy Thorn and his wife, Katherine, have just welcomed the newest member of their family to the world: Their beautiful son Damien. But as the boy grows, so does the terror surrounding him. Fatal accidents, suicides, and unexplained violence seem to follow the Thorns wherever they go - but why? And how can Damien have anything to do with the carnage and bloodshed? He is only a child. But Damien Thorn is like no child on Earth. He bears the mark of the beast. And his time is at hand.
Dated and Ridiculous
By Gerard Priori on 01-02-20
The Haunting of Hill House
By: Shirley Jackson
Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
Four seekers have come to the ugly, abandoned old mansion: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of the psychic phenomenon called haunting; Theodora, his lovely and lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a lonely, homeless girl well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the adventurous future heir of Hill House.
Well written horror tale
By Crystal on 02-11-14
By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Michael C. Hall
5 out of 5 stars 22,363
When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic, rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Yet despite Ludlow's tranquility, there's an undercurrent of danger that lingers...like the graveyard in the woods near the Creeds' home, where generations of children have buried their beloved pets.
Damn scary elevated by Hall's narration!
By Eric Mochnacz on 04-27-18
The Demonologist
The Extraordinary Career of Ed and Lorraine Warren - The True Accounts of the Paranormal Investigators Featured in the film 'The Conjuring'
By: Gerald Brittle
If you think ghosts are only responsible for hauntings, think again. The Demonologist reveals the grave religious process behind supernatural events and how it can happen to you. Used as a text in seminaries and classrooms, this is one book you can't put down. For over five decades, Ed and Loraine Warren have been considered America's foremost experts on demonology and exorcism. With over 3,000 investigations to their credit, they reveal what actually breaks the peace in haunted houses. Don't miss the Warrens in the new blockbuster movie The Conjuring.
Scary fun.
By Cliff on 08-19-13
Narrated by: Campbell Scott
Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.
Bad Narration
By Tomb on 08-19-19
Narrated by: Ron McLarty, Stephen King
Ben Mears has returned to Jerusalem's Lot in the hopes that living in an old mansion, long the subject of town lore, will help him cast out his own devils and provide inspiration for his new book. But when two young boys venture into the woods and only one comes out alive Mears begins to realize that there may be something sinister at work and that his hometown is under siege by forces of darkness far beyond his control.
You can't go home again...
By David S. Mathew on 10-12-16
By: Thomas Harris
Narrated by: Frank Muller
A serial murderer known only by a grotesquely apt nickname - Buffalo Bill - is stalking women. He has a purpose, but no one can fathom it, for the bodies are discovered in different states. Clarice Starling, a young trainee at the FBI Academy, is surprised to be summoned by Jack Crawford, chief of the Bureau's Behavioral Science section. Her assignment: to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter - Hannibal the Cannibal - who is kept under close watch in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.
If It's Possible for a Narrator to be DESTINED...
A Head Full of Ghosts
By: Paul Tremblay
Narrated by: Joy Osmanski
The lives of the Barretts, a normal suburban New England family, are torn apart when 14-year-old Marjorie begins to display signs of acute schizophrenia. To her parents' despair, the doctors are unable to stop Marjorie's descent into madness. As their stable home devolves into a house of horrors, they reluctantly turn to a local Catholic priest for help. Father Wanderly suggests an exorcism; he believes the vulnerable teenager is the victim of demonic possession.
By E.C. on 07-31-15
In a Dark Place
By: Ed Warren, Lorraine Warren, Carmen Reed, and others
Shortly after moving into their new home, the Snedeker family is assaulted by a sinister presence that preys one-by-one on their family. Exhausting all other resources, they call up the world-renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, who have never encountered a case as frightening as this.
A great scare
By Em on 11-12-17
By: Ed Warren, and others
Narrated by: Alexandra Mathie, Robert Glenister, full cast
Robert Glenister and Ian McDiarmid star in a gripping BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of William Peter Blatty's classic horror novel. Summoned to a case of apparent possession, Father Karras is at first sceptical then horrified. The victim - a 12-year-old girl named Regan - seems to be controlled by a malignant supernatural force that makes her swear, blaspheme, scream in agony and perform appalling acts.
more horror based audio dramas please
By Otter jesus on 07-27-17
Narrated by: Lindsay Crouse
Paul Sheldon is a best-selling novelist who has finally met his number-one fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes, and she is more than a rabid reader - she is Paul's nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also furious that the author has killed off her favorite character in his latest book. Annie becomes his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house. Annie wants Paul to write a book that brings Misery back to life - just for her. She has a lot of ways to spur him on.
By tommydkat on 09-30-16
The Devil in Connecticut
Narrated by: Tim Campbell
From this New York Times best-selling author comes a shocking case of demonic possession, exorcism, and murder starring the legendary demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, who battled the Amityville Horror and whose real-life case files inspired The Conjuring Universe, which includes The Conjuring, Annabelle, and The Nun films.
So scary!
By Karribeth on 10-26-21
Hell House
By: Richard Matheson
Narrated by: Ray Porter
For over 20 years, Belasco House has stood empty. Regarded as the Mt. Everest of haunted houses, its shadowed walls have witnessed scenes of unimaginable horror and depravity. All previous attempts to probe its mysteries have ended in murder, suicide, or insanity.
But now, a new investigation has been launched, bringing four strangers to Belasco House in search of the ultimate secrets of life and death. A wealthy publisher, brooding over his impending death, has paid a physicist and two mediums to establish the facts of life after death once and for all. For one night, they will investigate the Belasco House and learn exactly why the townsfolk refer to it as the Hell House.
Got scary?
By Lesley on 06-17-08
The Haunted: One Family's Nightmare
Ed & Lorraine Warren, Book 3
By: Ed Warren, Lorraine Warren, Robert Curran, and others
The world's most famous demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren, were called in to help an average American family who were assaulted by forces too awesome, too powerful, and too dark to be stopped. It's a true story, supported by dozens of eyewitnesses - neighbors, priests, police, journalists, and researchers.
By Jan on 08-15-16
Narrated by: Steven Weber
Welcome to Derry, Maine. It's a small city, a place as hauntingly familiar as your own hometown. Only in Derry the haunting is real. They were seven teenagers when they first stumbled upon the horror. Now they are grown-up men and women who have gone out into the big world to gain success and happiness. But the promise they made 28 years ago calls them reunite in the same place where, as teenagers, they battled an evil creature that preyed on the city's children.
A real snooze fest!
By Michael on 06-10-20
By: Joe Hill
Narrated by: Kate Mulgrew
Victoria McQueen has an uncanny knack for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. When she rides her bicycle over the rickety old covered bridge in the woods near her house, she always emerges in the places she needs to be. Vic doesn't tell anyone about her unusual ability, because she knows no one will believe her. She has trouble understanding it herself.
Narrator was OUTSTANDING!
By B on 08-28-18
Four decades after it first shook the nation, then the world, William Peter Blatty's thrilling masterwork of faith and demonic possession returns in an even more powerful form. Raw and profane, shocking and blood-chilling, it remains a modern parable of good and evil and perhaps the most terrifying novel ever written.
©2011 William Peter Blatty (P)2011 HarperCollinsPublishers
Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Psychological Horror
Featured Article: The Best Creepy Audiobooks to Listen to at Night
Ever find yourself at the crossroad of being a horror fiend and scaredy cat? Creepy audiobooks will fill you with enough dread to satiate your longing for uneasiness. One horror-obsessed editor (and glutton for punishment) takes 10 of the spookiest stories ever recorded out for a spin. Discover classic horror novels as well as a few newer ones, and some creepy short stories perfect for finishing over a dog walk or two. They're firing on all cylinders.
Finding Peter
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What listeners say about The Exorcist
Terrifying...
I listened to this book while my wife was out of town. Bad idea. I slept with the lights on the whole weekend. I'm 35.
The author does an unusually phenomenal job of narration, I wish he'd only been a more prolific writer I'd love to hear more of his work and his narration. The book took me to a darker place than I remember when i saw the movie for the first time 15 years ago.
219 people found this helpful
Wow! Who knew?
I'd never read the book -- I did see the film, of course, but now, decades later, I remembered only two scenes, probably the same ones you remember. But this is a fine novel by any standard -- much more complex and nuanced that I ever expected. Back then, I guess I was too engrossed in the green puke and turning heads to realize that there was a real story here, and a good one. The struggles of Father Damien are really touching. Quite a story.
But really, what made this book among my favorites -- and yes, I will listen to this one again -- is the author's narration. I actually had to go look, to see if William Peter Blatty had acting experience in his background -- and no, apparently not, but wow. He's seriously talented -- famed as a scriptwriter, director and novelist, but apparently he stayed on the other side of the camera. But Blatty as narrator is absolutely excellent -- one of the best narrations of anything I've ever heard. He manages the Irish brogues, the Brooklyn cant, the whole panoply of DC accents with aplomb, worth a listen for that alone, see how a master really interprets a novel. The whole thing, every scene, just comes alive.
Not to be missed, this one.
Chip Atkinson
Don't pass this one up. Enthralling.
I know we all have our Exorcist movie experiences. The movie came out my senior year in high school and even Time Magazine gave it a huge exposé and for years most of us think of it as a mortifyingly realistic horror story. It is much, much more than this.
This book, especially this audible version read by its author, is a masterpiece of tragedy and mystery. My favorite character is Kinderman, the old, Columbo type detective. He provides the comic relief during the horror, reminding us there is a normal world carrying on during the possession.
I like that the story reveals the priests as professional, human and loyal to the Church whether their faith is weak or strong. And how accurate he is regarding the Church's official teachings and history. The great emphasis the Church places on science and truth. Finally, how clever he reveals shame and guilt as the powerful entities they truly are.
A couple of interesting notes if you are interested. You can listen at 1.5 x speed and lose none of the emotional content. Years ago I purchased the director's cut of the movie and watched the version with the director explaining all the shots and angles and just what he was wanting the audience to understand. It was then I grasped the depth of the story.
This is an easy 5 star experience.
Worth the dowload
Overall, I thought this was a great download. I tried to read the original, and thought it was a little slow after seeing the movie and being terrified. This audio version solved that. William Peter Blatty does a fantastic job! I agree with the other reviewer that his voice is made for narration. I too am leery of any author who reads their own work, but I can't imagine a better narrator.
I was a little confused with the addition of the little girl voice three-quarters of the way through the book. It was disconcerting to hear after we have been hearing Blatty's voice for so long, but it really didn't make much sense to me since Blatty also does Regan's voice before the possession so suddenly hearing her as a little girl seemed unnecessary.
Overall, a creepy, great autumn listen!
gone2ground
Add 3 Hours&40 Years&Let Simmer Till Very Dark
Sometimes its great to be old. It is great to remember sitting in a packed house watching, "The Exorcist," when it was first released, even if it meant I had to sit their with my mother. Odd that "The Exorcist," should form some sort of consistent source of entertainment or inspiration, throughout my life, having read it in print a couple of times, having watched the film, in one form or another, at least once a year, since owning a film became a doable thing, I have listened to the original book, also read by the author, three or four times, and now I have had the great pleasure of listening to that same author, reading an updated and expanded version.
Okay, so I have more than just a wee fascination with this story and this topic. I love Mia Farrow reading, "Rosemary's Baby," and I wish Audible offered Malachi Martin's, "Hostage to the Devil," and Thomas B. Allen's, "Possessed," a case study of an exorcism taken from a Jesuit's diary, and the case that "The Exorcist," is said to be based on.Well, they are not available, but what a treat it is, after all these years, to have a new version of "The Exorcist,", so easily available, and, best of all, read once again, by the author. I don't think there is a narrator out there who is any scarier sounding than William Peter Blatty. His voice has those dark, ominous tones, and the voice of the demon is, to my ears, anyway, always lurking. I guess that is why I did like having the young girl reading Regan's voice on the tape that her mom loans to Father Karras. I appreciate her pure, sweet voice, that contains nothing dark...not one shadow of Captain Howdy. It worked for me, as did the whole book.
I think there are around three more hours in this version than the original audio book, and that time is divided up in expanded conversations and entirely new conversations and scenes, as well as more psychiatric descriptions and indecision, and more descriptions of the particulars of possession. If you are interested in the topic, you will probably find it as fascinating as I did. Personally, I love being able to hear what has been percolating inside William Peter Blatty's mind, , all these years. I appreciate Audible and the author making it possible. Thumbs up!!
Kristi R.
40th Anniversary edition of very scary story!
What did you love best about The Exorcist?
The atmosphere and eeriness of the movie is captured in the book.
What other book might you compare The Exorcist to and why?
The Shining by Stephen King. Both are about children in danger and needing rescuing. Both are very scary. Both are excellent!
Which scene was your favorite?
I think when Karras sees Merrin on the floor and realizes that he will have to save Regan with all of his doubts. He is her only hope.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, too long but it only took me a week. I picked Halloween week because it's a perfect listen for the holiday.
I usually don't like the author reading his own works. (Stephen King does not always read his books as well as professionals). Blatty however does such a great job of getting the demons and nuances of the work that I couldn't imagine any one else doing it. I also liked the tape of the innocent Regan talking to her mom. Helps to set the stage.
One more thing. This book is definately rated R. Not for the faint of heart or person who doesn't like profanity. This is one for the record books.
Alexander Tuzhikov
didn't get a feeling this book was even readable..
surprisingly, the plot is almost nonexistent. the text could hardly be less interesting, it is boring to tears, hard to listen and i struggled to even pay attention at times. so happy it ended (abruptly and in a random fashion, very much like it had started).
Still Scarry After 40 years
This is a spell binding story that will have you from page one.
Still the scariest film ever made in my opinion.
What a great narration by William Peter Blatty, set the right tone for this book.
The book begins with a prologue which is set in modern day Iraq, at the site of the ancient city of Nineveh. A Jesuit at the excavation feels a premonition of horror and receives signs that there is about to be an otherworldly confrontation when he sees a figurine of the demon Pazuzu entwined with a medal of St. Joseph. The scene then shifts to Georgetown, where a young girl Reagan McNeil, daughter of a famous actress, falls mysteriously ill. Following an onset of very obviously paranormal disturbances which psychiatric treatment can little resolve, she turns to a Jesuit priest: Father Damien Karras. The narrative then follows Karras' attempts to diagnose the situation and at last he obtains approval from the church to assist in an exorcism to be conducted by Father Lankester Merrin, newly returned from Iraq. The two priests attempt to exorcise the girl evidently possessed by a demon. The book follows Karras's struggle with his own faith as well as his attempt to face the new dangers that the possession causes.
Mike L Lane
More than Head Spins and Pea Soup Vomit…
This is one of those iconic stories I had put off for far too long and decided to finally give it a try (there was no particular reason why I had put it off to be honest and its baffling even to me why it has taken this long- I haven't even seen the movie). William Peter Blatty died about this time last year and with his passing I picked up this audio version and it still sat in my "to-read" list for a year. Finally I finished it today (on Blatty's birthday, no less) and man, what a well written, haunting tale! I had a good idea how the story would go down (you can't have an interest in horror without running into mentions of head spins and pea soup vomit), but I was pleasantly surprised by all of Blatty's characters and how they were painstakingly well-crafted. Without the character development of each of these characters, the story would have fallen flat. What really makes this version of the book so special is Blatty's narrating. This is a must read/listen for any horror fan. I can only hope that he had the same glimmer of triumph in his eyes as he passed. RIP Blatty. #DemonPossession #HorrorClassic #MoreThanPeaSoup #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes
Book brings the horror and chill to this day
I find the movie to be one of the all time best horror movie, and I was not sure if book would live up to the expectation. I have to conclude that book brings depth and detail to the story that complements the movie well. Compare to movie, it seems that book takes a long time to get to the conclusion that an exorcist was needed. The banter between the demon and priest during the vetting process was particularly bone chilling. The intelligence shown by the demon was not particularly this evident in the movie. I did feel the hate of an entity that wanted to destroy life. I can only image what impact it would have had on people when book first came out. Book had several shocking scene that I believe were not in book. Also, I think that profanity and hate was toned down in movie compare to the book. Finally, once the exorcism started, book takes it to another level, and all of this has more impact due to the buildup from the beginning.
This has to be the top narrated book by an author. Narrator was able to depict the malevolence, and hate of the demon as well as gentle care of a mother. I am very impressed with narration. Though, I kept the narration speed at 1.25.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for supernatural horror. Book brings something new even for readers who have seen the movie.
Fantastic book!
everything about this book is just amazing. bill blatty's narration was perfect!! his voice is so perfect to tell this story. an absolute classic
Alex B
Expertly narrated
One of my all time favourite novels & expertly narrated by the author. RIP WPB
It's a must read
I was born when the movie was filmed.
It's a milestone in cinematography history.
I have watched the movie and I have read the book dozens of time, but the result had always been the same: cold blood from the beginning to the end.
The narrator being the author made this extra special for me. Moving , thought provoking .