The Exorcist was made into the movie "The Exorcist III" in 1990. Like "The Exorcist", it involves demonic possession. The book was the focus of a court case over its exclusion from "The New York Times" Best Seller list. Blatty based aspects of the Gemini Killer on the real-life Zodiac Killer, who, in a January 1974 letter to the "San Francisco Chronicle", had praised the original "Exorcist" film as "the best satirical comedy that I have ever seen". The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the
The Exorcist III and Leslie Nielsen. Blair claimed that "Exorcist III" was rush-released ahead of "Repossessed", hijacking the latter's publicity and forcing the comedy to be released a month later than was originally intended. "The Exorcist III" initially received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes has reported that 56% of critics gave the film positive write-ups based on 39 reviews, with a rating of 5.3/10. British film critic Mark Kermode called it "a restrained, haunting chiller which stimulates the adrenalin and intellect alike," and "New York Times" reviewer Vincent Canby said ""The Exorcist III" is a better and funnier (intentionally)