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 version, retitled "", was given a small theatrical release. Blatty directed "The Ninth Configuration", a post-Vietnam War drama set in a mental institution. Released in 1980, it was based on Blatty's novel of the same name. Though it contrasts sharply with the tone of "The Exorcist," Blatty regards "Configuration" as its true sequel. The lead character is the astronaut from Chris' party, Lt. Cutshaw. A made-for-television film, "Possessed" (based on the book of the same name by Thomas B. Allen), was broadcast on Showtime on October 22, 2000, directed by Steven E. de Souza and written by de Souza and