The Exorcist not deal with the original characters in the film and novel on which the book is inspired. The Exorcist The Exorcist is an American media franchise that originated with William Peter Blatty's 1971 horror novel of the same name and most prominently featured in a 1973 film adapted from the novel, and many subsequent prequels and sequels. All of these installments focus on fictional accounts of people possessed by Pazuzu, the main antagonist of the series, and the efforts of religious authorities to counter this possession. The Exorcist is a 1971 novel by American writer William Peter Blatty. The book
Exorcist has been mandated to perform the rite of solemn exorcism. Since at least the third century, the Latin Church has formally ordained men to the minor order of exorcist. Text previously attributed to a fourth Council of Carthage (398), now identified as a collection called "Statuta Ecclesiæ Antiqua", prescribes in its seventh canon the rite of ordination of such an exorcist: the bishop is to give him the book containing the formulae of exorcism, saying, "Receive, and commit to memory, and possess the power of imposing hands on energumens, whether baptized or catechumens". These exorcists routinely performed ceremonies over adults