2024 the best horror movies 2024 review

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(as of Dec 03, 2024 08:20:07 UTC - Details)

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.

Reviewer: Kim Deister
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Dark, disturbing, incredible...
Review: A note: I read the 2011 anniversary edition, which does differ from the OG 1971 first edition. There is an additional scene, a new character, and thorough revising and editing. According to an NPR interview in 2011, he wrote the original in nine months, receiving the screenplay offer just before finishing the first draft. As such, he never had a chance to revise the original, so it was published as is. Even Blatty has said of the 2011 version… “This is the version I would like to be remembered for.”The novel was truly revolutionary in its time, in large part because of the themes and how those themes were handled in the story, as well as in how it shaped the horror genre. It is an incredibly dark and graphic story, not at all smoothed and softened or in any way made more palatable. It’s a novel that holds up to time, a marker that it is one of the best horror novels ever written.The story is very complex, with very few characters that dwell outside the gray areas. Most of them are flawed, some more deeply than others, with their own thoughts and guilt and issues that affect them.The descriptions in this novel are also incredible, if very graphic. It is definitely not a book for the faint of heart, with scenes that range from vaguely eerie to terrifying to the most disturbing. “Atmospheric” doesn’t seem like a big enough word to characterize this book.This is one of those books that’s hard to qualify as a loved read, because the content makes “loved” seem like a cringey feeling for a book such as this. Not to mention the possible perception it might give of me as a person. So I will just go with… it’s a solid 5-star read.

Reviewer: M. L. Asselin
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Beautifully Written Escapism
Review: Most of us are probably familiar with the movie “The Exorcist,” the 1973 movie based on this novel by William Peter Blatty. This 2011, 40th anniversary edition of the novel is a revised version by the author. He said of it, “The 40th Anniversary Edition of ‘The Exorcist’ will have a touch of new material in it as part of an all-around polish of the dialogue and prose. First time around I never had the time (meaning the funds) to do a second draft, and this, finally, is it. With forty years to think about it, a few little changes were inevitable – plus one new character in a totally new very spooky scene. This is the version I would like to be remembered for.”The novel is very cinematic; the movie turned out to be very faithful to the book. The places and characters are well drawn. Over fifty years old now, the novel’s plot is not as taut as one might expect from a thriller, but it holds up well. The shock value of the language has considerably lessened as American discourse has coarsened over the intervening years. I suspect, too, that belief in possession is not as prevalent now, and so perhaps the subject matter is not as scary or shocking as it once was.The story is nonetheless compelling. It is based on a real-life exorcism of a boy from Maryland, an anonymous individual who even church authorities are unsure was actually possessed. Set in Georgetown, the story follows the apparent possession of the young daughter of a movie star, Chris MacNeil, who is shooting a movie on campus. When foul play is suspected in the death of the director of the movie, a police detective, Lt. Kinderman, picks up the trail. A troubled young Jesuit, Fr. Karras, who is himself a psychiatrist, is brought in eventually—much later in the story than you might think—to investigate. Eventually, he teams up with an exorcist, Fr. Merrin, who is modeled after the famous French Jesuit paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin, to perform an exorcism.As a former Jesuit scholastic (one who studied for the priesthood in that order), I was particularly drawn to the priest characters. Blatty, a Roman Catholic, did a remarkable job capturing what Jesuit priests are like. Fr. Karras, with his struggles over his faith, is particularly well written. All of the characters, except for the actor’s much put-upon personal assistant, Sharon, are well developed. (One wonders why Sharon sticks with her job given the literal crap she has to put up with.) A side character, Lt. Kinderman, stands out as a Columbo-like character, with many of the TV detective’s mannerisms and modus operandi. I pictured Peter Falk (even though the character is supposed to have been obese) in the role, but in the movie Kinderman was played by Lee J. Cobb.Whether or not one buys into the reality of exorcism, this is an enjoyable novel, a bit of escapism that asks some still relevant questions about the nature of faith and the reality of the divine and personified evil.

Reviewer: XS
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: 4 stars
Review: THE EXORCIST by William Peter BlattySaved a horror classic for the last few days of October!Firstly, I appreciate how the film adaptation stayed pretty true to the book as it’s one of my favorite movies. Of course the book goes into much more detail and has more depth.The internal struggle of Father Damien Karras, as he battles his conflicting beliefs about religion with his knowledge of science/psychiatry and medical facts, was done quite well. Admittedly, it also felt too drawn out toward the end.Some may find this to be slow and dialogue heavy. And yeah, it is. There were scenes that dragged and I certainly didn’t care for the bumbling police detective, but the rest of the story made up for it.If you’re a horror fan, you’ll enjoy this. While I didn’t find the story itself to be particularly terrifying, the “crab walk” scene was much scarier in the book than the film. IDK how, but it just was/is!Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Reviewer: Don Sanderson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great book very well written.
Review: William Peter Blattys epic horror classic is a masterpiece. Not just because of the scares but for his exceptional attention to detail in clerical, medical, psychiatric, and law enforcement issues. It’s an easy read I read over 5 days. I’ve seen the movie which was pretty true to the Noel.

Reviewer: Landon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Better than the movie
Review: Very over the top supernatural horror, much more, hmm, explicit and intense than the movie, definitely worth a read

Reviewer: IncredibleOpinions
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I’ve read my fair share of horror, but "The Exorcist" is on a completely different level. This is, without a doubt, the most terrifying book I’ve ever read. William Peter Blatty is a genius.The writing is absolutely phenomenal. Every word is carefully chosen to build suspense and terror. The characters are complex and believable, and the story is utterly gripping. I couldn’t put this book down! Blatty's ability to craft cliffhangers at the end of each chapter is masterful.I’m still in shock that this book was written in 1971. The depth of psychological and psychiatric knowledge displayed is astonishing. It's clear Blatty did extensive research.If you’re a horror fan, do yourself a favor and read this book. Even if you’ve seen the movie, the novel offers a much richer and more terrifying experience.The Exorcist is a timeless masterpiece that will haunt you long after the final page.

Reviewer: Rodrigo Lobato
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Maravilhoso. O Exorcista é um dos meus filmes favoritos da vida, mas o livro talvez consiga ser ainda melhor. Um dos aspectos mais interessantes do livro é podermos conhecer com mais profundidade as personagens que, no filme, conhecemos apenas superficialmente. Recomendo demais!!

Reviewer: Arnav Singh
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The Exorcist is a book that totally grips the each and every blood vessel of the reader's body. It's far more better to read rather watching movie because movies may give you jumpscare that may make u go angry but book won't disappoint you unlike the movie. Except the entertainment, the book has many new words to learn too. So , I recommend everyone to read this book and let the horror encapsulate you to take u on a ride of unlimited fun , fear and feel. 🙂

Reviewer: Florian
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Given the title and popular movie I expected the book to be about...well, the Exorcist.However around 90% of the novel just deals with the young girl's illness, with her mother going from doctor to doctor to figure out what's wrong with her and how to help her. After all medical and psychological means led to no results, she almost accidentally stumbles over occultism, possession and exorcism. That's the remaining 10% of the book. It is not about religion, it's a highly realistic depiction of how you would help your child getting better. I'm deeply impressed by this book. Just great!

Reviewer: Di Giuseppe Riccardo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: A great novel and a great book.