Getting its first general release on the 26th of December 1973 The Exorcist has become one of the most celebrated, praised, and parody of all horror films of all time. This three-hundred-plus page book not only does a deep dive into the origins, making of, and impact of the original film- it also looks into each of the film’s sequels up to 2022- with an exclusive pre-release interview with David Gordon Green, who of course is helming the next three cinematic chapters in the series.

The Exorcist Legacy- 50 Years of Fear is an A5 hardback volume- running at around three and thirty pages. It’s mainly a text-based affair with a fourteen-page colour plate section. The book is written by broadcaster, teacher, and film historian Nat Segaloff- who has apparently had a varied career in motion picture publicity, journalism & producing. He has coming on for thirty titles to his name- with some notable titles being Last Cuts- discussing the last films from fifty great directors, Breaking the Code: Otto Preminger versus Hollywood’s Censors, and Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface.

The book starts off with a forward from John A Russo- co-writer of The Night Of The Living Dead. This is followed by a preface regarding the secret screening of the film, that took place the day before its general release. From then on the sixteen-chapter book unfolds- for the first eight chapters, and one hundred & forty pages the focus is on the first film- starting with the facts around the original case that inspired William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel the films based on, the films making/ shooting- with brief drives into the curse of the film, death of characters, etc.

Chapter nine runs around thirty pages looking at the 1977 sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic. Chapter ten looks at the second sequel from 1990 The Exorcist III, how it differs from the novel it’s based on, and the different versions of the film. Chapter eleven looks at the third & fourth films in the series 2004’s Exorcist: The Beginning and  2005’s Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. Chapter twelve looks at The Exorcist series which ran between 2016 & 2018. Chapter thirteen looks at the new trilogy with an eight-page interview with David Gordon Green. With the last few chapters look at possession & faith. With the book been topped off with an afterword from UK film critic & uber Exorcist fan Mark Kermode.

The Exorcist Legacy- 50 Years of Fear will certainly please both fans of the original films, and the series in general- sure the latter films get less coverage- but that’s to be expected. All in all a readable & interesting book