Is The Exorcist Based on a True Story?

Heralded as one of the scariest movies of all-time, 1973’s The Exorcist remains one of the most prestigious horror movies in the genre. With its gripping portrayal of Catholic priests exorcizing an ancient demon from a young girl, some might be wondering whether The Exorcist is based on a true story. Here’s what you need to know.

Is The Exorcist Based on a True Story?

The movie The Exorcist is not based on any particular real-life event but rather is an adaptation of the 1971 novel of the same name written by William Peter Blatty, with Blatty also writing the movie’s screenplay. Blatty would also write a sequel novel, Legion, in 1983, and went on to write and direct the 1990 film adaptation The Exorcist III. While the story of both The Exorcist and Legion are fictional tales created by Blatty, the author was inspired by a real-life historical incident that led him to develop the novel, combined with elements of his own life.

A 1949 exorcism reportedly took place in Cottage City, Maryland, with Jesuit priest, Father William S. Bowdern, exorcizing a boy who was allegedly possessed by a demonic spirit. The incident involved 20-30 exorcism rituals performed by Bowdern before the boy was apparently cleansed of the unholy presence and returned to normal. News of this incident was covered by several Washington, D.C. newspapers at the time, with Blatty learning about it while attending college at Georgetown University when the exorcism took place.

Just as Blatty set The Exorcist in Georgetown to reflect his college years and when he received inspiration for the novel, so too did he draw from his personal life to create the character Father Lankester Merrin. While working as an editor in Beirut after graduating from college, Blatty met British archaeologist Gerald Lankester Harding who helped discover the Dead Sea Scrolls, with Blatty going as far as to use Harding’s middle name as Merrin’s first name as a nod. With these key inspirations, Blatty was able to develop The Exorcist into the horror classic that we know and enjoy today.