In memory of William Peter Blatty
William Peter Blatty was never a household name, but then again, writers seldom are. Actors and certain directors, of course, easily earn name recognition, but how many screenwriters can you name?
Blatty's accomplishments, however, were as diverse as they were impressive. He did everything from co-write "A Shot in the Dark" -- widely considered to be the best and funniest of the Inspector Clouseau/ Pink Panther films -- to ghost-writing for famed advice column "Dear Abby" (including, incidentally, the specific column that earned the alleged writer a Mother of the Year award).
Blatty is best known, however, for writing a series of novels and screenplays in the horror genre-- specifically the enormously influential "The Exorcist."
The degree to which "The Exorcist" changed the landscape of horror cannot be overstated. Previously, horror movies were almost exclusively set in Victorian times or other periods that were decidedly yesteryear. The enormous financial success of Blatty's novel and movie, however, proved without question that horror could find equal or perhaps even greater artistic and commercial success in contemporary settings. On the most obvious level, "The Exorcist"'s influence can be seen in the countless exorcism / possession based horror movies that continue to be made to this day. On a grander scale, however, it could be argued that any horror movie or literature set in the present day owes at least a little something to Blatty's ground-breaking work. Would Stephen King, for example, even have a career without Blatty's influence? And if so, what would his work look like? King has been very open about the influence of H.P. Lovecraft on his work, but I'd argue that much of his work, and much of his success, owes as much if not more to Blatty's influence.
My two suggestions for getting to know different sides of Blatty's work: "A Shot in the Dark" is hilarious, and a million miles removed from Blatty's work in horror. And "The Exorcist 3," which Blatty both directed and wrote, is a truly creepy mixture of traditional horror with police-procedural style mystery.
Blatty's accomplishments, however, were as diverse as they were impressive. He did everything from co-write "A Shot in the Dark" -- widely considered to be the best and funniest of the Inspector Clouseau/ Pink Panther films -- to ghost-writing for famed advice column "Dear Abby" (including, incidentally, the specific column that earned the alleged writer a Mother of the Year award).
Blatty is best known, however, for writing a series of novels and screenplays in the horror genre-- specifically the enormously influential "The Exorcist."
The degree to which "The Exorcist" changed the landscape of horror cannot be overstated. Previously, horror movies were almost exclusively set in Victorian times or other periods that were decidedly yesteryear. The enormous financial success of Blatty's novel and movie, however, proved without question that horror could find equal or perhaps even greater artistic and commercial success in contemporary settings. On the most obvious level, "The Exorcist"'s influence can be seen in the countless exorcism / possession based horror movies that continue to be made to this day. On a grander scale, however, it could be argued that any horror movie or literature set in the present day owes at least a little something to Blatty's ground-breaking work. Would Stephen King, for example, even have a career without Blatty's influence? And if so, what would his work look like? King has been very open about the influence of H.P. Lovecraft on his work, but I'd argue that much of his work, and much of his success, owes as much if not more to Blatty's influence.
My two suggestions for getting to know different sides of Blatty's work: "A Shot in the Dark" is hilarious, and a million miles removed from Blatty's work in horror. And "The Exorcist 3," which Blatty both directed and wrote, is a truly creepy mixture of traditional horror with police-procedural style mystery.
posted by Movie Man at
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