His work influenced generations of authors, filmmakers, and artists, and the horror genre wouldn't be what is today without him, so it is with especially great sadness that we share the news that author and filmmaker William Peter Blatty has passed away at the age of 89.
Director William Friedkin shared the somber news of his friend's passing on Twitter this morning. The cause of death is unknown at this time.
William Peter Blatty, dear friend and brother who created The Exorcist passed away yesterday
— William Friedkin (@WilliamFriedkin) January 13, 2017
In the early ’70s, Blatty forever changed the landscape of cinema when he adapted his novel The Exorcist for the big screen, an adaptation directed by William Friedkin. When audiences witnessed a possessed Regan MacNeil doing her 360-degree head spin on screen, nothing was ever the same again in the world of horror.
Blatty went on to direct The Ninth Configuration (1980) and The Exorcist III (1990). An adaptation of his novel Legion, the third installment of The Exorcist franchise holds a special place in many horror fans' hearts for its thoughtful—and downright scary—storytelling.
Blatty was a creative force through his career, writing several more novels after Legion and recently offering his supportive thoughts to Jeremy Slater, the showrunner of The Exorcist TV series. The impact of his work and the lives he touched will live on forever, and our thoughts go out to Blatty's family and friends during this difficult time.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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