![]() ![]() Though Bowdern believed it was demonic in nature, one mental health professional, as well as a physicist who consulted on the case, believed the child was exhibiting bizarre but not inexplicable behavior. Numerous witnesses were said to be present for these episodes, and the boy eventually recovered from whatever might have been plaguing him. ![]() Blatty claimed he had notes belonging to the priests who attended to the child in an attempt to rid him of the unnatural forces controlling him, including that of Reverend William S. In 1949, a 14-year-old boy in Mount Rainier, Maryland, was exhibiting unusual behavior, including abnormal strength, distorted posture, wounds seemingly made from an invisible pitchfork dragging itself over his body, and obscene words that would protrude on his skin like an allergic reaction. (The 1973 film adaptation is no slouch, either, having prompted some audience members to faint.) According to Blatty, the basic premise was culled from real life. William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel about a young girl named Regan MacNeil possessed by demonic forces and in desperate need of a Catholic priest’s intervention might be one of the most unsettling stories ever printed. Take a look at some very real influences behind some of the scariest books ever written. ![]() If authors constantly take from real life to shape their fiction, what sorts of experiences feed classic horror novels? Must an author be stalked, spooked, or otherwise assailed by a paranormal entity in order to produce a story that stands the test of time, or do their terrors come strictly from their imaginations? It’s a little of both. Scott Fitzgerald needed only to look in the mirror to help him find a character for Tender Is the Night (1934), his semi-autobiographical follow-up to The Great Gatsby (1925). Herman Melville got the idea for Moby Dick (1851) from Mocha Dick, a real whale who was regularly attacking ships without provocation Margaret Mitchell may have taken some cues for the character of Ashley Wilkes in Gone With the Wind (1936) based on her distant cousin-laconic lawman Doc Holliday F. For writers, inspiration can come from anywhere. ![]()
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