William Peter Blatty, an author whose novel “The Exorcist” and his later screenplay for the 1973 film about a demonic possession became a phenomenon and stirred fierce public debate about the occult, died Jan. 12 at a hospital near his home in Bethesda, Md. Its screenwriter and author, William Peter Blatty, died yesterday. Its screenwriter and author, William Peter Blatty, died yesterday. William Peter Blatty, author and screenwriter of “The Exorcist,” based his book on a real-life exorcism conducted on a boy, known as Roland Doe, who lived in this house in Prince George’s County. Mr. Blatty wrote the screenplay of the film, directed by William Friedkin and starring Linda Blair as the demonically possessed child.

Source: Washington Post January 13, 2017 16:28 UTC