The characterization of the Devil in the novel The Exorcist and its film adaptation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7917.2026.e101489Keywords:
devil, The Exorcist, bibleAbstract
This article aims to understand the characterization of the Devil in the novel The Exorcist (1971), written by American author William Peter Blatty (1928-2017), and its film adaptation of the same name, released in 1973 and directed by fellow American William Friedkin (1935-2023). The study seeks to highlight any similarities and differences in the portrayal of a character so prevalent in Western imagination over the centuries. This investigation is justified by the opportunity to examine how such a significant and prominent figure as the Devil is depicted in two contemporary works. The theoretical framework for discussing the Devil is primarily based on the studies of Marcos Almeida (2010) and Luigi Schiavo (2000). Methodologically, the research is bibliographic and descriptive, with an analytical approach within the field of Comparative Literature. Results indicate that, despite certain distinctions, both the book and the film converge in their depiction of the Devil, establishing strong dialogues with the versions of the Devil found in the Bible.
References
ALMEIDA, Marcos Renato Holtz de. O Diabo e a Indústria Cultural: as diversas faces da personificação do mal nas telas de cinema. Rev. Nures, São Paulo, n. 16, set./dez. 2010. Disponível em: https://revistas.pucsp.br/nures/article/view/4277. Acesso em: 04 jul. 2022.
BÍBLIA. Português. Bíblia Sagrada. Trad. de Pe. Antônio Pereira de Figueiredo. São Paulo: Difusão Cultural do Livro, 2006. Edição para o português da Vulgata Latina.
BLATTY, William Peter. O exorcista. Trad. de Carolina Caires Coelho. 1. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Agir, 2015.
BLATTY, William Peter. On “The exorcist”: from Novel to Film. Londres: Corgi Childrens, 1974.
BRANDÃO, Eli; MAGALHÃES, Antonio Carlos de Melo. O Diabo na arte e no imaginário ocidental. In: BRANDÃO, Eli; FERRAZ, Salma; LEOPOLDO, Raphael Novaresi; MAGALHÃES, Antonio Carlos de Melo (org.). O demoníaco na literatura. Campina Grande: EDUEPB, 2012, p. 277-289.
CARREIRO, Roberto; MIRANDA, Suzana Reck. Representações Sonoras do Diabo no Cinema: Vozes Múltiplas e Músicas Mínimas em O Exorcista. Famecos, Porto Alegre, v. 22, n. 4, out./nov./dez. 2015. Disponível em: https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/4955/495550204008.pdf. Acesso em: 21 jul. 2022.
NOGUEIRA, Carlos Roberto F. O diabo no imaginário cristão. 2. ed. Bauru: EDUSC, 2022.
O Exorcista. Direção: William Friedkin. Produção: William Peter Blatty. Intérpretes: Ellen Burstyn; Max Von Sydow; Jason Miller; Linda Blair e outros. Los Angeles: Warner, 2012. Plataforma de streaming online HBO Max (121 min).
RILEY, Brian. Revisiting The Exorcist: The Forbidden Pleasures of Resistant Reading. Response, Lansdowne, v. 2, n. 1, 2017. Disponível em: https://responsejournal.net/issue/2017-11/article/revisiting-exorcist-forbidden-pleasures-resistant-reading. Acesso em: 04 mai. 2022.
RUSSEL, Jeffrey Burton. Lucifer: the devil in the Middle Ages. Londres: Cornell University Press, 1984.
SCHIAVO, Luigi. O Mal e suas Representações Simbólicas. Rev. Estudos da Religião, São Bernardo do Campo, n. 19, p. 65-83, 2000. Disponível em: https://ixtheo.de/Record/1789482704. Acesso em: 14 jul. 2022.
SILVA, Rafael Ferreira da. O poder dado por Cristo para expulsar o mal do meio dos homens: Uma Teologia do Ritual do Exorcismo. 2018. Dissertação (Mestrado em Teologia) – Programa de Estudos Pós-Graduados em Teologia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, São Paulo, 2018. Disponível em: https://tede.pucsp.br/handle/handle/21581. Acesso em: 15 jun. 2022.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 João Vitor Temóteo Viana
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This journal provides open access to all of it content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Such access is associated with increased readership and increased citation of an author's work. For more information on this approach, see the Public Knowledge Project, which has designed this system to improve the scholarly and public quality of research, and which freely distributes the journal system as well as other software to support the open access publishing of scholarly resources. The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.
Este trabalho está licenciado com uma Licença Creative Commons - Atribuição 4.0 Internacional.
