Best horror books to read in 2024

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The best horror books to read this spooky season

The Exorcist

Robert Glenister and Ian McDiarmid star in a gripping BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of William Peter Blatty’s classic horror novel

Robert Glenister and Ian McDiarmid star in a gripping BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of William Peter Blatty’s classic horror novel 
 
‘When a radio play is this good, the devil really is in the details’ Radio Times 
 
Summoned to a case of apparent possession, Father Karras is at first sceptical, then horrified. The victim –a 12-year-old girl named Regan – seems to be controlled by a malign supernatural force that makes her swear, blaspheme, scream in agony and perform appalling acts. Attempting to find a rational explanation for the girl’s behaviour, Karras tries to talk to Regan, only to find himself locking horns with the demon inside her head. Its many voices mock him, tormenting him with his weakness, doubts and buried guilt. With his faith in God and humanity tested to the limit, Karras turns to the ultimate solution: exorcism… 
 
The film version of The Exorcist is widely considered to be one of the most terrifying movies ever made. This new, full-cast radio drama is just as chilling, suspenseful and shocking, while also retaining the depth and psychological complexity of Blatty’s original novel. Adapted by Sony Award-winning dramatist Robert Forrest, it stars Robert Glenister as Karras, Alexandra Mathie as the Demon and Ian McDiarmid as Merrin.

William Peter Blatty

A tremendous novel...fast, powerful and completely gripping

Well researched, written in a literate style... grips with the force of evil incarnate, and there are not many readers who will be unmoved

Immensely satisfying... holds its audience in a vice-like grip

Quite possibly the most terrifying novel ever written . . .

Father Damien Karras: 'Where is Regan?' 
Regan MacNeil: 'In here. With us.' 
 
The terror begins unobtrusively. Noises in the attic. In the child's room, an odd smell, the displacement of furniture, an icy chill. At first, easy explanations are offered. Then frightening changes begin to appear in eleven-year-old Regan. Medical tests fail to shed any light on her symptoms, but it is as if a different personality has invaded her body. 
 
Father Damien Karras, a Jesuit priest, is called in. Is it possible that a demonic presence has possessed the child? Exorcism seems to be the only answer... 
 
First published in 1971, The Exorcist became a literary phenomenon and inspired one of the most shocking films ever made. This edition, polished and expanded by the author, includes new dialogue, a new character and a chilling new extended scene, provides an unforgettable reading experience that has lost none of its power to shock and continues to thrill and terrify new readers.

William Peter Blatty

Praise for The Exorcist

A tremendous novel...fast, powerful and completely gripping

Well researched, written in a literate style... grips with the force of evil incarnate, and there are not many readers who will be unmoved

Wonderfully exciting

A tremendous novel...fast, powerful and completely gripping

Well researched, written in a literate style... grips with the force of evil incarnate, and there are not many readers who will be unmoved

Wonderfully exciting

A tremendous novel...fast, powerful and completely gripping

Well researched, written in a literate style... grips with the force of evil incarnate, and there are not many readers who will be unmoved

Wonderfully exciting

Books by William Peter Blatty

Articles featuring William Peter Blatty

The best horror books to read this spooky season

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