Trying to Listen to "The Exorcist"

Recently, I've been listening to "The Exorcist" as an audiobook. The main reason I got it was because I'm working on a novel that has demon possession in it, and I wanted to see how this mother of all demon-possession stories plays out.

I remember seeing the movie as a kid, but I don't remember being that scared by it. Of course, I saw it before I became spiritually awake to the reality of the devil, so I guess it didn't have as much punch for me then. Or maybe I'm just not remembering my feelings. I remember I felt more scared about getting caught by my parents watching an R-rated movie than I did about the subject matter of the movie itself. (In fact, it may have been the first R-rated movie I ever watched, when video players had just come out and my neighbors across the street became movie fanatics.)


But now, the story just freaks me out. I listen to audiobooks three mornings a week while doing the treadmill, and even the night before I've found myself dreading my next "Exorcist" session. Sometimes I've even awakened in the night and not been able to get back asleep because I know in a few hours I'll be waking up and facing my fear.

The book is actually pretty good, and it's narrated by the author, who has a great voice for it. While listening, I turn on the lights full blast and keep looking over my shoulders. I'm just to the part where the mom actually sees the girl's bed shaking with her in it, and that gave me the chills really bad. Even right now, I'm feeling uneasy and looking over my shoulders just typing about it.

So I've pretty much decided to give up on it. Yeah, I'd like to finish it, but it just disturbs my peace too much. Maybe I'll listen to it sometime on impulse and when I'm around people, such as on a road trip. But I can't handle these planned early-morning encounters with such a scary story. Or maybe I'll just pick up the book and try it old school, although books can be too scary too.