William Friedkin’s The Exorcist still has my vote for the scariest movie of all time, and based on the legacy of the film, I happen to think it may never be surpassed. Of course, the movie was a pretty big success back in 1973, and it became an unlikely franchise, leading to two sequels and two prequels (none of which measure up to the original). Based on the reception of Renny Harlin’s Exorcist: The Beginning, I would think that the franchise would have ended there, but now it appears that we may be getting another Exorcist film in the near future. The good news is, it’s neither a sequel nor a remake.

According to Bloody Disgusting, Vertigo Entertainment (The Ring, The Grudge, Quarantine) has acquired the rights to Mark Opsasnick’s book The Real Story Behind The Exorcist, with the intention of adapting it for the big screen. The book documents Opsasnick’s investigation into a number of true life horror stories, including the possessed 13-year-old boy from whom a demon was said to have been exorcised back in 1949. William Peter Blatty’s book The Exorcist was based mainly on newspaper articles about the case, but this sounds like it might end up being more of a Zodiac approach to the story. Apparently Opsasnick recounts varying witness accounts, and eventually meets up with some of the people involved. I still don’t think it can possibly be as frightening as the original film, but the concept does sound intriguing and I’m definitely curious to check it out. More on this as it develops.