In this series, I look back at past entries in the “Exorcist” saga as we await word of the renewal or cancellation of the Fox TV series that continues the movie saga into modern day.
William Peter Blatty obliquely returns to the world of “The Exorcist” in “Legion” (1983), which was later adapted into the movie “Exorcist III.” Although the MacNeils are not in the novel (or even directly mentioned), Lieutenant Kinderman returns – this time as the main character – and there are other surprise tie-ins to the 1971 novel.
As with the original novel, the mystery of “Legion” – again set in Washington, D.C. – probably played better with a more innocent reader in 1983. When I read it today, it’s obvious to me that the Devil is committing the series of murders, using mentally addled patients as his proxies. The exact nature of how the Devil jumps bodies is somewhat of a mystery – as is the question of whether this is the demon Pazuzu (never mentioned in this novel) or the Devil himself – but the storyline proceeds nicely from the end of “The Exorcist,” which now has new meaning infused to the final moments of Father Karras’ life.
I had first heard of the idea of the Devil being “Legion, for we are many” (a way of saying the Devil has many proxies, or perhaps even resides in all humans) in Stephen King’s TV miniseries “Storm of the Century” (1999). An inverted version of this religious theory also plays into the Marvel comic book, and now TV series, “Legion.” Although the phrase dates back to the Bible, I’m not sure if it was a mainstream idea in pop culture when Blatty’s novel came out. I suspect the idea was more surprising for a 1983 reader, although perhaps I’m seeing the past as a more innocent time only because I was kid back then.
While “Legion” is not as layered as “The Exorcist” – mainly because Blatty entertains fewer points of view and engages with fewer characters’ minds – it remains a gripping novel despite not working on a pure mystery level. The reason for this is Kinderman’s pontificating about the origin of the universe and man. Often going off on monologues to his men at the precinct about philosophical conundrums, Kinderman is also capable of being a good listener when someone deigns to engage him.
Father Dyer is more than willing to shoot the breeze with his cop friend. Although Kinderman is Jewish and Dyer is a Jesuit, the differences between the religions might as well be minutiae; they are more interested in the bigger picture. While one could see them as precursors to “Gilmore Girls’ ” priest and rabbi who are best friends, it’s not played for humor in “Legion” (although both men do have a sense of humor). Rather, it’s entirely natural that two people interested in the Big Questions would be friends.
And because “Legion” doesn’t delve into too many specifics about those related Western religions (Kinderman offhandedly probes the Jesus-as-son-of-God narrative at one point), it – like “The Exorcist” before it – is another example of a religious novel that has no trouble engaging secular audiences. For one thing, everyone is interested in the Big Questions. For another, Kinderman is quite knowledgeable about what the scientific method has uncovered about the universe. Unlike many apologetics tomes, “Legion” doesn’t have any blind spots when thinking about this stuff.
It also helps that I feel a kinship with this man who totally goes against the grain of literary cops. Kinderman notes that it’s hard to find a good conversationalist in this day and age. He’s able to cajole his underling, Atkins, and others to go to the movies with him and discuss the films afterward, but there’s always a sense that while Kinderman lives for this stuff, his colleague is somewhat humoring him. I likewise feel that I enjoy a good conversation about complex issues more than the average person.
While a lot of the book explores familiar theories, albeit through Kinderman’s engaging mind, one tremendous wrinkle comes from Amfortas, a depressed psychiatrist who is about to retire. Using cutting-edge recording equipment, he has discovered disembodied voices hidden underneath white noise. After eliminating all rational explanations for these voices, he concludes they must be the voices of the dead, communicating with the living.
It’s the nature of a book about the mystery of the human condition that there won’t be a solution as satisfying as the unveiling of the murderer. However, Blatty comes pretty darn close when he rolls Kinderman’s ideas into a final thesis statement. The lieutenant believes the Big Bang was Lucifer exploding into his component parts, and now the universe – one big Fallen Angel — is reassembling itself. This allows for the human race’s mix of good and evil behavior – or at least it gets a step closer to allowing for it. (In the acknowledgements, Blatty credits this “theory of the Angel” to his friend Jack Vizzard, who I imagine was the Father Dyer to Blatty’s Kinderman.)
Although “Legion” is philosophically and spiritually deeper, it doesn’t work on as many levels as “The Exorcist.” Blatty somewhat rushes through the grisly murder scenes like they are a necessary evil so “Legion” can fit into the horror and thriller genres and appeal to “Exorcist” fans. Still, Kinderman is a gentle soul who himself is troubled by these scenes, so it makes sense that the de facto point-of-view character doesn’t dwell on them.
(Blatty writes in the style that Philip K. Dick was sometimes criticized for. Within the same section of text, he sometimes shifts from the perspective of one character to another. Because he never makes more than one shift per section, it’s not too jarring. And it gives us the benefit of quickly checking in on another person’s state of mind without having to spend a lot of words on them, or to have an extremely short section that would make the book choppy. It is an unusual approach, though, that remains controversial in literature circles.)
The talky philosophizing of “Legion” might turn off some readers, who might find this to be the self-indulgent side of Blatty whereas “The Exorcist” was the crowd-pleasing side. Indeed, it rates four stars on Amazon whereas “The Exorcist” gets 4.5. Still, that’s a pretty good rating, and it’s a sign that the ideas Blatty indulges in remain fascinating to all of us.