At a time when criticsamp10are expected to be publicists and anything famous is amp8216classic or amp8216iconicamp8217amp10Carlos Acevedo has managed to hold the line. The Devil Inside is aamp10sharp hardnosed aesthetic and cultural investigation into what everybody wasamp10throwing up about fifty years ago. It succeeds as criticism history andamp10social analysis.Charles Taylor film critic at Esquire and authoramp10of Opening Wednesday at a Theater or DriveIn Near You The Shadow Cinema ofamp10the American amp821770sIn 1973 The Exorcistamp10left moviegoers gripping their rosary beads vomiting in their popcorn bucketsamp10and fainting in the sticky aisles. Cynically marketed as a cursed productionamp10based on a amp8220true storyamp8221 The Exorcist quickly became one of the mostamp10controversial films ever released. With its groundbreaking special effectsamp10relentless pace and terrifying finale the film revolutionized the horroramp10genre and paved the way for future blockbusters.In The Devil Insideamp10Carlos Acevedo goes beyond the myths to examine the national uproar Theamp10Exorcist caused as well as the dark realworld effects it had on aamp10jittery audience. Until now books about The Exorcist have largelyamp10perpetuated its legends while overlooking its cultural background. The Devilamp10Inside places the film in its cinematic and social contextamp8212as a product ofamp10the New Hollywood when maverick directors hijacked the film industry and asamp10part of the supernatural trends of the times when the occult permeated musicamp10books and movies. From the originalamp10possession case that inspired the novel to the troubled production to theamp10conflicts on the set to the uptick in demands for actual exorcisms Theamp10Devil Inside sheds new light on a shocking phenomenon that has remained aamp10popculture touchstone for fifty years.amp160 amp10amp10amp10amp10amp10amp10amp160