Fans of Grady Hendrix‘s novel My Best Friend’s Exorcism should anticipate some changes in Prime Video’s film adaptation.
Star Elsie Fisher said as much to E! News while discussing the new movie’s Sept. 30 premiere. “That’s totally the struggle with adapting any book,” Elsie, who plays Abby in the film, said. “I think the structure of a film has to be a little more formulaic.”
However, before you get too concerned about the new adaptation, Elsie assured E! News that the My Best Friend’s Exorcism movie really tried to “stay as faithful as possible” to the source material. The Eighth Grade star hinted that the film “ends on a little bit of a higher note,” whereas “the book goes a little further in the timeline” and offers up more of a conclusion.
For those hoping for a scene-by-scene recreation, Elsie noted, “If scenes weren’t able to be included, they were still sort of incorporated as best as possible.”
Overall, Elsie encouraged fans who aren’t familiar with the story “to watch the movie first” and then grab the book to compare.