Hmm, in no way scary or unsettling. I read it at night before I went to bed, and alone in the house, with no consequences. Is that because I know the film so well (although the film leaves a lot out)? There was a lot of build up around character, which Blatty is pretty good at (even if he does make Chris, the main female character, so stupid that it began to irritate me. The horror scenes were maybe too clear cut, not obscure enough, and they didn't escalate, just went on and on with the possessed Regan being disgusting (there is a LOT of bodily fluid in this book). I finished it, so that's saying something.