WATCH out - the devil is coming to Windsor.

A stage version of The Exorcist is coming to the Theatre Royal from September 4 to 14, starring Paul Nicholas and Sophie Ward - and featuring the voice of Sir Ian McKellen as the demon.

Millions of people have read the book and seen the film and this new stage version is on tour following a West End run. It has been adapted for the stage by John Pielmeier and directed by Sean Mathias.

Most people know the story of a desperate mother who turns to a priest for help when the medical profession cannot find answers to her daughter Regan’s strange symptoms.

Now, 45 years after the film’s release the challenge of recreating it on the stage without the help of movie special effects has been met for the first time.

John Pielmeier, who adapted it, says: “It was incredibly exciting. Ben Hart, who is the illusions designer on the show, is absolutely brilliant. I’d say ‘Ben, this is what I was thinking’ and he’d have an even better idea because he knows so much more about it than I do.

“The story is incredibly theatrical. I was surprised no one had done this before. It’s essentially a story that takes place inside a house, mostly inside one room, with a small number of characters.

“It’s very contained physically, but it is absolutely boundless in an emotional and intellectual way.

“And being in the same room when it is all happening is a very different, wonderful experience to seeing a movie. Being in front of living people reenacting something right before your eyes in a very present tense way is incredible.”

What does he hope audiences will get from seeing it on stage? “I hope they will be excited by it and a little scared by it at times. They might get a few of those chilling moments. But I hope they will come away with a feeling that it’s not just a horror story; there’s so much more to it than that.”

Call the theatre’s box office on 01753 853888 or go online to www.theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk to book.