Linda Blair is considered one of the all-time greatest Scream Queens out there thanks to her chilling role in The Exorcist. When it was announced that a new Exorcist trilogy was coming our way with Ellen Burstyn returning, you may have wondered if the Golden Globe winner will be reprising her role too. It appears that Blair will be taking part in The Exorcist: Believer, but her new role won’t involve throwing up pea soup this time.
It’s incredible when you think about how Linda Blair was only 14 years old when she took part in The Exorcist, one of the best horror films of all time. The character of Regan really went through the wringer while being taken over by the devil through shouting profanities, levitation, the infamous “spider walk,” the demonic voice, and you can’t forget the vomiting pea soup scene. This time around, though, Blair won’t be doing any of that for The Exorcist: Believer. According to GamesRadar, director David Gordon Green said to Total Film Magazine the Oscar nominee will have more of a behind-the-scenes role instead.
She came to set because she was an advisor on the movie. I was really lucky to have her read the script, but she was not interested in a significant role and stepping back into that. We brought her in as an advisor because we’re dealing with young people, and we want to take them to dangerous places safely.
How inspiring for Linda Blair to come back to her horror roots to help the upcoming horror film’s new young stars. With Olivia Marcum and Lidya Jewett playing best friends who become possessed by the same demonic presence from 50 years ago, I’m sure these newbies needed all of the help they could get from a legacy icon. After all, the American actress went through a lot playing Regan in 1973. Blair injured her lower back during the bed-shaking stunt and faced media attention for starring in a controversial horror film that made audiences faint or lose their lunch over it. When you think about it, she really paved the way for young actresses today in the horror genre.
It’s understandable why Linda Blair doesn’t want to reprise her role as Regan for The Exorcist: Believer. She came back as the possession survivor in The Exorcist II: The Heretic which she had a lot of faith in at the time. Unfortunately, the sequel received negative reviews and is considered one of the worst movies of all time. Even The Exorcist director William Friedkin thought The Heretic was the worst movie he had ever seen. So much so that the third movie doesn’t even follow the events of the second. The Exorcist: Believer will be following suit inspired by Blumhouse’s Halloween in having this be a sequel to the 1973 film and more of a reinvention.
Linda Blair may not be the legacy actress returning to one of the best horror film franchises, but Ellen Burstyn will. As her character Chris MacNeil saw first-hand the horrific atrocities that the demonic Pazuzu inflicted on her daughter, she decided to offer her assistance to two girls under the influence of Pazuzu. The surprising and awesome reason Burstyn signed on was to bring a scholarship program to the Master’s degree program at Pace University. This promise was very important to her as she’s been the co-president of the Actors Studio since 2000 which provided the Master’s degree program. Because of her, more aspiring actors and actresses will live out their dreams honing their craft.
As I’m expecting the two young stars of The Exorcist: Believer to bring outstanding performances, we can thank Linda Blair for bringing safety to the set. I wouldn’t be surprised if she taught them the clever, convincing way of throwing up pea soup too. You can watch the first of the new Exorcist trilogy in theaters on October 6th and will be available on your Peacock subscription once the theatrical window closes.
