What We Talk About When We Talk About Linda Blair

*Spoiler alert/Author’s note: This article discusses plot points of the 1973 film The Exorcist. However, these plot points are not discussed in depth because I assume that if you’re reading this article, you have seen the film or at least know what it’s about. William Friedkin, acclaimed American film director, died this week at the age of 87. Friedkin’s ouevre is impressive and diverse. But he is best known for directing The Exorcist, the 1973 horror classic based on the William Peter Blatty novel and starring veteran actors Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, and Max Von Sydow. The film is inarguably the most effective work of its genre ever made (Yes, inarguably. You can argue with me, but I double-dog dare you to argue with @<a href="https://fanfare.pub/my-journey-of-faith-and-the-exorcist-84a74de51846" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Simon Dillon</a>). It also introduces a then unknown 14-year old actor named Linda Blair, who, in the central role as a possessed child, delivers a powerhouse of a performance upon which the entire film rests. The performance is courageous, animalistic, and unleashed. It is harrowing. It is unrelenting. It is the stuff of nightmares. Blair tortures the audience, and leaves everything on the table. And we’ve never quite forgiven her for it. Since the dawn of cinema (and television), there have been actors who have so fully embodied their roles that audiences can comprehend the distinction between the two. Think of Charlie Chaplin and you think of The Hobo. Think of Clark Gable, and you think of Rhett Butler. Think of Sigourney Weaver and you think of Ellen Ripley. Think of Sarah Jessica Parker and you think of Carrie Bradshaw. <a href="https://fanfare.pub/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-linda-blair-f7a96cf5d5d5">Click Here</a>