‘The Exorcist’ Series Promises Big Thrills And Chills, But Where Is Linda Blair?


The idea of a television adaptation of The Exorcist may have many horror fans’ eyes rolling to the back of their heads and not in a demonic way, but creator Jeremy Slater promises a faithful yet enhanced re-imagining of the William Peter Blatty novel and William Friedkin film. In fact, Slater, known for the 2016 horror films The Lazarus Effect and Pet, promises he is a devoted fan of the original 1973 film and that the upcoming series will pay homage to that film in many ways.

The one thing Fox’s adaptation of The Exorcist will not have is Regan McNeill. As a new rendition of Blatty’s classic story prepares to make its way to television, many are asking where the first film’s star is now. The answer to that may be as surprising as the idea of The Exorcist on network television.

Jeremy Slater Reveals What The Exorcist Will And Will Not Be

Mr. Slater is a horror fan as fanatical as preserving the classics as anyone, and as Yahoo TV reveals, he was steadfastly resistant against the idea of adapting The Exorcist for television. As the idea was pitched to him, Jeremy recalls refusing to participate, because the concept was to remake The Exorcist as a television miniseries. Instead, he offered the counter-pitch of making a continuation of the original story, adding to the Blatty mythology instead of trying to replace it.

“We have the rights to the book, so we couldn’t remake the film even if we wanted to. Blatty has given us his blessing and has been briefed on our big plans for the season.”

That said, Slater recognizes the great responsibility that has been placed into his hands, and as The Exorcist showrunner shares, he’s more than a little nervous about mishandling the horror genre’s flagship.

“I basically took the job to prevent someone else from doing it,” The Exorcist producer says, laughing. “If anyone was going to ruin The Exorcist, it was going to be me!”

One way in which Slater hopes to keep a similar feel between his series and Friedkin’s feature film is by taking his influences for filming The Exorcist directly from the filmmaking styles of the 1970s.

“The goal was to shy away from what you see in a lot of modern horror, which involves a lot of quick cuts, splatter, and rapid camera movement,” says The Exorcist‘s Slater. “I wanted to evoke the spirit of movies like Don’t Look Now, which is much more reliant on atmosphere and this sense that evil has invaded the world.”

Jeremy adds that his ambition for The Exorcist might far exceed his budget. For example, he revealed hopes to get iconic horror filmmakers John Carpenter and Joe Dante on board to direct a few episodes.

The Exorcist showrunner also shares that he won’t be going for those cheap scares, which have become so prevalent in modern horror movies. Instead, he hopes to build up a suspenseful story with an emphasis on characterization and plot development, springing scares like Linda Blair’s spider-walk and skin writing at precisely the right moments.

The Exorcist producer also reveals that, while the story being told in Season 1 will come to a close by the end of the season, there’s a larger story being told and he feels that will reel fans in. Slater describes the concept as something similar to Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story, as far as the way each season tells a different story, yet remains interconnected.

“We’re not going to be discarding all the characters and starting fresh. Those who survive Season 1 may be back in Season 2. Because this isn’t necessarily the story of one possessed family — there’s a larger conspiracy at work,” says The Exorcist creator. “Evil is progressing toward something; it has grander designs and ambition.”

Linda Blair Shows Up At Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights

For those wondering where the original Exorcist scream queen/victim has gone, Hindustan Times reveals that Linda Blair has all but shied away from acting to focus more fully on her concerns for wildlife conservation and animal care. Linda stepped back into the limelight to attend the grand opening of an Exorcist-themed haunted house at Universal Studio’s Halloween Horror Nights festival in Southern California. While fans were certainly happy to see The Exorcist star once again, Ms. Blair revealed that she attended the event largely for the benefit of the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation, an animal shelter founded by the actress.

“This is a party for me, for the film, for my animals, because everything as far as merchandise goes to the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation on my percentage,” says Linda.

Ms. Blair was launched into pop culture notoriety when 1973’s The Exorcist broke box office records and terrified moviegoers worldwide. Now, 43 years later, Linda says she finds it frustrating that The Exorcist is still the only thing people want to talk with her about, especially when she’s so passionate about her animal welfare organization.

“What’s very discouraging at times is the inability (of the media) to look at what I’m trying to do,” Ms. Blair says. “On the Morning Show, they didn’t ask me one question of interest. I’m sad, but I’m not mad at them.”

Still, Linda says she does love her fans and adds that she was very pleased to see so many fans eager to experience The Exorcist haunted house. Linda was doubly excited to see so many people buying the merchandise, because, as Blair is only too happy to point out, a portion of the profits from those sales go to benefit animals through the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation.

The Exorcist airs tonight on Fox.

[Featured Image by Fox]

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