50 years of The Exorcist: When its 12 year old protagonist faced death threats after film's release

The Exorcist, which completes 50 years of its release today, remains one of the most iconic horror movies of all time. However, very few people today know that the horror classic had also ignited quite a controversy upon its release because of its subject matter. And one particular member of the filmmaking team which bore the most brunt for it was the 13-year-girl who played the film’s protagonist - Linda Blair.

The Exorcist had many graphic scenes

Linda Blair played the protagonist of the The Exorcist. Directed by veteran filmmaker William Friedkin, The Exorcist told the story of a 13-year-old girl who is possessed by a ghost, which can only be exorcised by a religious priest. Friedkin crafted his narrative that went unthrottled in its visual design. Throughout the film, there were several graphic scenes of the possessed protagonist vomiting, swearing, and at one point, m**t**b**ing with the crucifix. 

Not so surprisingly then, even as The Exorcist became a huge draw at the box-office, it also attracted huge religious attention. But more startlingly, it was not the director but the actress who had serious allegations upon them.  Linda Blair was accused of glorifying Satan. Things reached a point where influential Christian evangelist Bobby Graham went on to declare the movie to be tainted by the Devil. 

Years later, Blair would go on to recall the death threats she received and how people would heckle her in the street, in her biography. Blair wrote, “Police were hired to live at my house,” she said. A bodyguard was enlisted by the movie studio to protect Blair.

Linda Blair continued to be hounded by media as well

However, Blair couldn't be protected from the media which constantly hounded the young actress, asking for her perspective on the complicated themes portrayed in the movie. As Blair told Dread Central years later, “The amount of pressure that came down on me wasn't anything I was prepared for. The press thought I had all the answers about faith and Catholicism... It was probably the most awful thing you could imagine.” Blair further explained that more often than not, interviews were held with hundreds of people in the room rather than one-on-one. Additionally, when Blair would conduct interviews abroad, there were many instances where the journalists didn't speak English, adding further stress for the young actress.

Naturally, these events took a toll on the young girl's mental health.  It took Blair a lot of effort to get out of her typecast image after The Exorcist, and many many years.