A Scream fan just noticed that The Exorcist's Linda Blair has a cameo, and now the internet is gagged
Nov. 17, 2023Do you like scary movies? Wes Craven sure did
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A Scream fan just noticed that The Exorcist’s Linda Blair has a cameo in the 1996 horror movie, and now the internet is shook.
This week, a Twitter user with the handle @cyberghostface took to the platform to share stills of Blair in the film, writing: “Just found out that the insensitive reporter in Scream 1 was a cameo from LINDA BLAIR?? Aka Regan from The Exorcist??? I’m gagged.”
Blair shows up early on in the film, accosting Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott the morning after she’s attacked by the mysterious Ghostface killer. “How does it feel to be almost brutally butchered?” she asks as she shoves a mic in Sidney’s face. “the people have a right to know!”
“This is what I mean when I try to tell people there are LAYERS to the Scream movies. Always paying homage or referencing classic horror movies,” someone replied, as another said: “There are so many hidden Easter eggs. Billy Loomis = Dr Loomis name. The subtle Halloween music with Drew Barrymore pulling a kitchen knife…”
“Wow, took me 26 years to find this out,” laughed a third.
In the quote tweets, someone excitedly pointed out that Blair is wearing crucifix earrings in the scene, too, which is almost certainly as a nod to her star-making turn in William Friedkin’s demon-heavy classic. Released in 1973, The Exorcist follows Ellen Burstyn’s desperate mother Chris MacNeil, who seeks out the help of two priests when her young daughter gets possessed by a malevolent entity.
Five years later, Scream’s Wes Craven directed Blair in TV movie Stranger in Our House, so it’s hardly surprising that he asked her to appear in the meta slasher. As Scream fans know, Craven even found a way to cameo in the film himself, too, as Woodsboro High School janitor Fred, who dresses amusingly like A Nightmare on Elm Street villain Freddy Krueger.
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I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.
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