The Exorcist is probably my favourite horror film. It’s certainly one of the most effective horror films I’ve ever seen – I remember being genuinely disturbed by it when I watched it for the first time, and repeat viewings have done nothing to lessen its impact. The dark atmosphere of the film and the shocking scenes involving a young girl possessed by a demon, are horror classics and in my opinion have never been bettered.
The tormented 12 year old Regan was played by young actress Linda Blair, who effectively portrayed a girl’s transformation from an innocent child into a demon-possessed, snarling and swearing evil monster.
Imagine my delight, whilst reading a news article about a horror event at Universal Studios, to discover that Linda Blair is vegan and an animal rights activist! In the article Linda explains why she agreed to take part in the launch of Universal’s new horror attraction:
“When Universal approached Warner Brothers and myself about doing this, I said ‘As long as the animals get attention.’” she said on the carpet, where she donned a pair of cute kitty ears. “All of the merchandise that would be my royalties are going to the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation. You really can’t get a bigger opportunity than this and I can’t wait to see what they’ve done with it. I bet it’s going to be amazing.”
I checked out Linda’s foundation – you can find the website here – and discovered that her sanctuary is “dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating abused, neglected, and abandoned animals from the harsh streets of the Los Angeles area, as well as from the overcrowded, overwhelmed city and county animal shelters.”
Unlike some who work in animal welfare and rescue, it’s great to see that Linda has taken her compassion for animals to its logical conclusion, having gone vegan many years ago. Caring for abused and neglected animals is great, but if someone continues to consume animal products then they are directly contributing to animal suffering and murder. By going vegan, Linda removed herself from the disgraceful cycle of violence that humans inflict on animals every second of every day.
Thanks for the scares, Linda – but more importantly, thanks for the great work you do for the animals!
