Casting Out the Demons (Linda Blair)

Kastle Waserman

Mention Linda Blair’s name and people still conjure up the image of the possessed child in the 1973 thriller, The Exorcist. Most would never have thought that the actress’s adult years would be spent working with a different type of horror: animal abuse. But the child star, who also appeared in the feature films Roller Boogie and Sarah T.: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic, now spends much of her time working with animal rescue and shelter organizations.

In spring 2002, Blair made an appearance at Farm Sanctuary’s “Walk for the Animals.” This nonprofit organization (www.farmsanctuary.org) is working to put an end to cruel animal slaughter practices in the food industry. The walks – and appearances by celebrities such as Blair – help raise awareness of the cause. “At this point in history, the need for a walk on the behalf of farm animals is pretty incredible,” Blair sighs. “I go out there and talk about my work rescuing chickens and turkeys. The ones who are rescued out of battery cages are very friendly and sweet. They’ve been abused, just by living in a cage so small, and some have their beaks cut off. The conditions are just inhumane.” Blair is also being trained by members of Farm Sanctuary to participate in slaughterhouse rescues by personally going into unacceptable farm conditions and taking the animals out.

In addition to her Farm Sanctuary efforts, Blair works with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting the illegal slaughter of marine wildlife. “I want to try to bring international attention to the clubbing of baby seals,” Blair says, adding that she is making plans to personally attend one of Sea Shepherd’s seal rescue campaigns.
Closer to her Southern California home, Blair focuses on her role as president of Pacific Coast Dog Rescue. Here she works to save dogs from “death row” shelters and finds them homes. The 70-dog, no-kill shelter, founded by local resident David Roe, hosts adoption weekends, which can be viewed online at www.pcdogrescue.org.

It’s a busy schedule for a woman whose own home is a bit high-maintenance with a collection of dogs, chickens and her former show horse. “They all wander around and hang out with each other,” she laughs.

Among her housemates is a dog named Sunny, a dark brindle American Staffordshire terrier whom she calls “angel boy” because he followed her home at a time when she really needed some creature comforts. “My mother had just passed away and two of my dogs had died. I was not happy,” Blair says. “And Sunny followed me home one day. Like everyone else, I was scared of this massive dog! But it turned out he rescued my heart. He let me know that God had sent me an angel.” Blair’s other animal companions include Jane, a Siberian husky, and Riley, a pit bull she rescued. “I’ve been working with pit bulls the past couple of years,” she says. “It’s been a completely unique experience. These animals will not stand for any type of abuse. They will lash out. But they’re actually very sweet. The people who have them love them dearly. You have to treat them with love and respect.”

When it comes to her love for animals, Blair says, “I was born this way.” She says that her mother’s teaching of respect for animals also contributed to the development of a nurturing personality. And it’s not just the animals she’s concerned with saving; she cares about human health issues, as well. Part of Blair’s work includes spreading the word on how dietary habits affect people’s health and the environment. She recently self-published her book, Going Vegan (www.linda-blair.com), which contains information on how chemicals affect the food chain, as well as the religious philosophies that oppose man’s consumption of animals.

Blair chose to become a vegetarian after learning about some environmental issues. “I was reading about acid rain, pesticides and how cattle graze and consume these chemicals and how the pesticide runoff goes into the oceans and affects the fish and lobster and shrimp.

I thought, ‘Oh my God!’ and I never touched meat or seafood again.”

But of course, it is her life in front of the camera that she is best known for. While The Exorcist put her in the spotlight many years ago, she admits it took a long time to shake the negative stigma that followed. “I found dealing with The Exorcist to be one of my most difficult journeys. So I had to ask the question, ‘Why was I chosen for this film?’ But years later, people started to see that I went on to other things. The Exorcist gave me a platform, and I’m grateful now that people recognize me and the work I do for animals.”

For now, Blair’s immediate goal is to combine her work with the camera and her mission of animal awareness by making her directorial debut on a film project that deals with animals and health issues. “People need to realize that I put myself in these situations to expose lies and atrocities. I love these animals dearly. There’s nothing I won’t do to help them.”

Kastle Waserman is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles.
© 2003 ASPCA
ASPCA Animal Watch – Spring 2003
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