Though it may not feel like it to us Florida folk, fall is here. And with fall comes some of our favorite things: Pumpkin Spice everything, new Law and Order SVU episodes, and the Nightmare on Franklin Street film series at the Tampa Theatre. This year, along with showings of such classic terrifying flicks like The Shining (9:30 p.m., Sat. Oct. 24), The Devil’s Rejects (3:45 p.m., Sat. Oct. 24) and Poltergeist (8:30 p.m. Fri., Oct 30), is a screening The Exorcist that includes a live discussion with Linda Blair herself. The paranormal horror shows the journey of a mother (Ellen Burstyn) and priests Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) and Father Karras (Jason Miller) as they try to exorcise a demon out of Regan, a possessed preteen girl played by Blair.
Nominated for a Best Supporting Acting Oscar for her role, Blair has steadily been working since, including in a stint in 80s horror exploitation films with Hell Night and Savage Streets and the Exorcist satirical reboot Repossessed along side Leslie Nielsen.
The Oscar-winning (Best Sound Mixing and Best Adapted Screenplay) movie will be shown at 7:30 p.m., Thurs., Oct. 29; after Blair will be answering your questions and sharing some of her behind the scene and making-of experiences. Maybe she'll answer the nagging question, “Was that split pea soup you spewed out of your mouth?”. After the discussion, Blair will be sticking around for a VIP meet and greet for pictures and autographs.
A portion of the proceeds of the night will go to The Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation that benefits rescued and abused pets. The thought of helping those animals might help you sleep better after watching what some, including Roger Ebert, AFI, AMC and Variety, call “The scariest film of all time." I'll also need an ambien and my mommy, thanks.
Tickets on sale today at noon. $43/$103.30 (VIP), 7:30 p.m., Thurs., Oct. 29, Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin St., tampatheatre.org.
This article appears in Sep 24-30, 2015.