After being successfully exorcised by Fathers Karras and Merrin in The Exorcist, Regan MacNeil's life didn't end up getting much easier. Demonic possession has been a popular topic ever since the early days of horror, and it's no wonder, considering how widespread Christianity is as a religion. The idea of infernal creatures using human bodies as puppets for committing vile acts of evil is a seemingly endless well for horror movies to drink out of, with lots of new possession stories hitting theaters, streaming, and home video each and every year.
Much like with Jaws and killer shark movies though, it's hard to imagine anything ever topping 1973's The Exorcist when it comes to the best example of demonic possession being depicted on film. Directed by William Friedkin, and based on a novel by William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist was a cultural phenomenon upon its release, and proved to be too upsetting for many moviegoers of the time. It's scary, it's dramatic, it's visually arresting, and it's full of horrific scenes that even now might drop the jaws of first time viewers.
If there's one character most associated with The Exorcist, it has to be Regan MacNeil, played by Linda Blair. Regan is the target of Satan's influence, and gets put through a living hell, forced to do terrible things to and in front of others, and physically tortured as well. Thankfully, she ends the film unaware. Unfortunately, that wouldn't keep her safe forever.
The Exorcist: What Happened to Regan MacNeil
Despite escaping The Exorcist with her life, Regan MacNeil would then have to suffer the indignity of appearing in 1977's Exorcist 2: The Heretic, one of the worst sequels of all time. It's so bad that William Friedkin once called it the worst movie he's ever seen. Quality of the actual film aside, Blair returned as Regan, now 16-years-old. Regan still doesn't remember her past, but some ill-advised psychiatric techniques awaken her repressed trauma, and the remnants of the demonic force that once occupied her body. Thankfully, she's once again able to defeat Pazuzu, this time with the help of a Father Lamont, who almost gets seduced by her evil side in a sequence that's creepy for all the wrong reasons.
That would be the last time Regan MacNeil appeared in an Exorcist film, although she would return to the franchise in a surprising way. In season 1 of FOX's recent Exorcist TV series, Geena Davis plays a character named Angela Rance, mother of a possessed girl named Casey Rance. In a late game twist, Angela is revealed to be an adult Regan, who changed her name to try and start a new life. Unfortunately, Pazuzu decided to target her daughter this time. Angela/Regan saves Casey by agreeing to once again become possessed herself, murdering her mother Chris while under Pazuzu's influence. Priests Ortega and Keane help her combat the demon, who's ultimately forced out, but not before breaking Regan's back and confining her to a wheelchair. Still, she's alive, and seemingly demon-free.