The Supernatural Character You Likely Forgot The Exorcist's Linda Blair Played
One of the most well-known horror TV series to air over the past decade or so is The CW series "Supernatural." The show, which ran for a total of 15 seasons, follows the trials and tribulations of Dean Winchester and Sam Winchester — played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, respectively — two brothers who spend their lives hunting monsters and supernatural entities of all kinds, including demons and angels.
Another person well known to horror fans is Linda Blair. Her most famous role is in the 1973 horror classic "The Exorcist," in which Blair plays Regan MacNeil, a girl who gets possessed by a demon, leading to an exorcism that takes its toll on everyone involved but ultimately frees Regan. However, this was not the end of Blair's acting career, as she went on to appear in a number of films and TV series over the years. One of them was the TV series "Supernatural," linking the two horror projects together. Here is the "Supernatural" character you likely forgot Linda Blair from "The Exorcist" played.
Blair appeared as a police detective who was being haunted
Linda Blair made an appearance in the second season of "Supernatural," appearing in "The Usual Suspects," the season's seventh episode. Blair plays Detective Diana Ballard, who is with the Baltimore Police Department. She's one of the detectives assigned to investigate the murder of Anthony and Karen Giles (Keegan Connor Tracy), and she quickly determines that Dean and Sam are the perpetrators after finding Dean next to Karen's body.
Soon after their arrest, however, Detective Ballard finds herself haunted by a spirit, and she begins to believe the brothers' earlier statement that both of the murder victims were also haunted. The brothers and Detective Ballard ultimately uncover that the spirit is that of Claire Becker (Shannon Powell), who was killed by Detective Ballard's partner, Detective Peter Sheridan, played by Jason Gedrick. After her death, Claire has been haunting people to warn them of their own impending deaths. After working with the brothers to stop Detective Sheridan and allow Claire to finally move on, Detective Ballard lets the Winchesters walk free. As they're leaving, Dean says he's craving pea soup in a nod to "The Exorcist," in which thick split pea soup was used to simulate vomit.
Blair isn't the only horror legend to appear in the series over the course of the show's run, as Robert Englund, best known for his work as Freddy Krueger in the "Nightmare On Elm Street" franchise, also guest-stars in one episode in Season 6.