10 Movies You Won't Believe Were Released 1 Year Apart

For its time, The Exorcist had one of the most creative approaches to production. The camerawork was nothing less than revolutionary, the post-production was inventive, but the make-up effects may be the film's greatest asset. Actors were made to look naturalistic, but the team behind the scenes were stellar at working the make-up to make people seem older or younger than they actually were.

Linda Blair was a great example of this. Regan MacNeil the character was supposed to be only 12 years old, however Linda Blair herself was 14 turning 15. Thanks to the hair, make-up and wardrobe departments, she looked a lot younger than she actually was. Thus, Blair suited the role perfectly as it made the film very disturbing to watch: the things that her character did in the film would have been far less disturbing if the actress looked older.

Fast forward to one year later with Born Innocent where 15-year-old Linda Blair looks and acts more her age as a rowdy teenager. This ‘women in prison’ film centers around an abused teenage runaway, played by Blair, whose personality declines thanks to prison life. In this film, Blair plays a violent, pathological and aggressive character; a major role-reversal after her last film, causing some to question whether filming The Exorcist had actually damaged young Blair on a psychological level.