To All the Demon Lovers

Though set in Washington, D.C., The Exorcist was partly shot in Manhattan at a studio on 54th Street. It was there that Linda Blair—as the possessed Regan MacNeil, now and forever—writhed and screamed and levitated on specially rigged beds. But when it came to that famous 360-degree head spin, a mechanical doll did the trick. And at some point, the doll’s designer, Marcel Vercoutere, took his life-size replica for a drive around town. If he noticed anyone gawking, he’d give the head a little spin.