Falmouth graduate’s spooky Hollywood debut in Universal Studios’ new Exorcist movie sequel
30 October 2023
A Falmouth University graduate has featured in a new film release by Universal Studios – with rather an unusual brief. Utilising her unique and distinctive vocal register, Helen Leahey was approached by the film’s casting team to provide vocal sounds for the 'demon' character in The Exorcist: Believer – a sequel to the iconic 1973 horror film The Exorcist.
A graduate of International Journalism, Helen Leahey says her studies at Falmouth helped hone her creative talents. She said: “My master's at Falmouth allowed me to learn many skills I used afterwards as an artist. For example, video editing and audio editing, using various audio and video equipment, writing articles, creating and maintaining contacts especially within the media industry – all these skills have been so useful throughout my career.”
Helen holds the first ever Guinness World Record for the lowest sung note by a woman, with the video racking up over 10 million views on YouTube. Her dark and impressive sound also rose to prominence when she was a contestant on Germany’s The Voice 2017 and The Voice UK 2022.
The original 1973 release of The Exorcist featured Oscar winner Mercedes McCambridge as the voice of the demon. The iconic film’s well-known main melody by musician Mike Oldfield is regarded as one of the most memorable movie scores of all time. As a fan of Mike Oldfield, Helen told us: “I’m a big fan of Oldfield and he’s definitely been an influence in my musical development. The fact that my voice and Oldfield's world-famous film melody will be combined in the new sequel is an absolute highlight for me."
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