Seven Horrific Hauntings Based on True Events
Steve Barton
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The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Before she was the brash Debra Morgan on “Dexter” or battling an apartment building full of baddies in Quarantine, Jennifer Carpenter channeled the spirit of German woman Anneliese Michel in The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Although marketed as a pure horror movie, the film was as much a courtroom drama as it was a horror flick as we follow the story of the priest who performed the exorcism which eventually killed Emily.
Anneliese Michel was a disturbed woman who suffered from depression throughout her life, and no type of medical attention could cure her. She was prescribed one medication after another with nothing changing her condition. Being a devout Catholic woman, Michel eventually began to consider the fact that she may be possessed by a demonic spirit. A request for an exorcism was submitted to the Church and eventually granted. The exorcism lasted through 67 sessions, one or two per week, for up to four hours for 10 months between 1975 and 1976. Eventually Michel began to talk about dying to atone for the behavior of the youth of the day and stopped eating and drinking. She eventually died of malnutrition and dehydration, weighing 68 pounds at the time of her death on July 1, 1976. The priest who performed the exorcism and Michel’s parents were convicted of manslaughter due to negligence and received prison terms; however, they were suspended.
In The Exorcism of Emily Rose, the exorcism itself is viewed through a series of flashbacks during the courtroom proceedings. Carpenter went above and beyond in the role, performing many of the painful looking bodily contortions without the aid of a stunt double or F/X. It touches a bit upon the fact that the victim of the supposed possession felt a larger obligation to society but does not venture into the starvation aspect of the story.
The Exorcist (1973)
So this is more inspired by a true story than actually based on one, but anything that can make The Exorcist even scarier needs to be addressed. And the story that inspired The Exorcist may be one of the few possession stories with a happy ending.
The film is based on the case of the exorcism of Roland Doe (a pseudonym given to him by the Church). It’s also known as the exorcism of Robbie Mannheim. William Peter Blatty, author of The Exorcist, read about this case in 1949 when he was a member of the Class of 1950 at Georgetown University. One of Roland’s favorite playmates in his youth was his Aunt Harriet, a spiritualist. She introduced him to the Ouija board. When Harriet died, it is believed the 13-year-old Roland tried to contact her using the board. That’s when the shit hit the fan.
The story of Roland Doe is one of typical possession symptoms. Nine priests and 39 witnesses signed the documents verifying his deteriorating condition. The details of the exorcism come mainly from notes kept by Raymond Bishop, an attendee of the events. Doe injured several members of the group performing the exorcism, including doling out a broken nose and a wound that required stitches. Everything from the welts and unexplainable writing on his flesh to the guttural voice (that goddamn guttural voice gets me every time!) were reported to have occurred.
The exorcism ceremony was performed approximately 30 times over several weeks with a very loud noise being heard at the end of the last one. Amazingly, after the exorcism was completed, the symptoms disappeared and Roland went on to lead a normal life, became a father and grandfather and had no recollection of his alleged possession.
As far as the film goes, I’m sure you’re all pretty much aware of how the events go down.
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