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Aug 18, 2023 · Learn about the history and controversies of real exorcisms, the ritual practice of expelling evil spirits from a possessed person. Discover the stories of Anneliese Michel, the real Emily Rose, and other cases that inspired horror movies.
Jan 10, 2018 · Learn about nine cases of alleged demonic possession and exorcism from different times and places. From Anneliese Michel to Roland Doe, these stories are based on historical accounts, books, and films.
- Exorcism: A tale as old as time. Most people may not know what it’s actually like to be an exorcist. Exorcism came to everyone’s attention with the release of the 1973 film The Exorcist, which was based on the book The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty.
- 1778: The exorcism of George Lukins. In 1778, English tailor George Lukins was behaving oddly—speaking in strange voices, making inhuman noises, and singing hymns backward.
- 1842: Gottliebin Dittus. In 1842, German villagers noticed strange goings-on at the home of a 28-year-old woman named Gottleibin Dittus. Dittus claimed her house was haunted and soon began slipping in and out of what others described as “trance-like” states, but it was only when a religious pastor commenced an exorcism that things went truly nuts: Dittus became violent, requiring physical restraints.
- 1906: Clara Germana Cele. A 16-year-old from South Africa, Clara Cele, was heard making a pact with the devil and soon began behaving erratically, tearing at her clothes, growling, speaking in tongues, and demonstrating super-human strength.
- The New Mexico Colony Exorcisms // 1764
- The Exorcism of George Lukins // 1788
- The Exorcism of Clara Germana Tele // 1906
- The Exorcism of Emma Schmidt // 1928
- The Exorcism of Roland Doe // 1949
- The Exorcism of Gina // 1991
In January 1764, a Spanish missionary named Juan Toledo wrote a letter to the governor of New Mexico describing a series of exorcisms he had performed in the settlement, which was then a Spanish colony. The troubles started in November 1763, with a local woman named María Trujillo. According to Toledo’s letter, Trujillo was “given to great sadness ...
Sometime around Christmas 1769, a tailor named George Lukins was “mumming” in his Somerset, England, village of Yatton. The old folk tradition would have seen Lukins and his friends going door-to-door to perform a Christmas-themed play, but their rounds were interrupted when Lukins experienced what he later called a “divine slap” that left him unab...
According to accounts recorded in a pamphlet called Are There Devils Today?, the exorcism of a young Zulu girl named Clara Germana Tele (her name was altered to “Cele” in some sources) is among the most dramatic ever reported. The presiding priest, Rev. Erasmus Hoerner, claimed Tele levitated several feet in the air, walked up a wall, displayed tel...
The 1928 exorcism of a 46-year-old woman in an Earling, Iowa, convent is one of the best-known cases in America. Some accounts refer to the woman pseudonymously as “Anna Ecklund,” but her real name is thought to be Emma Schmidt. A Capuchin monk named Theophilus Riesinger reportedly conducted the ritual over the course of 23 days. The case was detai...
In 1949, Jesuit priests spent weeks working to free a 14-year-old Maryland boy pseudonymously known as Roland Doe from alleged demonic possession. Newspaper coverage of the case would eventually inspire William Peter Blatty to write his blockbuster 1971 novel The Exorcist. The Doe family first began hearing strange sounds in January 1949. They assu...
On April 4, 1991, an estimated 29 million people tuned in to ABC’s popular news show 20/20 to watch the exorcism of a 16-year-old girl identified only as Gina. A pair of Catholic priests presided over the ritual, which took place at a Florida convent and allegedly lasted for six hours. (The footage was edited to fit the show’s time slot.) One pries...
Sep 1, 2023 · Anneliese Michel was a German woman who believed she was possessed by demons and underwent 67 Catholic exorcism rites that killed her in 1976. Her story inspired the 2005 film The Exorcism of Emily Rose, based on the trial of two priests who performed the exorcisms.
- Gabe Paoletti
Apr 18, 2023 · Learn how exorcism, the practice of expelling evil spirits, has evolved from ancient Mesopotamia to medieval Europe. Explore the history, rituals, and controversies of exorcism in Christianity and other traditions.
12 real-life exorcisms that actually happened. The belief that evil spirits can possess humans has been terrifying people throughout history. That's probably why the history of exorcism is littered with horror stories such as these. By Lauren Cahn. Exorcism: A tale as old as time. SHUTTERSTOCK.
