The Exorcism of Emily Rose

“The Exorcist” made millions for Warner Brothers Studios in 1973, and now in 2005 Sony Pictures has been fluffing up their own latest assault on reason, a film named “The Exorcism of Emily Rose.” It’s said that the film is “based on a true story,” as the former one also claimed; we all know how loose such a base can be. The fictional Emily Rose was, in real life, Anneliese Michel, a Bavarian. She was born September 21, 1952, and was a normal, religious girl. Then one day in her 16th year, she began shaking uncontrollably. The Psychiatric Clinic of Wurzburg diagnosed her with "Grand Mal" epilepsy. Because of the strength of the fits, and the severity of the depression that followed, Anneliese was admitted for treatment at the local hospital.

Soon after the attacks began, Anneliese adopted the conviction that she was “possessed,” an easy delusion to slip into because of her religious background. She needed no other explanation for the visions she experienced during her prayers. She began hearing voices of what she was sure were demons, who gave her orders. The doctors could offer her little help, and she lost hope that they were going to be able to cure her. She began taking the medication usually prescribed for such a malady.

A few years after she was first afflicted with this ailment, her parents began taking her to various priests to request an exorcism. They were rejected and given recommendations that the now 20-year-old girl should continue with the prescribed medication and treatment. They were told that unless all the criteria of a “genuine” demonic possession were met, an exorcism could not be offered. Validation would call for such symptoms as an aversion to religious objects, speaking in languages that the person had never studied, and having supernatural powers.

In 1974, after supervising Anneliese for some time, Pastor Ernst Alt requested an official church permit to perform the exorcism. The request was at first rejected, and the recommendation was made that Anneliese should live even more of a religious lifestyle in order to find peace. The attacks did not diminish, and her behavior became more erratic. She became insulting, she beat and began biting other members of her family, and refused to eat because, she said, the demons would not allow it. She slept on the stone floor, ate insects and coal, and began destroying religious objects such as crucifixes, paintings of Jesus, and rosaries.

Then, having in some way verified to his satisfaction the genuine nature of the possession in September of 1975, Josef Stangl, the Bishop of Wurzburg, ordered Father Arnold Renz and Pastor Alt to perform "The Great Exorcism" ceremony on Miss Michel. Their examination had determined that the young woman was inhabited by several demons, including Cain, Adolf Hitler, Judas Iscariot, Lucifer, and Nero, as well as a disgraced priest from the 16th century and some other souls which had “manifested” through her. From then until July 1976, exorcism sessions were conducted weekly. The girl's attacks were sometimes so strong that she would have to be chained up, or at least held down by three men while the magic was performed.

In spite of all this heavy intervention, the attacks did not stop. In fact, Anneliese would often fall into paralysis and unconsciousness even more often than before. The relentless exorcism continued over many months, with prayers and incantations flowing freely. For several weeks, Anneliese refused all food. On the last day of the exorcism, totally emaciated, suffering from pneumonia, and with broken knees from the 600 genuflections she performed during the daily ceremonies, Miss Michel fell unconscious. She died the following day, July 1st, 1976. Soon, charges of negligent homicide were brought against Anneliese's parents and the two exorcists, Renz and Alt.

Before these final events had taken place, the film "The Exorcist" (1974) had been to cinemas in Germany; as a result, psychiatrists all over Europe reported an increase of obsessive ideas among their patients. It was more than two years before the Michel case came to court, with only two questions being posed: What caused the death of Anneliese Michel, and who was responsible for it?

According the forensic evidence, Anneliese had literally starved to death. If forced feeding had been performed as little as one week before her death, she would have lived. In their trial, the exorcists actually tried to prove the presence of the demons by playing taped recordings of strange, fanciful, dialogues such as that of two demons arguing about which one of them would first have to leave Anneliese's body. Said the priests, not one of those present during the exorcism ever had any doubt about the actual existence and presence of the demons.

The verdict was not what might have been expected: Anneliese’s parents and the exorcists were found guilty of manslaughter due to negligence and failing to administer first aid. They were sentenced to six months in jail, and probation. Rose is a bit upset...

A church commission later declared that Anneliese Michel had not been possessed, but superstition carried the day; her corpse was exhumed – eleven and a half years after her burial – to confirm that it had decayed as would have been expected if she’d not been possessed. You see, if she’d really hosted demons, her body would have been preserved, as Bram Stoker told us; I’m surprised you didn’t know that. There is now, more than twenty years after Anneliese Michel died, a new Exorcism Rite, which is prescribed for worldwide use. I’m sure it works just as effectively as the old system. That’s progress, right?

It will be interesting to see what Sony does with the film story. I expect that the audiences will leave with the impression that while an ordinary ailment afflicted the heroine, there were supernatural forces at work as well. How could they resist? The fact that a young woman was literally murdered by superstitious “experts” who embraced the mythology they so adored, rather than being given appropriate medical services, will be softened beyond recognition.

You can see our Encyclopedia entry on exorcism at www.randi.org/encyclopedia/exorcism.html.

The fact that a young woman was literally murdered by superstitious “experts” who embraced the mythology they so adored, rather than being given appropriate medical services, will be softened beyond recognition

But enough about Judge Greer...

THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE

I want to see this movie someday when I get a breather.

Can I get some reviews from y'all?

Several critics were against it, but 2/3s of the other said it was a very powerful film.

It was made for only $19M, but had earned over $50M to date, and that has surprised Hollywood.

Also, when you click on the site, you hear a recording of a demon inside this girl making hellish sounds. This film recreation sounds almost exactly like an actual recording of a 16 year old girl in Russia who was possessed.

Many thanks for any info on this movie.

I saw The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I think it was too scary for just a PG-13 rating. I liked it. It freaked me out...moreso that night when I was trying to fall asleep than while I was watching the movie. :-)

Thanks for the review. I still have not seen it.

Did you listen to that sound link I posted in #4?

Parts of that acutal recording sound almost identical to the audio of one of the movie trailers I saw.

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