Lauren is also an author of crime fiction; her first full-length manuscript, The Trust Game, was short-listed for the 2017 CLUE Award for emerging talent in the genre of suspense fiction. His parents took him to St. Louis in 1949 for a weeks-long exorcism now known as “the St. Louis Exorcism.” This is the story on which The Exorcist is based. Don’t miss these 11 creepy things that actually happened on Halloween. The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel by Felicitas D. Goodman relates a tragic story from Germany. Check out these true ghost stories from the most haunted places in the world. This was one of the few recorded exorcisms with a happy ending. According to rumors, Anne’s father and aunt cursed her with the help of Satan, causing the 14-year-old girl to act strangely without explanation. He wasn’t convicted, however, because of the defense’s argument that the exorcism had made him insane. Finally, Dittus informed everyone the demons were gone and stated that “Jesus is victor.” These real-life ghost stories will give you the chills. 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. In the meantime, she stopped taking her epilepsy meds. Allegedly, when the exorcism was over, a sulfuric odor could be sensed in the room. (Top 5) - YouTube She was diagnosed with epileptic psychosis (temporal lobe epilepsy) and had a history of psychiatric treatment, which was overall not effective. Supposedly, the exorcism ends well as the evil spirits leave Laura and the bishop makes the sign of the cross over her. Scary Exorcism and Real Demonic Possession! This 13-year old boy—in the records of the case, his name was changed to Roland Doe to protect his privacy—was mourning the loss of a beloved aunt when he began seeing and hearing strange things. Her second exorcism, which lasted three sessions, was held at a convent in Earling, Iowa and was so grueling it … For more scares, check out the scariest movies of all time. Every editorial product is independently selected, though we may be compensated or receive an affiliate commission if you buy something through our links. In 1906 and 1907, two priests performed exorcisms on Clara, during which her skin “burned” when touched by holy water and her body levitated before 170 witnesses. While some elements of Anne Ecklund story were used to portray exorcism in Fridkiens supernatural horror, the true character on which the Exorcist book franchise was an unknown man referred to as Ronald Doe. Ancient Babylonian priests performed exorcisms via a voodoo-like rite. At one point, the girl allegedly attempted to strangle one of the priests, but this fact remains a matter of debate. On Christmas Day 2010, a 15-year-old boy, Kristy Bamu, was beaten and drowned in a bathtub in London by his sister and her friend in an attempt to exorcize evil spirits from the boy, according to the BBC. Both the priests who organized the rites in secrecy and her parents were charged with negligent homicide. (It’s also the basis of the 2005 horror film, The Exorcism of Emily Rose.) Even though her first exorcism seemed to have worked, according to the nuns and priests of a convent in Earling, Iowa, the girl’s apparent recovery was just the calm before the storm. In 1778, English tailor George Lukins was behaving oddly—speaking in strange voices, making inhuman noises, and singing hymns backward. Photo by Ekpah CC BY-SA 3.0. Then, check out 16 iconic horror film locations, including one from The Exorcist, that you can visit today. The cause of death was starvation. Anna Ecklund was not her real name, but it’s the one people associate with this classic American case of demonic possession, thanks to the 2016 horror film, The Exorcism of Anna Ecklund. When the ceremony was over, Lukins recited the Lord’s Prayer and thanked the priests. Read another story from us: The Grotesque Little Monsters Sailors used to Present as Souvenirs from Distant Lands. The boy was around 14-years-old at the time. The German woman’s “demonic possession” was actually an undiagnosed brain disorder (possibly epilepsy, schizophrenia, or both), but being a religious young woman, Anneliese welcomed exorcism to help cure her. Want more bone-chilling cases? During the 1940s, a series of exorcisms were conducted on an anonymous boy, whose identity was hidden behind the pseudonyms Ronald Doe and Robbie Mannheim. Two of her priests were convicted of homicide. When she was 16, a head trauma caused her to develop temporal lobe epilepsy. Newsweek described the ceremony, which was accompanied by medieval-style music, as “little more than the gratuitous torment of a deeply disturbed young girl.” Strapped to a chair, she screamed and barked unintelligibly while the reverend pressed a cross into her face and told her supposed demons that if they wanted pain, he’d give it to them—meaning, of course, the helpless Gina. After the affair was revealed to his wife, Taylor became erratic and violent, claiming he had been possessed by an evil spirit. An exorcism was performed by two priests which lasted the entire day. However, when Michael developed a love affair with another member of the group in 1974, things turned sour. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter, and get our eeriest investigations delivered straight to your inbox. After 67 attempts—each unsurprisingly unsuccessful—the 23-year-old succumbed to starvation. One of them, the exorcism of a Florida teenager named Gina, was televised by on the ABC network in 1991. Yes! Bishop Josef Stangl (May 1959) who approved the exorcism, ordering total secrecy. The story of Anne Ecklund and her alleged demonic possession starts in 1912, and continues for several decades. Originally from the Republic of Congo, the pair tortured the boy with knives, sticks, metal bars, a hammer, and a chisel until he “begged to die.” The pair were convicted of the boy’s murder. However, their fears that at least three demons — insanity, murder, and violence — were still left inside him were realised that very morning. Join 1000s of subscribers and receive the best Vintage News in your mailbox for FREE, Police arrest a 72-year-old “suburban grandfather” suspected of being the Golden State Killer, “I’m not dead yet”: some Buddhist monks followed self-mummification, Project Azorian: Howard Hughes’ secret mission, 1960s U.S. satellite that started transmitting again in 2013, The “Walk of Shame” in Game of Thrones historical inspiration, The only unsolved skyjacking case in U.S. history might have a break, Kurt Gödel became too paranoid to eat and died of starvation, “Little Ease”: One of the most feared torture devices in the Tower of London, The humble English girl who became Cora Pearl, Walt Disney softened the original Snow White story. Born in 1952 in Leiblfing, West Germany, Anneliese was raised in a Roman Catholic family. When she was 16, a head trauma caused her to develop temporal lobe epilepsy. Like Michael Taylor’s exorcism, Anneliese’s story also ended in murder, only it was Anneliese who was murdered. The statue of Saint Philip of Agira with the Gospel in his left hand, the symbol of the exorcists, in the May celebrations in his honor at Limina, Sicily. Photo by fa.b – Festa S.Filippo – Limina (ME)CC BY-SA 2.0. After several years and two lengthy exorcisms—interspersed by foul play, thanks to Anna’s father’s lover, a woman named Mina who practiced black magic and introduced another demonic possession—”Anna” was finally she was freed of her demons in December 1928. “When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism.”. 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. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), what it’s actually like to be an exorcist, true ghost stories from the most haunted places in the world, creepy urban legends that turned out to be true, 25 spooky photos that will give you chills, true stories from the most haunted forests in the world, 11 creepy things that actually happened on Halloween, Do Not Sell My Personal Information – CA Residents.