Exorcism of 'Emily Rose' way scarier than movie

Dear reader, prepare yourself for a journey into the unknown. We cannot guarantee that you will return unscathed, but we promise that the journey will be worth it. So turn off the lights, light a candle, and join us on this journey into the heart of darkness.

In the mid-1970s, a horrific case of child abuse by way of religious ceremony and tradition took place, inspiring the movie "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." This story revolves around the death of Anneliese Michel, who endured 67 exorcisms before passing away at the age of 23. Anneliese was born in West Germany in 1952, to a family that heavily followed Catholicism. Her parents were stricter than most, forcing their four daughters to attend Catholic Mass twice a week, with her mother being particularly zealous in her religious devotion.

Despite her religious upbringing, Anneliese was initially a happy and playful child who excelled academically. However, as she grew older, she began to experience strange occurrences that would eventually lead to her death. Her first documented blackout occurred in 1968 when she unexpectedly fell into a trance-like state. Her classmates reported that she seemed possessed during this episode. Anneliese claimed she felt fine afterward, but that night she woke up feeling like there was a presence pressing heavily down on her body.

The next blackout occurred less than a year later, in August 1968, and was taken more seriously. Her parents took her to a local hospital, and after an examination and a series of tests, the neurologist couldn't find anything wrong with her brain function. Anneliese's third event happened in February of 1970 when she caught tuberculosis and spent months in a hospital. During this episode, she had her third blackout. When the other patients in the hospital found out she had wet her bed during her blackout, they mocked and excluded her.

This third blackout was different; Anneliese claimed she saw colors, heard sounds, and experienced feelings of euphoria while praying with her rosary beads. After more tests, a second neurologist diagnosed her with epilepsy and prescribed her medication. However, her condition continued to worsen despite taking her daily cocktail of neuroleptic medications. By 1973, Anneliese was experiencing hallucinations while praying and believed she was damned. She was obsessed with the idea that the devil was inside her and began seeing a priest along with her doctors.

By late 1973, Anneliese's behavior became increasingly erratic. Her parents took her out of college, and she spent most of her time confined to her bedroom. It was during this time that she started taking tegretol, an anti-seizure drug and mood stabilizer. Anneliese claimed she heard knocking in her bedroom, and her sisters confirmed that they heard it as well. She also heard a voice that would regularly damn her to hell. Despite taking her medication, Anneliese's symptoms worsened. She began growling like an animal, seeing demons, and exhibiting Hulk-like strength, throwing her sister around the house.

Her parents consulted with a local pastor, Father Ernst Alt, who believed Anneliese was possessed by demons. He contacted the Bishop of Würzburg, who granted permission for an exorcism to be performed. In 1975, the exorcisms began, and they lasted for ten months. During the exorcisms, Anneliese would refuse food, and she became increasingly weaker. Her knees ruptured from constantly kneeling in prayer, and she became dehydrated. Despite her deteriorating health, her parents and the priests continued the exorcisms.

During the last exorcism, Anneliese was unresponsive, and the priests believed she was dead. They alerted her parents, who were instructed to report her death to the authorities as being caused by natural causes. However, the autopsy showed that she died from malnutrition and dehydration. The state charged her parents and the priests with negligent homicide, and they were found guilty