Horror movies are notorious for often basing their stories on real-life events. Famous horror films like "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and "The Conjuring" have taken some of their most terrifying details from things that actually happened to real people. And one of the scariest horror flicks allegedly based on a true story is Scott Derrickson's "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." The film is based on the real-life story of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who was believed to be possessed by the Devil and underwent multiple exorcisms to try to get rid of the demon.
In the movie adaptation of this tragic event, defense lawyer Erin Bruner (Laura Linney) takes on Father Richard Moore's (Tom Wilkinson) case, arguing that the priest is not at fault for Emily's (Jennifer Carpenter) tragic death. The prosecuting attorney, Ethan Thomas (Campbell Scott), is trying to prove that Father Moore prevented Emily from being treated for epilepsy and schizophrenia - which resulted in her death. Viewers learn of Emily's story through flashbacks that show what happened to the young woman before she died.
"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" is a compelling horror film because of the way it takes on difficult topics like science and religion. Ultimately, Moore is found guilty by the jury. However, they request that his sentence only be for the time he's already served while waiting for the trial to conclude.
But what really happened to Anneliese Michel? Was she a victim of religious hysteria? Or was something far darker at work? The real horror is buried in trial transcripts, chilling audio recordings, and accounts from those who witnessed the nightmare unfold.
The Beginning - A Normal Life, Until It Wasn’t
Anneliese Michel was born in 1952 in Leiblfing, Germany, and raised in a strictly Catholic household. By all accounts, she was a bright, kind, and deeply religious girl. But that normalcy wouldn't last.
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In 1968, when she was 17 and still in high school, Anneliese began to suffer from convulsions. Court findings have her experiencing her first epileptic attack in 1969. It was then that a neurologist at the Psychiatric Clinic Wurzburg diagnosed her with Grand Mal epilepsy. As her symptoms worsened, she developed an extreme aversion to anything symbolic of Christianity. She also reported seeing demonic faces and hearing demons talking to her.
At 16 years old, Anneliese suffered her first seizure. She was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy, a condition known to cause hallucinations, paranoia, and intense religious visions. She was prescribed medication, but it didn’t help. Instead, her condition worsened.
Soon, Anneliese started experiencing devilish hallucinations while praying. She also began to hear voices, which told her that she was damned. The court determined that by 1973 Anneliese was suffering from depression and considering suicide. In 1975, convinced that she was possessed, her parents gave up on the doctors from the psychiatric clinic.
She began seeing shadowy figures in her bedroom at night. She heard whispers calling her name. Then the voices came. She spoke in deep, guttural tones that weren’t her own. She stopped eating, claiming a demon was starving her. She grew terrified of religious symbols-crosses, Bibles, even pictures of Jesus.
An article for Grunge reports that Michel began "compulsively doing hundreds of squats and genuflections a day - 400 to 600 by most accounts - until she eventually ruptured the ligaments in her knees." She also reportedly screamed incessantly and began to eat bugs, behaviors that were not abated by the use of doctor-prescribed medications. Reports vary on whose idea it was to perform an exorcism - some say Michel demanded it, others say it was a decision made by both her and her parents - but eventually, the family enlisted the help of a priest named Ernst Alst.
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Her parents were desperate. Anneliese disagreed. She believed she was possessed. And her family believed her.
Anneliese's gravesite in Klingenberg Cemetery, Germany.
The Exorcisms - A Battle for Her Soul or a Fatal Mistake?
Was Annaliese Michele Really Possessed, Or Just Mentally Ill?
In 1975, two priests-Father Arnold Renz and Father Ernst Alt-took over Anneliese’s care. They believed she was possessed by multiple demons, including:
- Lucifer
- Judas Iscariot
- Nero, the Roman Emperor
- Cain, the first murderer
- Even Hitler
The movie's Father Moore was based on Father Arnold Renz and Pastor Ernst Alt. Both men were assigned by the Bishop of Wurzburg, Josef Stangl, to carry out "The Great Exorcism" on Anneliese Michel. The foundation for this ritual was the "Rituale Romanum", which at the time, was still a valid 17th century Cannon Law. Father Arnold Renz had been a former missionary in China, and Pastor Ernst Alt was a pastor in a nearby community. Together they carried out 67 rites of exorcism over a period of 10 months, with one or two exorcism sessions held each week. Some sessions lasted up to four hours.
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Some sessions lasted for four hours at a time. She was forced to kneel and pray for hours, despite her body wasting away. She screamed in different voices, sometimes speaking in tongues. She barked like a dog for days. Her body became weak, her face sunken, her knees shattered from constant prayer.
Anneliese Michel would eventually endure 67 separate exorcisms in her final days.
Her family and the priests believed the rituals were working. But the voices never stopped. And then, they made a fatal mistake.
Anneliese stopped eating completely. They believed fasting would drive the demons out. Instead, it drove her to death.
During her sessions, Anneliese growled, shrieked, and spoke in a voice that wasn’t hers. She could be heard pleading for mercy, screaming as the priests commanded the spirits to leave her body. Her voice? Not human. Her parents kept these recordings, believing them to be proof of a supernatural battle.
Prior to her death, she had spoke of dying to atone for the sins of the wayward youth and apostate priests of the modern church.
The Death of Anneliese Michel - The Trial That Shocked the World
Ultimately, Anneliese Michel passed away after enduring almost a year of multiple weekly exorcisms. Towards the end of her life, she refused to eat - which only sped up her worsening physical condition. She forced herself to fast because she believed that it would rid her of Satan's influence. At the time of her death, she weighed only 68 lbs.
On the morning of July 1, 1976, Anneliese Michel died in her sleep. She weighed just 68 pounds. Her body was covered in bruises. Her lips split from dehydration. Her knees broken. Her official cause of death? Malnutrition and dehydration.
According to the autopsy, on July 1, 1976 Anneliese Michel succumbed to the effects of severe dehydration and malnourishment. At the time of her death, she was also suffering from Pneumonia and a high fever. She was buried next to her illegitimate sister Martha at the outer edges of the cemetery. This area is normally reserved for illegitimate children and suicides.
Weak and on the verge of death, she spoke her last known words on the day before she died. She told her exorcists "Beg for Absolution". To her mother Anna, she said, "Mother, I'm afraid."
But the real horror was just beginning.
Her parents and the two priests were arrested and put on trial for negligent homicide. The prosecution argued that if they had taken her to a hospital, she would have lived.
In the real-life case of Anneliese Michel, which took place in 1978, there were four defendants, not just one. They were Father Arnold Renz, Pastor Ernst Alt, and Anneliese Michel's parents, Josef and Anna. All four were found guilty of negligent homicide and sentenced to six months in prison, suspended with three years' probation.
The defense? They played the exorcism tapes in court. They insisted that demons had killed her.
The priests were found guilty-but only sentenced to six months in prison.
Possession or Psychosis? The Debate Continues
To this day, the case of Anneliese Michel remains one of the most debated exorcisms in history. Was she truly possessed? Or was she suffering from a combination of epilepsy, schizophrenia, and extreme religious pressure?
Anneliese's symptoms have since been compared with those of schizophrenia, and they may have responded to treatment.
The Catholic Church now distances itself from the case. But the tapes remain. And people who hear them? They’re not so sure.
Some experts believe that this is possible. Psychiatrists who testified during the trial spoke about the "Doctrinaire Induction", which in relation to Anneliese explains that she accepted her behavior as a form of demonic possession, mainly because the exorcists introduced much of the idea to her and reinforced it with each exorcism.
Director William Friedkin's film The Exorcist was released in Germany in 1974, two years prior to the audio tapings of the exorcisms in which we hear Anneliese's recorded voice. Even though her voice is quite chilling, it bares a striking resemblance to the growling, barking, and inhuman voice of Linda Blair from Friedkin's film. This has caused some people to conclude that Anneliese was simply mimicking what she had seen in the film, if she had in fact seen the film. Upon its release in Germany, the movie created a sort of paranormal hysteria that swept the nation.
Emily vs. Anneliese
"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" does a decent job of portraying Anneliese Michel's tragic story. However, like all movies based on real events, some changes have been made. One of the most obvious is that Emily Rose isn't German but American. That being said, there are moments where the movie nods to the original nationality of Anneliese Michel. During the scene depicting Emily's exorcism, Emily begins speaking in German, a moment that harkens back to the actual tapes of Anneliese Michel fervently talking to Alst and Renz.
It's also important to note that the only person on trial in "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" is the priest himself, Father Richard Moore. Emily's family has avoided sentencing in the death of their child, and Father Moore is the only one being charged with the same sentence as the real-life case of negligent homicide. The decision to avoid placing Emily's parents on trial along with Father Moore goes a long way toward highlighting the religious significance of Emily's death.
There are other smaller details that have been changed in the movie, like the fact that Emily is only 19 years old at the time of her death, and only one exorcism is ever performed on her (in reality, Anneliese Michel was 23 when she died, and as stated earlier, she underwent nearly 70 separate exorcisms). But the biggest difference between the film and the real story is the sentencing of Father Moore.
During the real trial, the prosecution suggested that the only punishment for the priests and for the parents come in the form of a guilty verdict and monetary fines. However, this wish was not reflected in the real outcome. In the film, though, Father Moore is found guilty, but the jury requests his punishment be time served - meaning that he is free to go.
Questioning the Story: Key Points
Here's a summary of the key points in the story of Anneliese Michel:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| When did Anneliese begin to experience strange symptoms? | In 1968, at the age of 16, she began to suffer from convulsions and hallucinations. |
| Who first diagnosed Anneliese as being possessed? | An exorcist from a nearby town examined Anneliese and concluded that she was demonically possessed. |
| Was Tom Wilkinson's character of Father Moore based on a real person? | The movie's Father Moore was based on Father Arnold Renz and Pastor Ernst Alt. |
| What demons possessed Anneliese? | Anneliese was convinced that she had been possessed by several demons, including Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Nero, Cain, Hitler, and Fleischmann. |
| How many people were found guilty in Anneliese Michel's death? | Anneliese's parents and the exorcists were found guilty of negligence. |
| What did Anneliese technically die from? | Anneliese Michel succumbed to the effects of severe dehydration and malnourishment. |