The Story Behind the Exorcism of Emily Rose

The movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose, is actually based upon the true life exorcism of Anneliese Michel, whom lived in Germany. In the movie she was Emily Rose from the United States. Some of the other details are a little different from the actual story, so I will clear up what I can for you. Some of the things I have found are a little graphic and if you are sensitive to this type of thing I would quit reading now.

Anneliese Michel was born in Bavaria Germany to Anna and Josef Michel on September 21, 1952. In all accounts she had a normal childhood , with a normal family and school life. Her family was highly religious and her father at one time had actually thought of taking the classes needed to become a priest, and three of her aunts were nuns within the church. Her mother had encouraged her throughout her adolescence to atone for the sins of illegitimacy through fervent devotion, due to the fact that she had an older sister just four years older than she who was in fact illegitimate. 

Her sister Martha, had died when she was eight during an operation to cure her of a kidney tumor. Her mother was ridiculed for the birth of Martha, and even had to wear a black veil to her own wedding ceremony to Josef. She would continue to suffer for the sins of others even up until she passed away. While in college she hung pictures of Saints in her dorm room, kept a holy water font near the front door, and held regular Rosary prayers. She had been known to sleep on bare stone floors to atone the sins of wayward priests and sinners of other sorts, including but not limited to drug addicts. 

Anneliese endured great pain during the times in which she began to experience some horrific things. It started one day in 1968 she began having convulsions so her parents like any other good parents would do, took their daughter to a physician to have her examined, ultimately determining that she had Grand Mal seizures. They tried unsuccessfully to control her seizures and she had even been admitted to the hospital for treatment. Depression started to plague her. She eventually returned home from the hospital because Anneliese as well as her parents, had determined that the doctors were unable to help her and she should just be at home. As time passed she started seeing demonic faces all around her especially while praying, and visions of evil things.

In the fall of 1970, she began to hear voices that started ordering her around also telling her that she would stew in hell. In the Summer of 1973 things weren't getting any better, so her parents started visiting pastors requesting that they perform an exorcism on their daughter. All requests had been denied by the church so hopeless they still continued her medication and out patient treatment by the physicians. The church's official opinion on it was that she had not yet met all the criteria needed to perform an exorcism.

In 1974, she began being supervised by Pastor Ernst Alt leading him to petition the church as well for the permission to perform the ritual on her, only to be denied once again. As time went on the attacks worsened and others were starting to be harmed by her. During these worsened attacks she would beat, and bite her family members. She refused to sleep on the bed and opted for the stone floor. Things with her were getting worse as her diet started to consist of spiders, flies, and coal and eventually too, drinking her own urine. Although a life saving technique if stranded in the desert or in war, it was not her purpose. She would scream throughout the house as she started to be very destructive breaking crucifixes, paintings of Jesus, and pulling rosaries apart systematically. Once the mutilations began she also would tear off her clothes and urinate upon the floors.

In September of 1975, seven years after her horrifying ordeal began, the church finally recognized that she was possessed and granted Bishop Joseph Stangl, Father Arnold Renz, and Pastor Ernst Alt to perform the rite The Great Exorcism on Anneliese. The demons that they believed to posses her were Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Nero, Cain, Hitler, and Fleishmann(disgraced Priest from the 16th century) among a few. Between September 1975 and July 1976 the three men performed 67 rites of exorcism on Anneliese. Holding one to two ceremonies per week, she often would become paralyzed and fall unconscious from exhaustion. The demons that possessed her seemed to be growing in strength as her body weakened. Sometimes finding that it took 3 full grown men, or even chains to keep her from harming herself or others during the rituals. 

During that time she began seeing parts of her life returning to her. She began attending college again and even took her final exams. She returned to church as well, only it didn't seem to help. She still suffered the horrendous attacks. She denied herself any nourishment for weeks at a time. During the final rituals performed on her, her knees ruptured from the repeated genuflections performed excessively. Over 40 audio tapes exist to preserve the details. The final ritual was performed on June 30, 1976, while she was ill, retching and running a fever.She was unable to perform the rituals on her own, so her parents carried her through the motions. Her final words to the 3 men were "Beg for Absolution." Then turning to her mother and saying "Mother I'm Afraid!"

Annaliesse passed away the following morning July 1, 1976. The police were notified and the official investigation began. Ultimately both of her parents, and two of the three men were arrested and charged with negligent homicide. During the trial the Coroner stated that she had perished due to pneumonia and that forensic evidence also showed that she had starved to death. He made very firm statements that if they had only force fed her she would still be alive. Her sister who also testified stated that Annaliesse refused to go the mental institution because she believed that they would drug and force feed her. Her physicians were there to present evidence of their own. They testified that they thought the priests had given her information of her psychotic behavior, and that contributed to her attacks.

Tapes of the rituals were played for the court, where you could hear two demons fighting over who would get to take her body over first. One of them called himself Hitler and spoke in a Frankish accent. Following that the Jury was sent to deliberate. Once they had come to a verdict the court went back in session. Their verdict was Guilty of Manslaughter resulting from Negligence. They were all sentenced to 6 months in jail which was suspended and all were given probation.

Two years later a Nun contacted Anna and said that she had a vision that Anneliesse's body was still intact. So her body was exhumed, and pictures were taken. The pictures have never been distributed, and her parents were not allowed to attend the exhumation. They got her a better coffin that would better protect her remains and she was buried once more. Her father has since passed away, and Anna still lives in the same house. When she looks out her bedroom window she can see Annaliesse's grave site. People still visit and pray for her, showing that there were people that believed in her.

The Exorcism ritual was officially changed 20 years following her death. It now reads that they are only to be done by priests in the name of the church, they must be approved by the church, and a lay person must not perform these rituals. The church believes that when Satan enters and takes over your physical and mental capabilities that the soul remains free. They also believe that evil enters a person through ouija boards, Dungeons and Dragons, use of magic, Voodoo, witches, crystals, astrology, tarot cards, & pendulums. And don't think that you are safe if you make a tiny little pact with the Devil, or for sure you will be done for. And don't forget Seances, fortune tellers, sex out of wedlock, the use of alcohol, cocaine or marijuana. And all those other sins too, homosexuality, masturbation, adultery, abortions (parent), and those who commit suicide or have suicidal tendencies. 

They say that you can tell if someone is possessed if they exhibit signs of speaking languages they never heard before, know things that are distant or hidden, intense hatred for Holy things, and immense strength are just some of them. Chances are good that you know someone who does some of these things. It doesn't mean that they are possessed, by medical terms they could just be displaying symptoms of some psychosis.

Source: http://voices.yahoo.com