A woman who suffered 67 exorcisms was the real-life inspiration for horror movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
The 2005 film is based on the story of Anneliese Michel and follows a defence counsel (Laura Linney) representing a parish priest (Tom Wilkinson), who is accused by the state of negligent homicide after he performed an exorcism on 19-year-old student Emily Rose.
Despite being a box office hit, the real story is arguable far more daunting and the pictures are even more-so.
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German-born Anneliese was raised within a strict Catholic family and had always been pressured to live a religious life.
However, she started to show signs of unusual behaviour at the age of 16, falling into trances and wetting the bed.
Initially, doctors couldn’t find anything medically wrong with her - that was until she was hospitalised with tubercolosis.
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The voices inside her head began to escalate and no one could quite understand why.
Afterwards, she began having epileptic seizures, which were unaffected by medication.
In 1973, she started having terrifying hallucinations and seeing ‘devil faces’ became a regular occurrence, with Anneliese beginning to believe that she was possessed by the devil.
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Witnesses claimed that she would lick urine from the floor like a dog, devour spiders, and strip off all her clothes.
The clergymen believed they had no choice but to perform 67 exorcisms on the young woman.
It is also alleged that Anneliese was chained up throughout after an autopsy report showed she had endured broken teeth and knees, bruising and black eyes.
The 26-year-old would also starve herself because she believed that depriving herself of food would help weaken Satan’s influence over her.
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She dropped down to just 68lb and eventually died of malnutrition, emaciation and starvation.
Speaking with The Telegraph back in 2005, Anneliese’s mother Anna, said: "Anneliese was a kind, loving, sweet and obedient girl.
"But when she was possessed, it was something unnatural, something that you can’t explain.
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In 1978, her parents and the priests involved were charged with negligent homicide, with the prosecutor claiming death could have been prevented if proper intervention had taken place even just a week before she died.
Today, Anneliese’s sad tale is usually attributed to mental illness which went improperly treated.
Her grave in Klingenberg am Main, Bavaria has become a place of pilgrimage for those who believe she died to atone for the sins of others.
Topics: Film and TV
Anish Vij