Buzz
Linda Blair's unforgettable role in The Exorcist showcased her head spinning unnaturally and speaking in numerous languages, akin to a multilingual expert at an international assembly. However, for some individuals, expelling a malevolent entity from a person isn't merely a cinematic plot—it's a reality they face.
10. Kamille Seenauth
In 2005, Patricia Alvez received a 10-year prison sentence for the killing of Kamille Seenauth in Georgetown, Guyana. Alvez operated a “Spirit Church,” attracting numerous individuals, primarily women, seeking African- or Hindu-inspired exorcisms. These sessions often involved prayers and ritualistic beatings to expel the possessing spirits.
When Kamille Senauth sought an exorcism, Alves brutally struck her with an iron bar, leading to her death from the injuries. Alves attempted to conceal her crime by burying the body, but neighbors noticed a foot protruding from a dirt pile in her yard and informed the authorities.
9. An Unidentified Teenager at the Vatican
Father Gabriele Amorth, the appointed exorcist for the Diocese of Rome, asserts that he has conducted more than 160,000 exorcisms. Among these, the most notable occurred in the Vatican in 2000, with the assistance of Pope John Paul II himself.
The exorcism targeted a 19-year-old girl who began hurling insults during a meeting with the Pope. The Pope reportedly spent 30 minutes with her. Despite this, Amorth, who calls himself a “Satan-buster,” claims the girl remained possessed. The demon allegedly mocked, “Not even the head of the church can expel me,” as the Pope left, seemingly defeated.
8. Janet Moses
In 2007, Janet Moses, a young girl from New Zealand, tragically drowned as her family members forced water into her mouth during a Maori exorcism ritual known as “makutu.” Nine individuals faced manslaughter charges in this unusual case. The ritual, intended to remove a curse, involved chants (“karakia” in Maori) and escalated to pouring water on her face. Over three days, the excessive use of water flooded the kitchen, leading to her death.
The origin of the “evil spirit” remains disputed. Some claim the possession symptoms appeared after her grandmother’s death, while others attribute it to a stolen stone lion. A Maori elder, or “kaumatua,” warned that returning the lion to a local pub was necessary to end the possession. Despite the lion’s return, the girl’s erratic behavior persisted, prompting the exorcism that ultimately resulted in her demise.
7. Salvador Dali
Rumors suggest that renowned artist Salvador Dali received an exorcism from his close associate Gabriele Maria Berardi. After Berardi’s death in 1984, a crucifix sculpture was found among his possessions. Berardi reportedly claimed that Dali gifted him the cross as gratitude for conducting the exorcism. While two art experts attribute the sculpture to Dali, no additional evidence supports the exorcism claim.
The two first crossed paths in France during the 1940s, following Berardi’s excommunication from his religious order. The supposed exorcism occurred in 1947.
6. Maricia Irina Cornici
In 2005, Maricia Irina Cornici, aged 23, arrived at a secluded Romanian Orthodox monastery in Tanacu to see her brother. She was readily accepted into the community but soon began laughing during Mass. Local psychiatrists diagnosed her with schizophrenia, but Father Corogeanu, the monastery’s priest, believed she was possessed. He and several nuns restrained her on a cross, gagged her with a towel, and left her in a frigid room for three days, hoping to expel the demon. She died as a result.
After her death, a nun alerted the police, leading to charges of imprisonment resulting in death against Father Corogeanu and four nuns. Corogeanu reportedly stated, “The Devil cannot be removed with medication.” He received a 14-year prison sentence, and the Orthodox Church closed the monastery.
5. Michael Taylor
Michael Taylor, a resident of Ossett, England, was part of a Christian Fellowship Group. In 1974, he began acting strangely toward the group’s leader, Marie Robinson, displaying unexplained aggression and anger. Over time, Taylor confessed to feeling the Devil’s presence within him. A local vicar stepped in and conducted an exorcism, which reportedly expelled 40 demons during an all-night ritual.
Unfortunately, the ordeal didn’t conclude there. While Taylor no longer felt possessed, he became convinced his 29-year-old wife was. That same night, he savagely killed her, removing her eyes and tongue. He then fled into the streets, naked and bloodstained, yelling, “It is the blood of Satan.” Taylor was acquitted of murder due to insanity but was committed to Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric facility, for two years.
4. Clara Germana Cele
In 1906, in Umzinto, South Africa, Father Erasmus Horner heard a bizarre confession from Clara Germana Cele, a member of the Marianhill mission. Cele claimed she had made a pact with the Devil. Having lived at the mission since age four, her claims were initially dismissed. However, she soon exhibited strange behavior: tearing off her clothes, growling, speaking unknown languages, violently throwing nuns across the room, and emitting horrifying screams described as resembling “a chorus of wild beasts led by Satan.” She even bit a nun, leaving snake-like marks.
Father Horner eventually performed an exorcism, successfully expelling the demon. The spirit declared it would leave after levitation, and Clara indeed levitated as the demon departed. The demon briefly returned in January 1907 but was banished again, never to reappear.
3. Anneliese Michel
From Klingenberg, Germany, Anneliese Michel stood apart from her peers. Her family was deeply devout, obsessively religious, and extremely strict Catholics. In the 1960s, while her friends explored rebellious lifestyles, Anneliese slept on a cold stone floor, atoning for the sins of her mother (Anna Michel had borne an illegitimate child in the 1950s).
At 17, Anneliese began experiencing convulsions. Diagnosed with grand mal epilepsy, some symptoms, like auditory hallucinations during prayer, defied explanation. Voices told her she was “damned” and would “rot in hell.” By 1973, she suffered severe depression and requested an exorcism twice from her local priest, but was denied both times.
Her condition worsened dramatically. Anneliese performed 600 genuflections daily, damaging her knee ligaments. She barked like a dog for two days, consumed spiders, drank her own urine, and bit the head off a dead bird. Though displaying signs of schizophrenia, she and her family rejected medical help. In 1975, she requested another exorcism, which the Bishop of Wurzburg approved.
A local priest concluded that Anneliese was possessed by six demons, including Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Nero, Cain, and Adolf Hitler. Over nine months, she endured 67 exorcism sessions. In 1976, she died from self-imposed starvation, a final attempt to escape Satan’s hold. Her last words were, “Mother, I’m afraid.”
Anneliese’s parents and the two priests who conducted the exorcism were tried for her death and convicted of negligent homicide. All received suspended six-month prison sentences and three years of probation. Her mother later stated she had no regrets, believing her daughter bore stigmata as a divine sign and that Anneliese “sacrificed herself to save other lost souls and atone for their sins.”
The film The Exorcism of Emily Rose draws inspiration from Anneliese’s life. An audio recording of her exorcism can be found here.
2. Anna Ecklund
The book Begone Satan by Reverend Carl Vogl recounts the possession of Anna Ecklund in the early 20th century. Born in Iowa in 1882 and raised Catholic, Ecklund exhibited alarming signs of possession at age 14, including aversion to holy objects, refusal to enter churches, and explicit discussions of sexual acts. Sent to live with her Aunt Mina, suspected of witchcraft, many believed Mina worsened Ecklund’s condition by lacing her food with herbs. Father Theophilus Riesinger, a Capuchin monk from Wisconsin, conducted the first exorcism in 1912. However, Ecklund fell under possession again in 1928, nearly two decades later.
Father Theophilus performed the second exorcism at a Franciscan convent. Ecklund rejected blessed food and hissed like a cat. The 23-day ritual required six nuns to restrain her due to her immense strength. She spoke without moving her lips, urinated excessively, insulted the nuns, and made false predictions, including the death of a priest in a car crash. The exorcism succeeded, and on December 23, 1928, Anna Ecklund was finally freed from possession.
1. Robbie Mannheim
The exorcism of 13-year-old Robbie Mannheim, also known as Roland Doe, inspired the iconic film The Exorcist. The events occurred in 1949 after Robbie allegedly became possessed following the use of a Ouija board after his aunt’s death. After a series of bizarre, seemingly supernatural occurrences, Robbie’s family sought the help of Reverend Luther Miles Schulze to assess the boy.
During a single night, Schulze observed Robbie’s bed shaking, an armchair flipping over, and scratching noises emanating from the walls. He referred the case to Father Edward Hughes, who conducted an exorcism. During the ritual, Robbie managed to remove a spring from the bed—a remarkable feat—and used it to stab the priest, leaving Hughes with a wound requiring over 100 stitches to heal. After a brief period of calm, Robbie underwent a second exorcism in St. Louis, lasting six weeks. Witnesses reported the bed trembling and objects flying across the room. Ultimately, Robbie emerged unharmed, leading a normal life, marrying, raising children, and becoming a grandfather.
