Buzz
For thousands of years, various cultures and religions have performed rituals to liberate individuals from alleged demonic possession. However, the term exorcism often evokes images of the Roman Catholic ceremony, widely popularized by the 1973 movie The Exorcist. In the United States, the practice had faded into obscurity until the film reignited public interest, sparking a lasting increase in requests for exorcisms.
While the Catholic Church once distanced itself from this contentious ritual, it has recently shown cautious support. Pope Francis has described exorcism as “a sensitive yet essential ministry.” To meet the growing demand, the Vatican now provides a week-long training program. Though the specifics of the $370 course remain unclear, Catholic.org details the official exorcism ritual for those interested.
Exorcism is not exclusive to the Catholic Church. Pentecostal and Evangelical groups have adopted the practice, often calling it “deliverance ministry.” Protestant missionaries have played a significant role in spreading its popularity, particularly in developing regions such as Africa, South America, Asia, and the Caribbean, where demand has surged.
In the United States, exorcism has reached unprecedented popularity, potentially due to its association with periods of social or political turmoil. In 2020, priests in Oregon and California conducted mass exorcisms following protests for racial justice. Interestingly, the decline in church attendance has also been tied to the rise in exorcism practices, as noted by an American priest who spoke to the BBC in 2018, suggesting it may fuel superstitious beliefs.
Exorcism carries a troubling aspect unrelated to supernatural forces. It frequently denies individuals suffering from mental illness or addiction access to proper medical care. Many victims have endured physical abuse, starvation, water submersion, gassing, and even burning during exorcism attempts. In 1976, Anna Elisabeth Michel, a 23-year-old from Bavaria, succumbed to malnutrition and dehydration after an 11-month exorcism ordeal. As Joseph P. Laycock, author of The Penguin Book of Exorcisms, explains, “those who perish in such circumstances are almost invariably children or young women.”
Whether seen as a spiritual remedy or a form of exploitation, exorcism boasts a captivating yet eerie history that has profoundly influenced popular culture. Below are six historical exorcism cases that rival the most chilling tales Hollywood has to offer.
1. The New Mexico Colony Exorcisms // 1764
In January 1764, Juan Toledo, a Spanish missionary, penned a letter to the governor of New Mexico detailing a series of exorcisms he conducted in the settlement, which was then under Spanish colonial rule.
The events began in November 1763 with María Trujillo, a local woman. As described in Toledo’s letter, Trujillo fell into “intense and unrelenting sadness” after childbirth and “remained unaffected by the festivities.” Today, these symptoms might be identified as post-partum depression, but Toledo attributed them to demonic possession. She remained in this melancholic state until mid-December, when she fainted during prayers, woke up, and displayed “unnatural strength.” Toledo conducted an exorcism on December 18.
Other villagers also displayed behaviors Toledo deemed signs of possession. Francisca Barela, a young woman, heard pig noises without seeing any pigs and experienced tremors, tingling, seizures, and an inexplicable sense of terror. Barela was brought to the mission for assistance, and upon seeing Toledo, she reportedly turned violent, her complexion grayed, and she imitated “the sounds of pigs, cows, owls, and other animals.” Toledo exorcised her as well, during which she allegedly insulted him, attacked his ancestry, howled, and threw a shoe. In total, Toledo performed exorcisms on five women and one man, attributing the possession outbreak to witchcraft.
2. The Exorcism of George Lukins // 1788
Around Christmas 1769, George Lukins, a tailor from Yatton, Somerset, was participating in the traditional “mumming” practice. While performing a Christmas play door-to-door, Lukins claimed he received a “divine slap” that left him unable to walk home. (Others speculated it was due to strong beer offered by a host.) Soon after, Lukins began having “fits” that rendered him unable to work, forcing him to rely on parish support. After being sent to a hospital in 1775 and declared incurable, Lukins accused local women of bewitching him. Witnesses reported his symptoms included convulsions, singing in strange voices, and “uttering blasphemies too horrifying to describe.”
Lukins’ condition improved temporarily but worsened again in 1787. This time, he claimed to be possessed by seven devils and demanded seven ministers to exorcise them. Rev. Joseph Easterbrook of Bristol’s Temple Church agreed to assist. When Anglican priests refused to participate, Easterbrook enlisted six Methodists. The exorcism took place on Friday, June 13, 1788, and lasted two hours. Instead of following a formal ritual, the ministers improvised, praying, singing hymns, and commanding the demons to leave in the name of the Holy Trinity, as detailed in The Penguin Book of Exorcisms by Laycock.
Whatever afflicted Lukins, the exorcism appeared to be effective. He gained notoriety in Bristol during the Enlightenment era, where opinions were split on whether Lukins, dubbed “the Yatton Demoniac,” was truly possessed, mentally unstable, or merely a skilled fraud.
3. The Exorcism of Clara Germana Tele // 1906
As documented in the pamphlet Are There Devils Today?, the exorcism of Clara Germana Tele, a young Zulu girl (sometimes referred to as “Cele”), stands out as one of the most extraordinary cases ever recorded. Rev. Erasmus Hoerner, the priest overseeing the ritual, reported that Tele levitated several feet, scaled walls, demonstrated telepathy, and comprehended multiple languages. The account grows even more chilling, with witnesses alleging that Tele could stretch her limbs and neck “to astonishing lengths.”
During the exorcism, Hoerner received assistance from another priest, several nuns, and “eight strong, robust girls” tasked with restraining Tele. Hoerner claimed that all eight were lifted into the air alongside Tele during her levitation. The priest decided to handcuff her, but the process took three hours as Tele resisted violently, choking, punching, and biting anyone who approached. The exorcism was deemed successful by 9:30 AM on September 13, 1906. To ensure its effectiveness, Hoerner performed another exorcism that evening. Tele cooperated willingly, though a third exorcism was conducted the following year when her symptoms resurfaced. While the final exorcism was considered successful, Tele’s recovery was brief, as she succumbed to tuberculosis six years later.
4. The Exorcism of Emma Schmidt // 1928
The 1928 exorcism of a 46-year-old woman at an Earling, Iowa, convent remains one of the most famous cases in American history. While some records refer to her as “Anna Ecklund,” her actual name is believed to be Emma Schmidt. The ritual was reportedly carried out by Theophilus Riesinger, a Capuchin monk, over 23 days.
This case was documented in a 1935 German pamphlet titled Begone, Satan! A Soul-Stirring Account of Diabolical Possession and featured in a 1936 Time magazine article. Many of the extraordinary claims resemble scenes from The Exorcist: Schmidt allegedly levitated, was restrained to a bed, and, according to Riesinger’s associate, expelled “quantities of vomit that defied human capacity.” The account grows even more fantastical—when the exorcism began, Schmidt reportedly flew off the bed and “clung to the wall above the door with catlike agility.”
What sets the Earling Exorcism apart is the nature of the entities said to possess Schmidt. Alongside typical demons, the spirits tormenting her allegedly included her deceased father and his lover, who had committed infanticide. Through Schmidt, her father supposedly “admitted” to making inappropriate advances toward her, leading some to speculate that abuse may have been the source of her suffering.
Schmidt was declared free of demons on December 23, 1928, but the story has an unusual epilogue. The 1928 exorcism was neither Riesinger’s first attempt to rid Schmidt of demons nor his last. He first performed an exorcism on her in New York City in 1908. Over the years, the two reportedly grew close, and Riesinger exorcised her multiple times, with Schmidt traveling to wherever he was stationed.
5. The Exorcism of Roland Doe // 1949
In 1949, Jesuit priests spent several weeks attempting to liberate a 14-year-old Maryland boy, referred to pseudonymously as Roland Doe, from alleged demonic possession. The newspaper reports on this case later inspired William Peter Blatty to write his bestselling 1971 novel The Exorcist.
The Doe family first noticed unusual sounds in January 1949. Initially attributing the scratching noises in their walls and ceiling to rats, exterminators found no signs of infestation. Soon, the family reported other eerie occurrences, such as unexplained footsteps, furniture and dishes moving on their own, and violent shaking of their teenage son’s bed. These disturbances seemed to focus on Roland, even persisting when he stayed with neighbors. The family speculated that the boy’s late aunt, a spiritualist, might be haunting them. After consulting a Lutheran minister in Washington, D.C., they were advised to seek help from a Catholic priest. Father E. Albert Hughes attempted an exorcism but failed; Roland allegedly tore a piece of mattress spring and used it to attack the priest, cutting his arm.
Roland and his mother eventually left their home and traveled to St. Louis to stay with relatives, hoping to escape the disturbances. In Missouri, several Jesuit priests, including Father William Bowdern, Father Walter Halloran, and Rev. William Van Roo, attempted to exorcise the demon believed to possess the boy. During the ritual, the priests claimed to witness words and images appearing as spontaneous scratches on Roland’s body. At one point, Roland struck Halloran, breaking his nose. The exorcism continued nightly—Roland appeared normal during the day—until April 18, 1949, when he suddenly seemed cured. He later lived a quiet life, free from the condition that had led to the infamous exorcism.
6. The Exorcism of Gina // 1991
On April 4, 1991, approximately 29 million viewers watched ABC’s 20/20 broadcast the exorcism of a 16-year-old girl identified only as Gina. The ritual, conducted by two Catholic priests at a Florida convent, reportedly lasted six hours. (The footage was edited to fit the show’s runtime.) One priest was referred to as “Father A,” while the other was Rev. James J. LeBar, who had appeared on the controversial 1988 Geraldo Rivera special Devil Worship: Exposing Satan's Underground and authored the 1989 book Cults, Sects, and the New Age. LeBar claimed to have conducted a six-month investigation, concluding that Gina, who had a history of psychotic episodes, was possessed.
This episode became one of the most-viewed in the show’s history. While it didn’t quite match the drama of The Exorcist—though LeBar later suggested Gina might have levitated to the ceiling if not restrained—the events were undeniably unsettling. Gina growled, struggled violently against her bindings, hurled curses at the priests, and spoke in unknown languages. Father A and LeBar concluded that multiple demonic entities, not just one, were tormenting her. By the ritual’s conclusion, two of these entities, Zion and Minga, were reportedly expelled, and Gina appeared to improve. However, she was soon hospitalized again and treated with antipsychotic drugs instead of holy water. The following year, LeBar was named the chief exorcist of the New York archdiocese.
