Discover the terrifying true story behind the Hollywood film "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." This documentary dives deep into the life and death of Anneliese Michel — a young German woman whose harrowing experience with alleged demonic possession led to 67 Catholic exorcism sessions and ultimately, her tragic death in 1976.
Was it a case of spiritual warfare… or a misdiagnosed medical condition? Learn about the chilling recordings, the controversial court trial, and the religious debate that shocked the world. This is not just a horror story — it's a real-life mystery that still raises questions today.
Watch now to uncover:
The timeline of Anneliese Michel’s possession and exorcisms
Exclusive excerpts from actual exorcism sessions
The legal case that shook Germany
What science and faith say about this haunting case
🔔 Subscribe for more real-life horror and mysterious true stories.
#AnnelieseMichel #TrueStory #EmilyRose #Exorcism #RealExorcism #Possession #HauntedHistory #TrueCrime #ReligiousHorror #FaithVsScience #MysteryDocumentary #HorrorRealLife #Paranormal #67Exorcisms #GermanExorcismCase #Rituals #MentalIllness #Docummentry #News #UnsolvedMystery #MysteriousEvents #Story
Was it a case of spiritual warfare… or a misdiagnosed medical condition? Learn about the chilling recordings, the controversial court trial, and the religious debate that shocked the world. This is not just a horror story — it's a real-life mystery that still raises questions today.
Watch now to uncover:
The timeline of Anneliese Michel’s possession and exorcisms
Exclusive excerpts from actual exorcism sessions
The legal case that shook Germany
What science and faith say about this haunting case
🔔 Subscribe for more real-life horror and mysterious true stories.
#AnnelieseMichel #TrueStory #EmilyRose #Exorcism #RealExorcism #Possession #HauntedHistory #TrueCrime #ReligiousHorror #FaithVsScience #MysteryDocumentary #HorrorRealLife #Paranormal #67Exorcisms #GermanExorcismCase #Rituals #MentalIllness #Docummentry #News #UnsolvedMystery #MysteriousEvents #Story
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NewsTranscript
00:00Born in 1952 in the small town of Klingenberg in Bavaria, Germany, Anneliese Michel was raised as a strict Catholic and was described as very bright and likable.
00:12In September 1968, when Anneliese was 16 years old, she experienced her first episode of losing consciousness.
00:20And later that night, she felt as if something was pressing down on her chest, pinning her to her bed.
00:25Eleven months later, in August 1969, a similar event occurred, and her mother took Anneliese to their family doctor, Dr. Vogt, and a neurologist, Dr. Luthi, who examined her and even ran an EEG, a brain scan, but found nothing wrong.
00:39They hypothesized that it could possibly be a form of seizure. Over the next three years, Anneliese would have two more similar episodes and was prescribed two medications, an anticonvulsive medication and an anti-seizure medication called Delantin.
00:52On both occasions, an EEG would come back normal, with some minor irregular patterns, but nothing that would definitively explain her symptoms.
01:01It was in spring 1973 that things took a turn for the stranger. Anneliese began to hear knocking sounds in her bedroom, sounds her sisters would hear as well.
01:10But even more alarming, Anneliese also reported hearing a voice damning her to hell.
01:15Her mother was further rattled when she witnessed Anneliese furiously staring at a statue of the Virgin Mary with, quote,
01:22eyes turned black, jet black, and her hands seemed to turn into thick paws with claws.
01:28In September 1973, in a neurological visit with Dr. Luthi, Anneliese described horrific visions of demon faces that were tormenting her,
01:37and stated that she felt the devil was inside her.
01:39She also reported smelling something that had the aroma of burnt feces, a stench that many around her would report smelling at later times.
01:52Around this time, Anneliese's mother described these strange occurrences to Dr. Luthi,
01:56who, according to Mrs. Michelle, advised them to consult a Jesuit, a claim that Dr. Luthi would later deny.
02:03Whether or not that's true, the family definitely searched for a priest, and eventually found a priest named Father Ault.
02:10In November 1973, Anneliese met with a Freudian psychiatrist who diagnosed her as a neurotic with possible epilepsy,
02:17and another neurologist found she had, quote, epileptic patterns, and took her off Delantin and put her on Tegretol, a much stronger drug.
02:25In July 1975, Anneliese's extremely odd behavior worsened.
02:30She barely slept and prayed fervently all night.
02:33She ate spiders and flies, and even licked her own urine up from the floor.
02:38She destroyed rosaries, crucifixes, and holy pictures on the walls.
02:42Anneliese also exhibited strength that was, quote, close to superhuman,
02:47throwing her sister, quote, as if she were a ragdoll,
02:50and incredibly was observed effortlessly squeezing an apple with one hand until, quote,
02:56fragments exploded throughout the room.
03:00A priest named Father Rodawick, a man considered an expert on exorcisms by his peers,
03:08reported that he was convinced that Anneliese was possessed,
03:11and after deliberation with the bishop, an exorcism on Anneliese was formally approved.
03:16It was to be carried out by a priest named Father Renz.
03:19On September 24th, 1975, the first exorcism rite was performed.
03:23Father Renz allowed some of the exorcism sessions to be recorded,
03:26and 42 audio recordings of the exorcisms were made in total.
03:31I'm going to play some clips from those recordings,
03:33but fair warning, these recordings are perhaps the most disturbing pieces of audio I've ever heard.
03:38Warum bist du da, Arthur?
03:40Oh, ich hab recht dazu, dass ich hier in dem Wald sein bin.
03:46Ich trag dir die Rotznase noch so lang, bis sie treffiert.
03:50Die Zaublege mein.
03:54Für uns gibt's kein Zurück.
03:58Nicht in all Ewigkeit.
04:01Anneliese also named Fleischmann as one of her demons,
04:24and provided accurate details of the real Fleischmann,
04:27who was a priest in the 1500s that was kicked out of the church for bad behavior.
04:31These details came as an icy shock to Father Alt,
04:34who claims Anneliese would have no way of knowing Fleischmann.
04:37To learn more about demonic possession,
04:39we sat down with Father Gary Thomas,
04:41a Vatican-approved exorcist,
04:43who explained to us different signs of possession,
04:45all of these Anneliese had.
04:46One would be an aversion to the sacred,
04:48so a person walks in this church and can't look at a crucifix,
04:51and you only see the whites of their eyes.
04:54Another would be knowledge of hidden things,
04:55where the demon will begin to tell you things about yourself
04:57that the person themself would have no way of knowing.
05:00Another would be possessing a kind of inordinate physical strength
05:05that they don't normally possess.
05:07The last sign is sort of epileptic-like seizures on a person's face
05:12and the movement of their arms and legs
05:13in a way where they lose complete control.
05:15By May, Anneliese became even worse,
05:18banging her head against the wall
05:20and biting herself and others,
05:21to the point where her family had to tie her up
05:24to prevent her from hurting herself.
05:26But most dangerously, Anneliese refused to eat.
05:29She described it as, quote,
05:31not being permitted to eat.
05:33Despite being quite frail, likely weighing under 80 pounds,
05:36she exhibited great strength when people tried to restrain her.
05:45By June, Anneliese's entire face was sunken.
05:48She also refused a doctor visit,
05:50even though she had a very high fever.
05:52On June 30th, Anneliese had another exorcism,
05:55only saying, please, absolution.
05:58The next morning, her family went to her room and found her dead.
06:01Despite seeking medical attention early on,
06:04Anneliese refused to submit to medical attention in the end,
06:07as she and her family ultimately placed
06:09all faith of recovery into the exorcisms.
06:12She died of starvation at the age of 23 after 67 exorcisms,
06:16weighing only 68 pounds at the time of her death.
06:19After her death, Anneliese's parents and the two priests
06:22were accused of negligent homicide,
06:24and the case went to trial in 1978.
06:27What follows are the two sides of that case.
06:30First, let's review the position of the defense.
06:33The defense presented eyewitness testimony
06:35and formally submitted the recordings as evidence of possession,
06:38an idea that the court never seemed to take seriously.
06:41From a non-religious standpoint,
06:43the defense argued Anneliese was permitted
06:45to deny medical treatment, as was her lawful right.
06:48For what it's worth, medical treatment might have included
06:51tranquilizing her, force-feeding her,
06:53and electroshock therapy.
06:55Quote, all presumably against her will.
06:58End quote.
06:59Family friend Thea Hine recalled in her testimony
07:02that in 1976, a few months before Anneliese's death,
07:05Anneliese reportedly, quote,
07:07begged on her knees for Hine to not suggest
07:10medical attention to anybody.
07:12Also worth noting is the fact that Father Alt
07:15actually looked for medical help towards the end.
07:17And on May 30th, his friend, Dr. Richard Roth,
07:20visited Anneliese out of what he claims was
07:23scientific curiosity and not as a physician.
07:26In his visit, Dr. Roth claims Anneliese
07:28had no external injuries,
07:30although Father Renz noted she had several bruises,
07:33a swollen cheek, and black eyes.
07:35An interesting contradiction, to say the least.
07:39Dr. Roth also denied saying, quote,
07:41there are no injections against the devil.
07:44End quote.
07:45Curiously, in spite of all the supposed epileptic attacks,
07:48an autopsy revealed Anneliese had a healthy brain
07:50with no damage that could have caused epileptic seizures.
07:53Quote, not even on a microscopic level.
07:57End quote.
07:57And even more curious was the court's
07:59seeming non-consideration of facts,
08:01such as her pupils being unusually dilated
08:03and the absence of ulcers on her body,
08:05which are frequently found in victims of starvation.
08:08Now, let's review the position of the prosecution.
08:10The prosecution argued that Anneliese
08:13had epilepsy and psychosis
08:14and that the parents and two priests
08:16were liable for failing to act to save her life.
08:19The defense tore down notions of possession.
08:21They questioned the credibility of Father Alt
08:23with the conclusion from two experts
08:25that Father Alt exhibited signs of schizophrenia.
08:28The prosecution also argued
08:30that the medications given
08:31successfully suppressed the epilepsy-like seizures
08:33and argued that that suppression morphed into, quote,
08:36a delusional psychosis associated with epilepsy.
08:39End quote.
08:40They argued that Anneliese's psychosis
08:42was exacerbated by the exorcism,
08:44which only played into her fantasy.
08:46To piggyback on that,
08:47Anneliese often went through phases
08:49between exorcisms where she behaved normally,
08:52even though she would behave
08:53as a possessed person during exorcisms.
08:55It's unclear if the epilepsy-like seizures
08:57were stopped by medication
08:58or if they actually stopped on their own.
09:01But Anneliese's psychotic visions
09:02predate the alleged medical suppression.
09:05In the end, the court ruled
09:06in favor of the prosecution,
09:08sentencing the four defendants
09:10to six months in prison
09:11with suspension for three years
09:12and payment for all court costs.
09:15The court ruled that Anneliese
09:16was unable to make decisions for herself
09:18and should have been forced
09:19to submit to medical care.
09:21Professor Felicitas D. Goodman,
09:23an author of a book on the case,
09:24notes the theories that Anneliese was epileptic
09:26were presented as, quote,
09:28a statement of undisputable fact,
09:30not conjecture,
09:31as in fact, they had been.
09:33End quote.
09:34How do you tell the difference
09:35between possession and mental health?
09:37Sometimes both are going along side by side.
09:40You have to determine
09:41what is the root cause
09:43of the suffering of this individual.
09:45You start out with a discernment,
09:47and the discernment involves myself
09:49and a whole team of people.
09:50I have a medical doctor,
09:52a clinical psychologist,
09:53and a psychiatrist.
09:54In fact, a formal exorcism
09:56only happens as the last resort.
09:59Regardless of the court ruling,
10:00many have debated
10:01what actually led to Anneliese's death.
10:03Was it a case of mental illness,
10:05possibly epilepsy,
10:06or was this a legitimate case
10:09of demonic possession?
10:10Whatever the real reason may be,
10:11the case of Anneliese Michel
10:13is a tragedy
10:14and will always remain unsolved.
10:30Anneliese Michel
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