“Emily Rose’s exorcism” is one of the most popular horror movies of the genre. Far from the terrifying atmosphere that “The Exorcist” had back in the 70s, Scott Derrickson’s film presented a controversial episode of the Catholic Church approached from a judicial perspective: the case of Anneliese Michel, a young woman who began having health problems and which ended in a tragic death that led to an important trial.
And it is that the life of the German teenager, if it was not snatched by the numerous demons that the film portrays, was by something even more common and at the same time terrifying.
A devil in Germany
The setting: Leiblfing, Germany; the victim: Anneliese Michel, an introverted girl of just 16 years old. Her family, rooted in Catholicism, went to mass at least twice, but everything changed when one day the young woman began to convulse.
Annelise was diagnosed with epilepsy and severe depression. Although she had undergone psychiatric treatment, her parents believed that she had no effect.
Four years later, that quiet young girl would not stop screaming, not tolerating the sight of religious objects and I had started hearing voices. Prescription medications were not working and the situation only seemed to get worse.
What conclusion did your parents come to? There was only one answer: her daughter had been possessed by a demonsomething that, according to his logic, should be dealt with by the church.
A medicine of faith
Although the first Catholic priests who had received the family pointed out that this was a medical case, the parents were convinced that their daughter had been possessed. were the Father Ernst Alt and Pastor Arnold Renz who empathized with their cause.
Both representatives, after requesting permission from the Catholic Church, began a number of rounds of exorcism: 67 sessions carried out during 11 continuous months.
Annelise had been subjected to the attention of those men of faith for almost a year, until one day she couldn’t breathe anymore. He died at the age of 23, weighing just 30 kilos..
The autopsy indicated that the cause of death of the young woman was malnutrition and dehydration. The case became famous and raised a great controversy in Germany. The trial, which the film portrays, was inevitable.
The verdict for those responsible
Both parents and church representatives were found guilty of negligent homicide. However, the Michels received no punishment, while Alt and Renz were only placed on three years’ probation.
What killed Annelise Michel? When reviewing this case, some insist that it was the demons, but others point out that it was the freedom that the parents had in the treatment of their daughter, something that becomes more terrifying than what the film shows. “Emily Rose’s exorcism”.
#harsh #true #story #Exorcism #Emily #Rose #terrifying #demons