Exorcism is a rite of expulsion from a person of evil spirits, shrouded in mystery. The practice, which was widely used in the Middle Ages, is called "reprimand" in Orthodoxy. The problem of contentlessness is not fully understood. For most people who have seen Hollywood movies, a controversial ritual becomes commonplace entertainment.
This real story, which happened over 40 years ago, is the basis of several mystical thrillers. What really happened with a girl who went through numerous rites to expel demons and starved herself to death?
Mental disorder?
Anna Elizabeth Michel, better known as Annelise, was born in a Bavarian village in 1952 into a large family of conservative Catholics. A girl raised in strict faith, from early childhood attended all services and sang in the church choir. She was distinguished by religious fanaticism and even slept on the cold floor during winter fasting.
From 16 years old, the girl suffers from nervous diseases. Annelise Michel has her first seizure, accompanied by convulsions. According to doctors, her epilepsy was aggravated by a mental disorder. A teenager bites his tongue because of a severe spasm, sometimes even a complete paralysis of the body happens, and because of speech disorders the girl can not call anyone for help. At the same time, strange things happen: she stops drinking holy water, turns away from the crucifix, swears with her relatives. Soon the attacks torment her both day and night. At this time, she can’t talk, she feels exhausted and tired, and the body loses its former flexibility. A girl who misses classes at school is tormented by a constant feeling of heaviness in the chest area. She begins to experience depression, and also suicidal thoughts.
New attacks
In 1969, Anelisa suffers from an asthma attack, which is accompanied by complete paralysis of the body. Frightened parents go to the family doctor, and a specialist who has not found any health problems sends her to a psychiatrist. She spends about a year in the clinic, but after each course of treatment the patient’s condition only worsens. During attacks, the girl rips off her clothes, eats insects, swears on others and calls names of holy saints.
Annelise Michel makes an brain encephalogram, but professionals do not notice any visible changes. An accurate diagnosis of the patient has not been established. Psychiatry was not able to cure the patient, but tried to somehow control the progressive disease.
She is again admitted to the hospital, where the girl first sees the faces of demons, as reported by the doctors who prescribe medications for schizophrenia to her. Soon, hallucinations begin to be accompanied by strange knocks, and the patient believes that she is actually obsessed with demons. The therapy lasts about 4 years, but its condition does not improve, and the mind is completely subordinate to demons. Demons inspire the Catholic that she is doomed, and doctors can not help. In desperation, the girl begs the doctors to save her, but the medications do not help.
Mysterious rituals
It is curious that in 1973 one of the scariest films in the history of cinema - “The Exorcist” was released. The main character, a priest, fights with demons who settled in the body of a 12-year-old girl. Annelisa's parents conclude that their daughter, obsessed with demons, also needs help. They turn to the Catholic Church, but constantly receive refusals to conduct the rite of exorcism.
And only in September 1975 did two priests go to the patient - Ernst Alt and Arnold Renz. They perform more than 65 rites of exorcism over Annelise Michel. About 40 were recorded on video equipment and were later viewed in the courtroom.
Mysterious rituals last about five hours. Three people hold tight the raging girl, screaming that her body is blazing with fire from the touch of the priests. “The six inhabitants of hell command me,” assures the patient, who has made faces, growls and howls in different voices in several languages. The church attendants, conducting the rituals, agree that 6 entities live in the girl’s body - Hitler, Lucifer, Nero, Cain, Judas and the unknown German monk who became the murderer, Fleischmann.
Sometimes her attacks suddenly subside, and at that time the unfortunate one remains in complete rationality. She does not complain of ailments and even attends not only school, but also church. In addition, the future student is taking exams at the Wurzburg Academy.
Deterioration and death
Soon her condition worsens again: the exhausted Anna Elizabeth Michel hears voices, insults relatives and doctors, fights, barks, growls, bites. She tears apart icons, breaks crosses, and insults God. The patient stops taking all drugs and voluntarily refuses food and water, claiming that the Devil himself tells her to do this. On June 30, 1976, tired of seizures and emaciated to 30 kg, the patient in despair asks her mother to stay with her overnight.
And in the early morning of the next day, parents find their daughter dead. The priests considered that the Catholic soul, cleansed of demonic power, ascended to the throne of Christ.
Why did the unfortunate Annelise die?
An autopsy showed that both dehydration and malnutrition became the cause of the death of Annelise Michel. The death of the patient was not directly caused by the rite of exorcism.
Most likely, the girl realized that her fate was a foregone conclusion, and stopped fighting for life. She believed that her suffering was atonement for the sins of others. On the body of Annelisa, there were many terrible wounds, as well as bruises and scratches. The girl inflicted all the injuries on herself. The priests even tied the obsessed to the bed so that she could not injure herself. The unfortunate died, suffering terrible torment.
Another version was put forward. According to her, a girl under the control of priests was killed by strong drugs, which she took on the advice of psychiatrists. However, some experts expressed the view that the treatment was ill-conceived and that the doses of the drugs were not significant to cure a serious mental disorder.
In addition, Annelise Michel, whose story stirred the public, was sick with pneumonia, which, most likely, killed her.
Trial
Two years later, in 1978, the trial begins on priests who were engaged in the expulsion of demons from the girl, and her parents. At meetings, the head of the episcopal conference claims that the deceased did not suffer from obsession, and the defendants' defenders make a loud statement. In their opinion, exorcism is the same right of citizens as the right to religious belief.
The judge declares that 10 days before her death Annelise Michel could be saved, and the defendants will be convicted. They are found guilty of unintentional murder, and each receives 6 months in prison with a three-year probationary term. However, many sides of a difficult case are still a mystery.
Secret videos
After the trial, the Roman Catholic Church confiscated videos of the rites conducted by the priests, and stated that they would remain confidential for some time. According to experts, watching a video is very difficult. Obscene curses, animal growls, dialogs of demons telling about the horrors of hell leave a depressing impression. During the sessions, the aggressive-minded Annelise Michel darted about the room, injuring herself, and she even had to be chained.
The church is ashamed of this story. The priests of Germany even asked to revise the rite of exorcism. In 1999, the Vatican published a new version of the mysterious ritual. Now ministers of the church must have a medical education so that they can cast out demons.
Unfortunate last refuge
The girl, whose name is associated with obsession, found the last shelter in the cemetery in Klingenberg. There is an inscription on the cross: "I have rested with the Lord." Pilgrims visit her grave, convinced that the unfortunate woman, suffering from terrible attacks, still defeated the Devil.
Near the cemetery, the unfortunate father erected a tiny chapel in memory of Annelise Michel, where all comers come to pray.
Death for the salvation of alien souls
The girl’s parents never regretted what they had done. Deeply religious people claimed that this was the only way to expel demons from her body. They also spoke in court about Annelise Michel, on whose hands appeared stigmata - bleeding wounds corresponding to the wounds of Jesus. It was like a signal from God, a sign that the girl was dying in the name of saving other people's souls.
“However, when the Devil entered the body of the daughter, something supernatural began,” the girl’s mother said.
Films about Annelise Michel
12 years ago, a tape dedicated to the obsessed comes out. German director Hans-Christian Schmid presented his vision of those events. "Requiem" is not an ordinary horror movie, but an attempt to consider the girl’s disease from the point of view of science. A girl who grew up in a pious family goes to university. She finds herself in a fun student environment in which she does not feel like a black sheep. The main character has fun at parties, communicates with friends, but suddenly the student begins to have epilepsy attacks. After another seizure, the mother turns to the priest, who conducts a mysterious ritual to expel demons. In the final credits, the viewer learns that after numerous ceremonies, the girl died.
In 2005, the gloomy thriller Emily Rose’s Six Demons, based on real events, was released on wide screens. The plot was based on a mysterious story about how devout parishioners begin to visit terrible visions. The girl, who ceases to distinguish between nightmares and reality, first turns to doctors, and then she asks the priest to conduct a forbidden rite. The film directed by S. Derrickson is more a judicial drama than an ordinary horror story for viewers. Moore's father appears before the court, because his ward, from whom he tried to expel the demons, is dying, and a young lawyer stands in his defense. They are trying to prove the existence of otherworldly forces that interfere with the fate of people. In 2006, the work received the Saturn Award as the best horror film.
Believe or not believe that a person can be obsessed with demons, everyone decides. Those who actually performed the rites of exorcism are sure of one thing - in most cases they are mentally ill people. However, terrible things are really happening in the world, from which blood runs cold. And no one can explain the reason for the frightening phenomena that remain a mystery to the majority.