The Terrifying True Story Behind “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” — What Really Happened to Anneliese Michel

Long before The Exorcism of Emily Rose terrified moviegoers around the world, a real young woman in 1970s Germany endured something far darker — something that still haunts priests, doctors, and witnesses to this day.

Her name was Anneliese Michel, and what happened to her became one of the most chilling and controversial cases of alleged demonic possession ever recorded.

Born in 1952 in the small Bavarian town of Klingenberg am Main, Anneliese was raised in a devout Catholic family.

By all accounts, she was bright, kind, and deeply spiritual.

But when she turned 16, strange and terrifying symptoms began to appear.

According to her friends and family, Anneliese would suddenly freeze in place, fall to the ground, and experience violent convulsions.

Doctors diagnosed her with epilepsy — a condition that, at the time, was poorly understood and often stigmatized.

For a while, medication seemed to help.

But soon, the seizures returned — this time accompanied by something far more disturbing.

Her mother, Anna Michel, later recalled waking up in the middle of the night to hear her daughter growling in a voice that “did not sound human.

” Anneliese began hearing voices that told her she was “damned” and that she would “burn in hell.”

Over the next several years, her condition worsened.

She developed a deep aversion to religious objects, tearing crucifixes from walls and destroying rosaries.

When her parents took her on pilgrimages to holy sites, she refused to enter the church, claiming the ground was “burning beneath her feet.”

By 1973, medical treatment had failed, and her family became convinced that something supernatural was taking place.

They sought the help of their local priest, Father Ernst Alt, who after observing her condition, concluded that she might indeed be possessed.

“She doesn’t look epileptic,” Father Alt wrote in a letter to his bishop.

“I am convinced that this is not a medical case.”

After months of appeals, Bishop Josef Stangl granted permission for an official exorcism under strict secrecy, assigning Father Alt and another priest, Father Arnold Renz, to perform the rites.

Between September 1975 and July 1976, the two priests carried out 67 separate exorcism sessions, each lasting up to four hours.

During these sessions, Anneliese is said to have spoken in multiple voices — some male, some guttural and ancient-sounding.

Recordings made during the rituals captured her identifying herself as several entities: Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Nero, Cain, and even Hitler.

Witnesses claimed her strength became superhuman; at one point, she threw a grown man across the room.

Despite the priests’ efforts, Anneliese’s health deteriorated rapidly.

She stopped eating, believing demons would not allow her to take nourishment.

Her body withered, and her face became gaunt and unrecognizable.

In one of her last recordings, she can be heard whispering, “Beg for absolution. ”

On July 1, 1976, Anneliese Michel was found dead on the floor of her bedroom.

She was just 23 years old.

The autopsy revealed that she had died from severe malnutrition and dehydration — the result of refusing food and water for weeks.

The case exploded into international headlines.

Her parents and the two priests were charged with negligent homicide.

The 1978 trial became a media sensation, drawing crowds of reporters and believers from across Europe.

The defense argued that Anneliese had been a victim of genuine demonic possession, citing the audio recordings and eyewitness testimony.

The prosecution, however, insisted she had died due to medical neglect and religious hysteria.

After a grueling court battle, the priests and parents were found guilty but received suspended sentences.

The verdict divided public opinion — some saw it as justice, while others believed the state had condemned those who had tried to save a soul.

Today, nearly five decades later, the case of Anneliese Michel remains one of the most famous examples of alleged possession in modern history.

The chilling tapes of her exorcisms still circulate online, sending shivers down the spines of those who listen.

Scholars, psychologists, and theologians continue to debate what really happened — was it mental illness misunderstood through a lens of faith, or proof of something far beyond science?

The 2005 film The Exorcism of Emily Rose reimagined the story, portraying a priest on trial after an exorcism gone wrong.

But no dramatization can fully capture the horror of the real events that inspired it — the screams that echoed through the Michel home, the prayers whispered through tears, or the haunting final photograph of a young woman who believed she was fighting for her soul.

Father Renz, before his death, was once asked if he ever regretted what happened.

He paused and replied softly, “I saw what no man should see.

I believe she fought evil — and lost her life in doing so.”

Anneliese Michel was buried beside her family church in Klingenberg.

To this day, visitors still leave candles and rosaries at her grave.

Some come seeking closure; others come seeking answers.

But most leave with the same uneasy feeling — that perhaps, somewhere between faith and fear, there lies a truth too terrible for this world to understand.