Exploring the Mystery of the Exorcist: Fact or Fiction?

[Dagenais]

The new movie that is about to be released, Exorcist The Beginning (or something like that), got me thinking.

The Exorcist is suppose to be based on a true story that happened in 1948, right?

And through many tests done by Doctors and Psychiatrists, there was no medical explanation.

Is this true, or just apart of the movie? (I've never seen any of the exorcist movies).

Have they found answers to what was wrong to the girl? Aside from possession?

 

[recon]

The Exorcist was based on a TRUE story?!

I've only seen the Director's Cut of the Original Exorcist movie. I thought William Blatty's book was just a fiction. The movie I saw had a young girl as the protagonist. When she begins having behavioral problems, her mother refers her to a hospital where she is thereafter subjected to numerous tests by both doctors and psychologists. The subsequent battery of treatments fail and doctors reluctantly refer the girl's mother to an exorcist to help ward off the demon possessor inside the girl, who by this point in the movie, has managed to kill several adults.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It was based mostly on a boy from the midwest and the Catholic Church's account of events. In total it was based on three cases with a few details from other cases thrown in. I have seen interviews with the younger priest portrayed in the movie. When I was a Catholic kid, the only reason that I was allowed to see it was the Church's stated opinion that the movie was basically accurate.

 

[Dagenais]

So, she was really possessed and not just psychotic? No new theories about her health?

Wow...

That's spooky.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Well, according to the Catholic Church.

The Church does stand behind some claims of "superhuman" feats as shown in the movie - levitation, 360 degree head rotations, 30 ft projectile vomiting, speaking in strange voices not possible for a human, walking on walls and the ceiling, spontaneous production of deep wounds and terrible odors - but I'm not sure which ones were allegedly witnessesed and which ones were just Hollywood. I think all or most of the ones that I listed were supposedly witnessed in documented Church cases, but not all were seen in anyone case. At some point along the way I have heard this discussed; most likely by the priest who was there - in the midwest case mentioned.


late edits

 

[Ivan Seeking]

So, she was really possessed and not just psychotic? No new theories about her health?

When I last read something about this some years ago, the "actual" victim - the boy that was the basis for the female character in the movie - was grown, married, and happy.

 

[Dagenais]

When I last read something about this some years ago, the "actual" victim - the boy that was the basis for the female character in the movie - was grown, married, and happy.

Did you happen to read how they cured him?

Because in the movie, they never got to that, right?

Or was the real case completely different?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

According to the church he was exorcised and that was that. Keep in mind that I only know what the Church's position was on this. I don't know if any scientific challenges or scrutiny was ever applied. I'm certainly not about to condone or condemn the Church's position on this. I am merely relaying the facts from the story, as claimed by the Church, as accurately as I can.

Also, I think the proper view of this is that the storyline was loosely based on the one case, but it was also a composite of the alleged events from many cases. The story did not follow anyone case precisely as it supposedly happened. For example, in the movie the main character was a girl instead of a boy. Obviously there were differences.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Did you happen to read how they cured

I was trying to remember where I picked most of this up. I would have to say from a variety of information that came out with the movie for one. Also, we were good friends with a priest and a very knowledgible church deacon who discussed this all quite a bit back then. Our life at that time was the church community. I think our priest gave my mom something to read before I was allowed to go...I remember reading something from the church. I have also seen a few interviews on TV, and I have read little blurbs from time to time in news magazines like Time, or Newsweek. Every once in a great while I see a follow up story, or a reference to the movie and its origins.

At least one interview with the priest that I mentioned can probably still be seen on The Discovery Channel, or maybe The History Channel. I am quite sure that I have seen something within the last year or so.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Weird Things Seem To Happen On Sets Of `exorcist' Movies

A favorite claim back then, and now it seems.

Spooky premonitions were reported. People succumbed under mysterious circumstances. Buildings spontaneously combusted.

And that was just behind the scenes on ``The Exorcist,'' the 1973 Oscar-winner about a cherubic 12-year-old named Regan, who, seemingly possessed by the devil, starts to levitate and spit green bile.

Unduly nervous about how the adaptation of the William Peter Blatty bestseller would fare in release (it earned a then-whopping $8 million its opening weekend), Warner Bros. was quick to capitalize on all the weird happenings, going so far as to proclaim the enterprise ``cursed'' and in need of a real priest to perform an actual exorcism. [continued]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/movies/9428113.htm

 

[Entropy]

I just saw The Exorcist on Sci-Fi last night and man is it over rated! Its not scary at all! It wasn't even interesting.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I also watched most of it and I have to agree. The editing done for TV was terrible, but even so, like so many movies it was much less impressive years after its release.

 

[gravenewworld]

The Exorcist was supposedly based on a true story. Today the Catholic Church almost never performs exorcisms, because of the advancements in medicine and psychology. Before an exorcism is even thought of being done, rigorous medical tests must be done in order to rule out paranoia, dimensia etc. Another requirement for an exorcism is that the person who supposedly is possessed must speak a different language that he or she has never studied before. I learned about exorcisms in theology. Oddly enough, one of the priests from my high school was involved in the exorcism that the movie the Exorcist was based on. He was basically a messenger from America to Rome on the status of the exorcism.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

WOW! Did he tell about his experiences?

 

[gravenewworld]

No, he never talked about it. He was mostly retired by the time I was in school, living in the convent. I learned that he was involved with the exorcism from other priests who were teaching my classes.

 

[aychamo]

"Based on" is used very liberally.

The whole idea of an exorcism, etc, presupposes the belief in a god and then a god who would have created a being that is capable of becoming a devil, etc. It's rubbish.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

After all of these centuries...finally! Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[Entropy]

The Exorcist was supposedly based on a true story. Today the Catholic Church almost never performs exorcisms, because of the advancements in medicine and psychology. Before an exorcism is even thought of being done, rigorous medical tests must be done in order to rule out paranoia, dimensia etc. Another requirement for an exorcism is that the person who supposedly is possessed must speak a different language that he or she has never studied before. I learned about exorcisms in theology. Oddly enough, one of the priests from my high school was involved in the exorcism that the movie the Exorcist was based on. He was basically a messenger from America to Rome on the status of the exorcism.

Exorcisms don't happen anymore not because of modern medicine! Its because demons can no longer take control of humans like they once could. I forget when demons became forbiden to possese people, I'll have to look it up.

 

[Jin314159]

What I find lame about exorcism is that the Priest doesn't have any real powers. All he can do is just beg the demon to leave.

Priest: Demon please come out
Possessed: No
Priest: In the lame of the Holy Spirit, please come out.
Possessed: No
Priest: Please?
Possessed: No
Priest: Alright, let me read some passages from the Bible then...

The Exorcist should have some tools or weapons (certified by the Vatican) like Van Helsing.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Well, based on my knowledge of the Catholic church and how such matters are handled, and the information available from the Church at the time of the first book and movie, I find the following to be completely absurd. I no longer believe this website to be credible. This was not a case dependant on one priest and his diary.

http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/exorcist.html

 

[jimmy p]

Priest: In the lame of the Holy Spirit, please come out.

THAT is why it failed!

 

[Tsu]

YEAH! Just what's so lame about the Holy Spirit, anyway? He's Holy. He's a Spriti. Sounds not lame to me!