Movies - TV
The Exorcism Of Emily Rose Is Based On A Tragic Real-Life Story
By MIYAKO PLEINES
Scott Derrickson's "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" is allegedly based on the real-life story of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who was believed to be possessed by the Devil.
Anneliese underwent multiple exorcisms and, like the fictional Emily Rose, eventually died — and her family and the priests who performed the rituals were put on trial.
The real Michel was raised Roman Catholic, and she had epilepsy, but medications didn't curb her erratic behavior. She became averse to Christianity and reported seeing demons.
Priest Ernst Alst and Pastor Arnold Renz began to exorcize Michel. She endured 67 exorcisms in her final days, during which she would talk like the demons that possessed her.
Michel would later pass, and her cause of death was "malnutrition and dehydration that resulted from almost a year of semi-starvation during the rites," per the Washington Post.
Her parents, along with Alst and Renz, were found guilty of negligent manslaughter. While "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" is similar to this story, some changes have been made.
Emily Rose isn't German but American, and she is 19 instead of 23. In the movie, only the priest is on trial rather than the family, and only one exorcism is ever performed on her.
The biggest difference, however, is in the sentencing. In the real trial, the prosecution wanted the punishment to be monetary fines, while they suggested time served in the film.