Anneliese Michel: Demonic Possession, Exorcism and the Tragedy Behind Emily Rose

Few modern cases of alleged demonic possession have generated as much fascination, fear and controversy as that of Anneliese Michel. Her story contains nearly every element associated with a classical possession narrative: religious visions, seizures, violent aversion to sacred objects, disturbing voices, claims of multiple demons and repeated rituals of exorcism.

Yet it is also the story of a vulnerable young woman whose physical and psychological condition deteriorated while the people around her increasingly interpreted her suffering as supernatural. By the time Anneliese died in 1976, she had undergone 67 exorcism sessions and weighed approximately 31 kilograms. Her parents and the two priests involved were subsequently convicted of negligent homicide.

The case remains suspended between demonology, religion, medicine and human tragedy. Some continue to believe that Anneliese was genuinely possessed, while others regard her death as a devastating example of untreated epilepsy, severe mental illness and religious reinforcement.

The Early Life of Anneliese Michel

Anna Elisabeth “Anneliese” Michel was born on 21 September 1952 in Leiblfing, Bavaria, and grew up in the town of Klingenberg am Main. She was raised in a deeply Catholic household by her parents, Josef and Anna Michel, alongside her sisters.

Religion occupied a central place within the family. Anneliese attended Mass, prayed regularly and was encouraged to regard suffering, sacrifice and penance as spiritually meaningful. Those beliefs would later profoundly influence the way she understood her illness.

She was remembered as intelligent, sensitive and serious. Her family expected her to become a teacher, and she eventually studied education at the University of Würzburg. Behind this relatively conventional life, however, her physical and emotional condition was beginning to change.

The First Seizures

Anneliese experienced her first serious episode while still a teenager, in either 1968 or 1969. She reportedly blacked out at school and later suffered a frightening nocturnal seizure involving paralysis, difficulty breathing and loss of bladder control.

Further seizures followed. Medical examinations resulted in a diagnosis within the epileptic spectrum, often described in later accounts as temporal-lobe epilepsy. She was prescribed anticonvulsant medication and underwent neurological treatment.

Her health was complicated by additional illnesses. She suffered from severe respiratory infections and spent time in a sanatorium after contracting tuberculosis. During this period, she also became increasingly withdrawn and depressed.

Anneliese began reporting disturbing experiences that she interpreted as demonic. She saw grotesque faces, heard voices condemning her and sometimes detected foul smells that no one else appeared to notice. She became convinced that she was damned and at times contemplated suicide.

The precise nature of her illness remains debated. Medical testimony presented during the later trial described epilepsy accompanied by serious psychological disturbance. Retrospective diagnoses have included psychosis, depression, dissociation and forms of religious delusion. Because Anneliese cannot be examined by modern clinicians, no retrospective diagnosis can be regarded as completely certain.

What is clear is that she was experiencing profound distress and required sustained neurological and psychiatric care.

From Illness to Demonic Possession

As Anneliese’s symptoms intensified, both she and her family began to reject a purely medical explanation.

She reportedly became unable to pray without seeing demonic faces. Sacred objects frightened or enraged her, and she sometimes tore rosaries or destroyed religious images. During a pilgrimage to the unofficial shrine at San Damiano in Italy, witnesses claimed that she could not approach the chapel, refused to drink blessed water and reacted violently to religious medals.

These incidents convinced her family that they were witnessing more than epilepsy or mental illness.

Accounts of her behaviour became increasingly extreme. Family members, friends and priests described episodes in which Anneliese growled, screamed, contorted her body, attacked those around her and displayed unusual physical strength. They said she crawled beneath furniture, barked like an animal, ate insects and coal, licked urine from the floor and struck or bit herself.

Such stories have become central to the legend surrounding the case. They originate primarily from the testimony of believers involved in the exorcisms and should not automatically be treated as independent proof of demonic activity. Nevertheless, several of the incidents were described during the criminal proceedings and appear in the detailed notes and recordings made by the priests.

Anneliese herself came to believe completely that demons inhabited her body. This belief was reinforced by members of her family and by several priests who interpreted her behaviour through Catholic teachings about possession.

The Church Becomes Involved

The Michel family consulted a succession of priests. Some refused to support an exorcism and advised the family to continue seeking medical treatment. Others gradually became convinced that the case displayed signs traditionally associated with possession.

Father Ernst Alt became one of Anneliese’s principal spiritual advisers. He believed that evil forces were surrounding or inhabiting her and repeatedly petitioned Bishop Josef Stangl of Würzburg for permission to conduct an exorcism.

The bishop initially refused. He advised continued observation and further medical assistance.

As Anneliese’s condition worsened, the Jesuit priest Father Adolf Rodewyk, who was regarded in Catholic circles as knowledgeable about possession, was consulted. After reviewing the case, Rodewyk supported the belief that a major exorcism was justified.

A minor or “small” exorcism was reportedly performed on 3 August 1975. The date is sometimes incorrectly given as 1974 in later retellings.

On 16 September 1975, Bishop Stangl authorised Father Arnold Renz to perform the major exorcism according to the Roman Ritual. The authorisation was issued under conditions of secrecy. Father Ernst Alt assisted him throughout the process.

The first major session took place in the Michel family home on 24 September 1975.

The Sixty-Seven Exorcisms

Between September 1975 and June 1976, Anneliese underwent 67 exorcism sessions. Many lasted for several hours, and the priests documented the rituals through written notes, photographs and 42 audio recordings.

The rite came from the Roman Ritual traditionally used by the Catholic Church. It included prayers, commands directed at the supposed demons, readings from Scripture, holy water, the sign of the cross and repeated invocations of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints.

During the sessions, Anneliese was sometimes restrained by members of her family and others present. Her voice changed, she shouted obscenities, growled, screamed and responded to questions posed by the exorcists.

The voices eventually identified themselves as several demonic or damned personalities. These included Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Cain, the Roman emperor Nero, Adolf Hitler and a supposedly corrupt sixteenth-century priest named Fleischmann.

The presence of these names was considered important by the exorcists, who interpreted the separate voices as evidence of multiple possession. From a psychological perspective, however, the personalities may have reflected Anneliese’s religious education, cultural environment and knowledge of figures associated with evil, betrayal and damnation.

Claims that she spoke fluently in languages she had never learned are not supported by reliable evidence. Recordings show that the alleged entities generally spoke German, sometimes using local dialect, and occasionally used religious phrases or Latin with which Anneliese would have been familiar through school and church.

Penance, Suffering and Sacrifice

The exorcisms did not immediately end Anneliese’s belief in possession. Instead, the meaning of her suffering gradually changed.

She began to speak of herself as a sacrificial victim who had been chosen to suffer for the sins of others. She believed that her torment could atone for wayward young people, sinful priests and those who had abandoned the Church. She reportedly claimed that the Virgin Mary had allowed the demons to remain so that her suffering could serve a divine purpose.

This idea of “penance possession” became increasingly important to Father Alt and others around her. Her deteriorating condition was therefore not necessarily interpreted as evidence that the exorcisms had failed. It could instead be understood as part of a spiritual mission.

That interpretation was profoundly dangerous. Pain, starvation and physical collapse could be perceived as holy sacrifice rather than signs of a medical emergency.

Anneliese performed hundreds of genuflections during some periods, repeatedly falling to her knees until they became badly swollen and damaged. She became increasingly exhausted, bedridden and unable or unwilling to eat properly.

Although accounts disagree about exactly when she stopped taking medication, it is clear that she was no longer receiving adequate medical supervision during the final months of her life. Exorcism had effectively replaced sustained medical treatment.

The Final Months

By the spring of 1976, Anneliese’s physical condition had become critical.

She was emaciated, bruised and frequently feverish. She slept very little and often appeared rigid, confused or barely conscious. Her family reported that she could consume only small quantities of milk, fruit juice or other food.

Despite her obvious deterioration, neither the priests nor her parents arranged emergency hospital treatment. They believed that medical intervention could not resolve a fundamentally spiritual condition. Anneliese herself reportedly refused a doctor, insisting that physicians could no longer help her.

The rituals continued several times a week.

The final recorded exorcism took place on 30 June 1976. Anneliese asked Father Renz for absolution and was taken to bed. Her final words to her mother are often reported as an expression of fear, although the exact wording varies between sources.

On the morning of 1 July 1976, Anneliese Michel was dead.

She was 23 years old.

Cause of Death

The autopsy determined that Anneliese had died from the consequences of severe malnutrition and dehydration. She weighed approximately 30 or 31 kilograms.

Medical experts concluded that she could probably have survived if she had received hospital care, nourishment and medical treatment during the days immediately before her death.

Some supernatural accounts have claimed that the autopsy revealed unusual physical signs proving she had been in a religious trance, or that her brain showed evidence disproving epilepsy. These claims are not supported by the principal contemporary court and medical reports and should not be presented as established facts.

The documented cause of death was physical collapse following prolonged starvation and dehydration.

The Exorcism Trial

The death of Anneliese Michel caused national outrage in West Germany. A criminal investigation was opened into the actions of her parents and the two priests.

Father Ernst Alt, Father Arnold Renz, Josef Michel and Anna Michel were charged with negligent homicide. The trial began at the Regional Court in Aschaffenburg on 30 March 1978.

The exorcism recordings were played inside the courtroom. The defence argued that the defendants had acted according to their religious convictions and that Anneliese had been capable of choosing whether to receive medical treatment. The priests maintained that they had genuinely believed she was possessed.

Medical experts presented a very different interpretation. They argued that Anneliese had suffered from epilepsy and severe psychiatric illness, while the religious environment surrounding her had strengthened her delusions. According to the prosecution, the defendants had recognised, or should have recognised, that her life was in immediate danger.

On 21 April 1978, all four defendants were found guilty of negligent homicide. Each received a sentence of six months’ imprisonment, suspended for three years, together with responsibility for court costs.

The court concluded that Anneliese had become incapable of protecting herself and that those caring for her had a legal duty to obtain medical assistance.

The Exhumation and Claims of Sainthood

Even before the trial began, Anneliese’s grave had become a place of pilgrimage.

A Carmelite nun claimed that Anneliese had appeared to her and revealed that her body remained incorrupt. According to the nun, opening the grave would provide proof of demons, divine judgement, resurrection and the truth of the Catholic faith.

At the request of Anneliese’s parents, her body was exhumed on 25 February 1978, officially so that it could be transferred into a more suitable coffin.

The examination did not reveal an incorrupt body. Reports stated that her remains had decomposed in the normal manner expected after nearly two years of burial. Nevertheless, rumours spread that officials had hidden evidence of a miracle.

Some believers continued to regard Anneliese as a suffering soul or unofficial saint who had sacrificed herself for Germany and the Church. Her grave in Klingenberg remains visited by pilgrims.

The Catholic Church has never recognised Anneliese Michel as a saint or martyr.

Possession or Medical Tragedy?

For believers in demonic possession, the exorcism recordings remain deeply disturbing. The voices, screams, religious reactions and personalities that appeared during the rituals are interpreted as evidence that something beyond ordinary illness was present.

For medical and psychological observers, the case demonstrates how neurological illness, psychosis, depression, religious conditioning and social reinforcement can combine into an overwhelming possession identity. Once every symptom was interpreted as demonic, further deterioration merely strengthened the belief.

Anthropologist Felicitas D. Goodman later offered a more sympathetic interpretation of the possession hypothesis. She argued that Anneliese’s condition should be understood partly through religious trance and suggested that medication may have interfered with her ability to control these states. Her interpretation remains controversial and does not represent established medical consensus.

The case does not provide scientifically verifiable evidence that demons inhabited Anneliese Michel. It does, however, provide exceptional evidence of what can occur when a person, a family and religious authorities come to share an absolute belief in possession.

It also reveals the ethical danger of treating spiritual and medical explanations as though only one can exist. Even within modern Catholic teaching, major exorcism is not supposed to replace medical or psychiatric care. The Church now stresses that claims of possession require careful evaluation and that psychological illness belongs within the domain of medical science.

The Films Inspired by Anneliese Michel

The most famous fictional adaptation of the case is The Exorcism of Emily Rose, released in 2005 and directed by Scott Derrickson.

Jennifer Carpenter plays Emily Rose, a fictional young woman whose death following an exorcism leads to the prosecution of Father Moore, played by Tom Wilkinson. Laura Linney portrays the priest’s defence lawyer, while Campbell Scott appears as the prosecutor.

The film transforms the German case into an American supernatural courtroom drama. Rather than offering a definite explanation, it allows the medical and demonic interpretations to compete throughout the trial.

A more restrained German film, Requiem, was released in 2006. Directed by Hans-Christian Schmid and starring Sandra Hüller, it concentrates more closely on the psychological, familial and religious pressures surrounding a young woman inspired by Anneliese Michel. It avoids the spectacular demonic effects of conventional horror and presents possession as something that develops within a complex human environment.

The Enduring Mystery of Anneliese Michel

The tragedy of Anneliese Michel remains powerful because it refuses to disappear neatly into either demonology or medicine.

Her experiences were real to her. Her suffering was real. The people around her believed they were confronting demonic forces, and their belief shaped every decision they made. Yet the physical consequences were equally real: starvation, dehydration, isolation and a preventable death.

Whether Anneliese should be remembered as possessed, mentally ill, spiritually tormented or tragically misunderstood will continue to be debated. What cannot be debated is that the boundary between spiritual belief and human responsibility was crossed.

Her story is therefore more than a tale of demonic possession. It is a warning about fear, certainty and the terrible consequences that can follow when suffering is interpreted through only one worldview.

Enter the World of Demonology and Exorcism

The case of Anneliese Michel shows why demonology must be studied seriously, historically and responsibly. Behind every account of possession lies an intricate world of theology, ritual, folklore, psychology, magical tradition and cultural belief.

Inside the Occult World Mystery School, you can move beyond sensational horror stories and explore the deeper traditions surrounding demons, possession and exorcism. Study how demonic entities developed across religions and grimoires, discover how different cultures recognise spiritual affliction, examine the rituals created to confront hostile forces and learn why discernment has always been one of the most important skills in occult practice.

Join a community of occultists, witches, magicians and dedicated seekers who approach the unseen world with curiosity, discipline and respect. Enter the Demonology course, explore the history and mysteries of exorcism, share your insights with fellow practitioners and deepen your understanding of the forces that have haunted humanity for centuries.

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Sources

Felicitas D. Goodman, The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel, Doubleday, 1981. Goodman’s study was based on interviews, trial material and recordings made during the exorcisms.
Regional Court of Aschaffenburg, judgement of 21 April 1978, case Kls 4 Js 6880/76, concerning the conviction of Anneliese Michel’s parents and the two priests for negligent homicide.
Jost Nolte, “Besessen sind sie alle,” and “Auf dem Glatteis der Gerichtsbarkeit,” Die Zeit, April 1978. These contemporary reports cover the trial, verdict and suspended sentences.
Michael Getler, “Cries of a Woman Possessed: German Court Hears Tapes in Exorcism Death Trial,” The Washington Post, 20 April 1978.
Die Zeit Verbrechen, “Anneliese Michel: Ein 67-faches Martyrium,” documenting the 67 sessions, 42 recordings and chronology of the exorcisms.
Catholic News Agency reporting published by Katholisch.de, “Opfer eines Exorzismus,” concerning the episcopal authorisation dated 16 September 1975 and the subsequent exorcisms.
“Third International Congress on Epilepsy, Brain and Mind,” published through the US National Library of Medicine, discussing the Michel case in relation to temporal-lobe epilepsy, psychosis and the historical association between seizures and possession.
Ruta Mameniskiene and others, “Saints, Demons, and Faith: A Review of the Historical Interaction Between Christianity and Epilepsy,” Epilepsy & Behavior, 2022.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1673, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ guidance on medical and psychiatric evaluation before major exorcism.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, official information for The Exorcism of Emily Rose, directed by Scott Derrickson.
Berlin International Film Festival archive and press materials for Hans-Christian Schmid’s Requiem, presented at the 2006 Berlinale.
The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits – Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley – September 1, 2007