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There have been many incidents in history claiming people were possessed by demons. Here are some of the most famous exorcisms to date:
In 1976, Anneliese Michel was a 23-year-old German woman who underwent 67 exorcisms over 10 months, leading to her death from starvation and dehydration. She allegedly barked, ate insects, and spoke as multiple demons (including Hitler and Judas). Her family and priests were convicted of negligent homicide.
The Roland Doe case in 1949 inspired The Exorcist. The story goes that a 14-year-old boy exhibited levitation, supernatural strength, and spoke in guttural voices. Scratches spelling “LOUIS” appeared on his body, prompting a month-long ritual by Jesuit priests in St. Louis.
In 1906, a 16-year-old Zulu girl reportedly levitated 5 feet, spoke Polish and French (languages she’d never learned), and stretched her limbs unnaturally. Priests required eight people to restrain her during exorcisms.
A 46-year-old woman named Emma Schmidt endured a 23-day exorcism in 1928. She vomited “impossible quantities” of macaroni and tea leaves. It’s said she levitated to the ceiling and claimed possession by her abusive father and Beelzebub.
Known as the “Yatton Demoniac,” George Lukins sang hymns backward, convulsed violently, and required seven clergymen to exorcise his “seven demons.” The ritual occurred on Friday the 13th, 1788.
In the early 1600s, a convent of Ursuline nuns accused priest Urbain Grandier of bewitching them. The nuns displayed public fits, levitation, and blasphemous acts. Grandier was burned at the stake after a forged “devil’s pact” was presented.
The “Devil Made Me Do It” case (1981). Arne Cheyenne Johnson murdered his landlord after allegedly absorbing a demon during his brother-in-law’s exorcism. The defense argued possession, but he was convicted of manslaughter.
After a 24-hour exorcism failed to remove “40 demons,” Michael Taylor murdered his wife in 1974. He tore out her eyes and tongue and strangled their dog. He was institutionalized indefinitely afterward.
A Pennsylvania family claimed their home was haunted by a demon that sexually assaulted them and threw their dog against walls in the 1980s. Paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren performed multiple failed exorcisms.
The Perron Family Haunting in the 1970s was the inspiration for the movie The Conjuring. The family reported apparitions, physical attacks, and possession of the matriarch by a murderous spirit. Exorcisms by the Warrens were reportedly unsuccessful.
In 1764, in New Mexico, Spanish colonists—María Trujillo & Francisca Barela—blamed postpartum depression on witchcraft. Women exhibited animal-like sounds and seizures and hurled shoes at priests during their exorcisms.
A laywoman, Marie Regnouard, exorcised her servant Barbe Hallay in 1662 using a rib bone from martyred priest Jean de Brébeuf. Hallay’s demon allegedly fled through her mouth.
In 1991, ABC’s 20/20 aired a six-hour exorcism of a 16-year-old girl named Gina who was tied to a chair, growling and cursing. Critics called it exploitative; the priests claimed she nearly levitated.
In 2008, a psychiatrist documented a woman named Juila speaking in tongues, predicting deaths, and telekinetically hurling objects. She also claimed leadership of a satanic cult.
A pastor spent a year in 1843 exorcising a woman named Gottliebin Dittus, who levitated, spewed filth at religious symbols, and was tormented by manifestations of fallen angels.
Salvador Dalí, the surrealist artist, underwent an exorcism during a mental breakdown in 1974 after leaving the Surrealist movement. Friar Gabriele Maria Berardi received a painting as a thank you.
In 1671, a colonial servant named Elizebeth Knapp was possessed by demons that included blasphemous speech, body contortions, and a tongue stretched to “inhuman lengths.” Her exorcism became a Puritan spectacle at the time.
In 1976, David Berkowitz, the serial killer, claimed a demonic dog named “Sam” commanded his murders. He later recanted but maintained supernatural influences.
A Romanian nun named Maricica Irina Cornici died during an exorcism where she was bound, gagged, and deprived of food for days in 2005. Priests claimed she was “rejecting the cross.”
Susan Kay Clark was suffocated by her husband during a DIY exorcism in 2008. He wrapped her in a blanket with a cross and sword, believing a demon transferred to him.
In 1997, a missionary group stomped Kyung Jae Chung to death during an exorcism, interpreting her cries of “Legion” as demonic. Her ribs were shattered.
An autistic boy, Terrance Cottrell Jr., died of suffocation when church members pinned him down during an exorcism to “expel demons,” causing his behavior in 2003.
In 2014, Zakieya Avery stabbed her four children, killing two, believing they were possessed. She and an accomplice claimed “victory for Jesus.”
Amora Bain Carson, a 13-month-old, was beaten, bitten, and sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend in a botched exorcism. The child’s injuries were too severe to determine the exact cause of death in 2008.
In Sri Lanka, in 2013, Maxi Castro, the exorcist, buried himself alive with a sword to fight “evil ashes” in a home. He died after three hours underground.
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