True Horror; The Story Behind the Exorcism of Emily Rose

The movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose, is actually based upon the true life exorcism of Anneliese Michel, whom lived in Germany. In the movie she was Emily Rose from the United States. Some of the other details are a little different from the actual story, so I will clear up what I can for you. Some of the things I have found are a little graphic and if you are sensitive to this type of thing I would quit reading now.

Anneliese Michel was born in Bavaria Germany to Anna and Josef Michel on September 21, 1952. In all accounts she had a normal childhood , with a normal family and school life. Her family was highly religious and her father at one time had actually thought of taking the classes needed to become a priest, and three of her aunts were nuns within the church. Her mother had encouraged her throughout her adolescence to atone for the sins of illegitimacy through fervent devotion, due to the fact that she had an older sister just four years older than she who was in fact illegitimate. Her sister Martha, had died when she was eight during an operation to cure her of a kidney tumor. Her mother was ridiculed for the birth of Martha, and even had to wear a black veil to her own wedding ceremony to Josef. She would continue to suffer for the sins of others even up until she passed away. While in college she hung pictures of Saints in her dorm room, kept a holy water font near the front door, and held regular Rosary prayers. She had been known to sleep on bare stone floors to atone the sins of wayward priests and sinners of other sorts, including but not limited to drug addicts.