The real-life cases of exorcism can be truly disturbing and traumatic than what we see in horror movies. While demonic possession is a belief unsupported by any scientific evidences, many people still believe it as a real phenomenon.
Here are 5 most terrifying real-life cases of demonic possession and exorcism:-
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5. Clara Germana Cele
Ever heard of making a deal with the devil? Well, teen Clara Germana Cele from South Africa took that expression a little too literally. Back in 1906 she allegedly made a pact with Satan. Why?
Well, your guess is as good as mine, but the consequence of having made such a deal proved very sinister. After signing her name on the dotted line, or, however, a deal with the devil is done. Soon Clara started exhibiting paranormal behavior. She was said to have become somewhat of a clairvoyant – able to reveal the secrets of people she’d never met. She would speak languages she’d never learned before, would levitate off the ground, and would slither on the floor like a snake. Very strange stuff indeed.
Strange enough to warrant an exorcism, in fact. So that’s exactly what was arranged. During the two-day ritual that was witnessed by over 170, Clara allegedly levitated in the air, bit one of the sisters, and even tried to strangle a priest. Following her ordeal, though, she was apparently freed from Satan and finally able to live her life again.
4. David Berkowitz
Back in 1976, simply uttering the name David Berkowitz would have sent serious shivers down the spines of those living in New York. In the summer of 1976, Berkowitz went on a 13-month impulse spree in the city, murdering 6 and wounding 7.
Throughout his murderous rampage, Berkowitz taunted the police in a series of hand-written letters that he left at the scene of his crimes, referring to himself as the ‘Son of Sam’. He also stated that he was killing for ‘Father Sam’ to get blood.
The NYPD formed a 200-person task force in a bid to track down the serial killer, making it one of the largest manhunts in US history. After he was caught in 1977, Berkowitz claimed in his confession that he was obeying orders from a demon.
A demon that had manifested itself in the form of a dog called ‘Harvey’. Harvey belonged to Berkowitz’s neighbor ‘Sam’, shedding a little light on the killer’s ‘Son of Sam’ sign-off. Despite this, in his 1979 trial, Berkowitz ultimately pleaded guilty and was incarcerated with six life sentences.
3. Anneliese Michel
The story of Anneliese Michel is by far one of the most infamous possession stories. That’s mainly because it’s probably one of the worst documented cases of demonic possession. Having even served as an inspiration to the 2005 horror movie ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’.
Born to a devout Catholic family in Germany in 1952, Anneliese Michel had a history of mental illness. At the age of 16, she began to hear voices that told her that she was damned. Anneliese started experiencing hallucinations and her behavior became more and more bizarre.
She ate dead flies, spiders, and coal and she even bit off the head of a dead bird. She would scream for hours like a maniac. In one instance, she crawled under a table and barked like a dog for two days. An exorcist concluded that she was indeed demonically possessed.
Anneliese went on to endure 67 rites of exorcism over 10 months – some lasting as long as four hours. After battling with demons for 8 years, Anneliese died after starving herself trying to expel Satan from her body.
So what do you think? Do you believe in demonic possession, or were there other, more rational sources at play here?
2. The Demon House
After moving to Indiana with her 3 children back in 2011, Latoya Ammons certainly didn’t expect to be sharing her new abode with strangers. Yet immediately after moving into ‘The Demon House’, as it came to be known, the family allegedly began to encounter paranormal activity.
At first, it was the spotting of dark figures around the house and hearing footsteps in the basement late at night. Creepy as anything, sure, but creepier yet was when the children started to be directly affected by ‘demons’. Latoya allegedly witnessed her kids walking up walls and levitating.
She even claimed that her son was thrown around by a ‘malevolent spirit’ and her daughter required stitches to her head after an attack. Latoya drew crosses on every door in the house and bathed her children in olive oil in a bid to exorcise her house.
She also recruited 2 clairvoyants who claimed the house was possessed by more than 200 demonic spirits. Latoya and her family eventually moved out.
However, the story of The Demon House became such a phenomenon that Zak Bagans, from TV Ghost Adventures, purchased it to film a documentary before demolishing it in 2016. Good riddance.
1. Michael Taylor
Back in 1974, Michael Taylor, a member of the Christian Fellowship Group, was publicly accused by his wife of being unfaithful. He went crazy at the accusation, screaming and becoming extremely violent.
Actions that he said he was not in control of, but rather controlled by the demonic evil inside him. Scary stuff, right? Well, that’s also what the Christian Group thought too, agreeing that Michael was possessed and needed to be exorcised.
In a ritual that lasted for 7 hours, priests allegedly cast out at least forty demons from Michael’s body, including those of bestiality, blasphemy, and lewdness.
In the end, exhausted, the priests allowed Taylor to go home, opting to finish it off another time to expel the final three demons.
They were said to be those of insanity, murder, and violence. So you know, potentially the worst ones – yeah sure, why not leave them til last?
Upon reaching home, though, the three final demons seemed to take their toll and Michael barbarically murdered his wife and their dog.
He was later found not guilty by reason of insanity and spent the next several years in a psychiatric hospital before being released.
