
If you’re in self-isolation right now and you’re looking for some (albeit slightly disturbing) escapism, please know that The Exorcism of Emily Rose, a very solid 2005 horror movie, has just dropped on Netflix.
The tale of Anneliese Michel, played by Jennifer Carpenter, a German woman who becomes ‘possessed’ and endures multiple exorcisms before her ultimate death in 1976, might seem completely fantastical – but actually, the movie is based on a tragic true story.
The real Anneliese Michel grew up in a devoutly Catholic family in Bavaria, West Germany, with her three sisters, and parents Josef and Anna. The Church was a significant part of their lives, and they attended Mass twice a week.
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The first signs of trouble with Anneliese appeared when she was 16. She blacked out at school and began walking in a trance, but later had no recollection of the episode. A year later, a similar incident happened. After seeing a neurologist, she was diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy, a disorder that causes seizures, loss of memory, and visual and auditory hallucinations.