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The Exorcism of Emily Rose was inspired by the true story of Anneliese Michel, a 23-year-old German woman who died in 1976 after undergoing 67 Catholic exorcism sessions. Her family believed she was possessed by demons. Her doctors had diagnosed epilepsy. By the time the exorcisms ended, Anneliese was dead, and the people who had tried to save her were facing criminal charges.

In this episode of Pretty Evil, we investigate the real-life exorcism of Anneliese Michel, the disturbing events that inspired the horror film The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and the complicated relationship between religious belief, medical uncertainty, and the responsibility to protect someone in our care.

Anneliese was a young university student in Germany who dreamed of becoming a teacher. But years before her death, she began experiencing seizures, hallucinations, and increasingly frightening symptoms. Despite receiving medical treatment, her condition continued to deteriorate, and her family became convinced that her suffering had a supernatural explanation.

In September 1975, the Catholic Church authorized an exorcism. Over the following ten months, two priests performed at least 67 sessions, confronting what they believed were six demonic entities, including Lucifer, Judas, Cain, Nero, and Hitler.

We'll examine the chilling audio recordings of Anneliese Michel's exorcisms, the questions surrounding her epilepsy diagnosis and medications, and the religious interpretations that shaped her treatment. We'll also investigate her physical deterioration, the circumstances of her death from severe malnutrition and dehydration, and the 1978 negligent homicide trial that resulted in convictions for her parents and both priests.

But what makes this case especially troubling is the possibility that the people involved genuinely believed they were helping her.

How did their conviction that Anneliese was possessed influence the evidence they accepted, the medical explanations they rejected, and the decisions they continued making as her health deteriorated?

Through the psychological concept of overvalued ideas, we'll explore how deeply held beliefs can become resistant to contradictory evidence, particularly when those beliefs are reinforced by people we trust. We'll also consider whether spiritual care and medical treatment ever needed to be competing explanations in the first place.

Anneliese Michel's story raises difficult questions about faith, authority, medical responsibility, and the difference between intending to help someone and recognizing whether our actions are actually helping.

When it comes to what we believe, do we give other explanations the same consideration we give our own?

🎧 Pretty Evil is a true crime and behavioral psychology podcast exploring disturbing cases, human behavior, and the psychological forces that shape our decisions.

Topics covered: Anneliese Michel, The Exorcism of Emily Rose true story, Anneliese Michel exorcism, real Emily Rose, 1976 German exorcism, Catholic exorcism, Anneliese Michel recordings, demonic possession, epilepsy, religious beliefs, medical neglect, negligent homicide, overvalued ideas, psychology of belief, criminal psychology, true crime, religious extremism.

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Some details don't make it into the episode. For source material, research files, episode extras, and more to the story, visit prettyevilpodcast.com.