“The Exorcist” ...

A Result of Poltergeist Activity?

Therese Selles, a 14-year-old domestic servant, experiences poltergeist activity in the home of her employer, the Todeschini family in Cheragas, Algeria, as featured above on the cover of the French magazine La Vie Mysterieuse in 1911.

The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty which is based on the exorcism case of a real young boy, who is known as Roland Doe and much later, Robbie Mannheim. The movie however portrays the demonic possession of a young female, instead of a young male.

The movie was released in the United States by Warner Bros. on December 26, 1973. The film was awarded ten Academy Award nominations but won only two; one for Best Sound and the second for Best Adapted Screenplay. It became one of highest earning movies of all time, grossing $441 million worldwide.

The pseudonym “Roland Doe” comes from the name given to the young boy by officials of the Catholic Church during the exorcism of the young lad for obvious reason.  He was born in 1936, and by the late1940’s events surrounding the possessed status and exorcism of this anonymous American boy had begun in full force.

“Roland” was born into a German Lutheran Christian family who lived in Cottage City, Maryland through the 1940’s. Roland was apparently an only child and depended upon adults living in his household for friends and playmates. This role became the duty of his Aunt Harriet, who was also a spiritualist.  She is believed to be responsible for introducing young Roland to the Ouija board. When he was thirteen years old, his aunt died. Several books on the subject suppose that Roland in turn tried to contact his deceased aunt via the Ouija board.

Regardless, what is typically considered as poltergeist activity began in his household soon after Aunt Harriet's death. This included the sounds of squeaky shoes and marching feet along with several other un-explained noises.  Furniture moved about on its own accord, and ordinary objects, including a vase, allegedly flew or levitated.   A container of holy water that was placed near him crashed to the ground.  These events were reported by a total of nine priests along with thirty-nine other witnesses who signed the final religious papers documenting Roland's experiences.

His frightened family turned to their Lutheran clergyman, Rev. Luther Miles Schulze, in search for help. According to a report made by Reverend Schulze to The Evening Star, a Washington D.C. newspaper, the boy was examined by both medical and psychiatric doctors, who could offer no explanation for these disturbing events taking place.

Reverend Schulze arranged for the boy to spend the night with him in his home so as to observe him more closely. The boy slept close to the minister in a twin bed and the clergyman reported that while dark he heard un-explained vibrating sounds from the bed and scratching sounds on the wall. During the rest of the night he witnessed additional strange events, such as a heavy armchair in which the boy sat tilted on its own and tipped over and a pallet of blankets upon which the boy had lay mysteriously moved around the room and struck various other people in the face.

As the story gos, the boy then underwent an exorcism under the sponsorship of the Anglican (Episcopal) Church which appeared to be unsuccessful. Next, the case was referred to Rev. Edward Hughes, a Roman Catholic priest, who, after examining the boy at St. James Church, conducted an exorcism on Roland at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC.

After the exorcism was over, the family was no longer troubled. Roland went on to become a successful, happily married man, as well as a father and grandfather.  He always insisted that he had no recollection or knowledge of the described events.

Sources …

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Mannheim                                                                       http://www.weird-encyclopedia.com/exorcist.php