Possessed: The True Story of an ExorcismA priest's diary, hidden for forty years in a mysterious locked room of a St. Louis mental hospital, has recently come to light, giving us the best-documented exorcism in history - the very exorcism that prompted William Peter Blatty to write The Exorcist. In August 1949, a story in the Washington Post caught the eye of Blatty, then a Georgetown University undergraduate: "Priest Frees Mt. Rainier Boy Reported Held in Devil's Grip", said the headline. The story went on to describe many of the bizarre and harrowing events that Blatty would later draw upon in his celebrated novel, The Exorcist. More than forty years later, the redoubtable Tom Allen has researched every fact and tracked down every living witness to the exorcisms of the Mt. Rainier boy: exorcisms that actually took place over a period of several months in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and - at last, successfully - in St. Louis, Missouri; exorcisms that required a Lutheran minister, a Catholic priest, and - in the end - a whole team of Jesuits in order to succeed. Allen's search began when a detailed diary mysteriously came into his hands, a diary kept by one of the Jesuits. But the evidence he has uncovered in his subsequent investigations is so shocking, so chilling, and so credible that it needs no hyperbole. Suffice it to say that as you read this book you will understand at last the force of the old maxim that truth is stranger than fiction. |
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POSSESSED: The True Story of an Exorcism
User Review - KirkusThe 1949 exorcism that inspired William Blatty to write The Exorcist, recounted in admirably restrained and documented fashion by an unlikely source: military-expert Allen (Merchants of Treason, 1988 ... Read full review
Possessed: the true story of an exorcism
User Review - Not Available - Book VerdictIn 1949, a teenaged boy in suburban Washington, D.C., exhibited signs of demonic possession. His desperate family moved him to a relative's home in St. Louis, where they persuaded a team of Jesuit ... Read full review
Contents
IS THIS YOU AUNT HARRIET? | 1 |
HUNTING A POLTERGEIST | 13 |
BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL | 23 |
Copyright | |
12 other sections not shown
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Alexian appeared Archbishop arms asked Aunt began believed Bishop Blessed body Bowdern Brothers called Catholic Christ Church closed commands Communion continued cross decided demon devil diabolical diary evil exorcism exorcist eyes face faith Father felt floor followed give Halloran hand happened Harriet head heard held hold Holy hospital Hughes Jesuit Jesus Karl knew later Latin living looked Lord Louis Mannheim March mind mother moved never night notes opened ordered parents pastor person Phyllis possession prayers priest questions record Ritter Ritual Robbie Robbie's Satan Schulze scratches screamed seemed seen sleep sound speak spirit started story Study talked tell thee thou thought told took tried trying turned University voice Washington
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism |
| Author | Thomas B. Allen |
| Publisher | Doubleday, 1993 |
| Original from | the University of Virginia |
| Digitized | Oct 20, 2008 |
| ISBN | 038542034X, 9780385420341 |
| Length | 259 pages |
| Subjects | › › Religion / Christian Theology / Angelology & Demonology |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |