Reference

Thomas B. Allen, Possessed: The True Story Of An Exorcism (New York: Doubleday July 1993, Bantam Books, April 1994)

LVCIFER (2011, February 16). The Entire Case History of Robbie Manheim: The Real-Life Story That Inspired "The Exorcist" Movie. Retrieved from http://diabolicalconfusions.wordpress.com/2011/02/16/the-story-of-r-the-real-life-story-that-inspired-the-exorcist/

William Peter Blatty (1974) William Peter Blatty On The Exorcist From Novel To Film (New York: Bantam Books, 1974).

Peter Travers and Stephanie Reiff, The Story Behind The Exorcist (New York: Signet Books, 1974).

Ellis. B (2000) Raising the devil: Satanism, new religions, and the media. University Press of Kentucky. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.my/books?id=oLcqlypMCe8C&pg=PA65&dq=ouija++christian&cd=7&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=ouija%20%20christian&f=false

Cinema of the occult: new age, satanism, Wicca, and spiritualism in film. Rosemont Publishing & Printing Corp. December 31, 2008. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.my/books?id=LylaC3ZxSbAC&pg=PA130&dq=Robbie+Mannheim&cd=3&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Robbie%20Mannheim&f=false

Ascher, Rebecca (July 23, 1999). "Entertainment Weekly, "The 25 Scariest Movies of All Time". Retrieved from http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,272478,00.html

Barnes, Mike (December 28, 2010). "'Empire Strikes Back,' 'Airplane!' Among 25 Movies Named to National Film Registry". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/empire-strikes-airplane-25-movies-65915

Mark Opsasnick (December 31, 2007). The Cold Hard Facts Behind the Story that Inspired "The Exorcist" Strange Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.strangemag.com/exorcistpage5.html

Associated Press (March 9, 2005). Jesuit Priest Walter Halloran.  The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18767-2005Mar8.html

Cultural Impact of Roland Doe's Exorcism Case

Ever seen the movie before? The scene is from the movie The Exorcist, one of the most famous and influential horror movie which is the first horror movie to be nominated for Best Picture in the Academy Awards. The movie snatched two coveted awards which is Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound Mixing. The movie also nominated seven Golden Globe Awards and won four of them. Furthermore, United State of America decided to register the movie in 2010 National Film Registry for preservation, in par with some of the legendary and influential movies such as ‘Enter The Dragon’ and ‘Forrest Gump’

Theatrical poster of the movie

The novel that written by William Peter Blatty that inspire the movie ‘The Exorcist’

Puppet that been used in the movie

The infamous picture from the movie

Stone step or known as The Exorcist Steps in Geogetown, Washington, that become famous for being featured in the movie to the extend people pays five dollars to see performers reenacting the scene in the movie

The exorcism case also inspired the 2000 movie Possessed which is said to be closer to the real story of the event since it strictly follows the diary of the priests.

Possessed DVD cover

Not forgotten a documentary was also made based on the case titled In the Grip of Evil. Another documentary movie was made in 2010 titled The Haunted boy: The Secret Diary of the Exorcist” where a group of investigator tries to uncover the diary that is said to be kept by Father Bowdren.

When Skeptics Open Their Mouth...

Although Father Halloran and Bowdern has confirmed and believe that Roland Doe’s case is an actual case of possession, there are many skeptics that questioned the validity of the possession. An author and skeptics, Mark Opsasnick describes the inconsistency he had found on the reports and other testimonies which his claim that can challenge the validity of the events occurred during the possession. According to Opsasnick, Halloran admitted that he thought Roland just mimicked Latin words when he heard the priests speak that language.

                                           

Mark Opsasnick with one of his book

Furthermore, he claims that he never found evidence that Father Hughes was attacked when he did not attempt to exorcise the boy, nor that Hughes received any injury at that time. Moreover, one of Roland’s friends allegedly told Opsasnick that the ‘supernatural’ event such as the bed shaking and spitting were exaggerated and can be explained logically. Another skeptic, Joe Nickell says that “there is simply no credible evidence to suggest the boy was possessed by demons or evil spirits”. He further added that the tantrums, trances, moved furniture, superficial scratches and other phenomena was just the kind of things that Roland can accomplish with his age. Basically he suggests that Roland was just a spoiled kid who threw tantrums to get attention or to get out of school. Still, the doctors who examined Roland never found any evidence or illness that related to mental disturbance and came to conclusion that normal psychological can’t explain such claimed events.

Joe Nickell

Michael, the Archangel ‘Intervention’

When Bowdern started the exorcism rites, Roland began to spit at the priests, threatening them with violence, commanding them to leave and making sexual proposition towards them. Undeterred, Bowdern and Hollaran recited the exorcism prayers every night straight for full three weeks. The priests that kept the diary of the exorcism were injured and recorded the blow taken by him. “It was far beyond the strength of an ordinary child of his age.” In the act of desperation, as Roland kept swearing and his mouth was foaming, Bowdern says “The hell with it, just use a ball gag!” in order to shut Roland’s mouth.

Bowdern, Hollaran and the priests were tired. It almost three week of exorcism rites performed on Roland but there are no significant results. They were seemed to lose hope on Roland. The marks and scratches continued to appear on Roland’s body. Sometimes forming words, sometimes not. But the priests won’t give up; they tried other methods, which is to give Roland communion wafer. Initially, Roland decline the wafer, but one day without reason Roland accept the communion wafer, shocked the priests around him. But the result was not as expected, Roland’s aggressiveness intensifies and to the extent that Roland seems to levitate, bringing much surprise to the priests.

But then, days later, in the middle of one of the worst displays of violence and hatred the priests ever seen, Roland for the first time in many days spoke in a clear voice “Satan! Satan! I am Saint Michael, and I command you, Satan and the other evil spirits, to leave the body now”. The priests believe that Saint Michael, the archangel in Christianity, helped them by purging the child’s body. After what was believe to be the intervention of Michael, Roland attended mass for the first time and he seems at ease. Then the family went back to Cottage City and Roland Doe grow up and become a normal person, rumored says that he worked with NASA when he was adult but all the information was a secret as Father Bowdern vowed to protect Roland’s identity.

The Battle with Hell Begins

In this entry I will explain what happened to Roland Doe and the efforts of the priests in order to cure him chronologically so that you, my dearest reader can grasp a better understanding about the event happened.

After Roland Doe was taken to the psychiatrist and psychology by his parents but still there is no solution to the unnatural occurrences surrounding Roland Doe, his family turned to Reverend Luther Miles Schulze. Miles then try to perform the Lutheran rite of exorcism on the boy but there is no feasible result. Then Miles referred the case to the Reverend Edward Hughes. Hughes then confirmed that the boy was possessed by demon and performed the exorcism in the Georgetown University Hospital.

Georgetown University Hospital

According to Hughes, when the boy entered the exorcism room, the temperature of the room suddenly dropped and there was an uneasy feeling when the priest looked at the boy. Roland Doe was growled at Hughes while speaking Latin, shocked Hughes and slowly Hughes take precaution step back from the boy, and then suddenly Roland managed to break the restrain that binds him and run to the bed and take out a spring from the bed. Roland then furiously charged towards Hughes and inflicted large wound at Hughes arm. The boy cut Hughes from his shoulder to his wrist. Thus the exorcism attempt was unsuccessful.

After the unsuccessful exorcism, Hughes was forced to rest and heal even though he still wants to cure Roland. The family returned home, in constant state of fear and vigilant. Roland continues to exhibits unexplained cuts and bruises. This is become common until one day when Roland’s mother saw something unusual, the word “Saint Louis” apparently carved on the boy’s chest. Hoping that something good will happened, the family moved to St. Louis to get scientific treatment which later proven unable to cure Roland. At St. Louis, the family met Father William Bowdern. Bowdern agree to exorcise Roland after believed that the boy was possessed…

Who Are Those People?

In this entry we will get to know about the person who involved in the Roland Doe exorcism case.

Roland Doe @ Robbie Mannheim

Roland Doe is the boy who are been possessed by evil spirit after playing Ouija board in attempt to communicate with his deceased aunt. He resides with his family in a suburban in Cottage City in Maryland. According to residents who lived in the area, Dr. Alvin Kagey who used to attend the same school as Roland Doe, described him as quiet, unpopular, not very athletic but very studious. His aunt introduced him with the Ouija board 3 weeks before she died. His real name is unknown as Father Bowdern had made a vow not to disclose the boy’s identity.

Reverend Luther Miles Schulze

He is the first priest that the family of Roland Doe seeks assistance with. He arranged for Roland Doe to spend a night at his home to observe him. At that night he heard vibrating sound from the bed and scratching sound on the wall. During the rest of the night he also witness unusual events such as the heavy armchair tilted by itself and the blankets swirled, flying and slapped people in the room.

Reverend Walter H. Halloran

Walter Halloran was a Catholic priest of the Society of Jesus. When he was 26, he assisted in the exorcism case of Roland Doe. He was born in Jackson, Minnesota in September 21, 1921 and died in March 1, 2005.

Father Edward Albert Hughes

Edward Hughes was a Roman Catholic priest in Mt Rainer, Maryland. In 1949, he attempts his first exorcism on Roland Doe. The exorcism is unsuccessful after the boy break from the restraint and uses spring from the bed to attack Hughes. Roland Doe cut Hughes arm from his shoulder to his wrist with the spring.

Father William S. Bowdern

Bowdern was the lead exorcist in the exorcism of Roland Doe after several unsuccessful attempts of curing the boy by other priests. Bowdern also was assisted in the exorcism by fellow Jesuit priest Walter Halloran. The exorcism performed by both of the priest was successful curing the boy. 

Mystery of Ouija Board

Ouija Board or known as spirit board is a flat board marked with the numbers 0-9, the letters of the alphabet, the words “yes”, “no” and “goodbye”. The board utilizes a planchette of a movable indicator to indicate what the spirit’s message is by spelling it out on the board during a séance. The board was introduced by a businessman Elijah Bond in 1890. Initially Ouija board was regarded as a mere board game and unrelated to occult until an American self proclaimed spiritualist Pearl Curran popularized it use during world war 1.

Ouija board with the planchette as a guide

Elijah Bond

Although considered as hoax by scientists, many of the people nowadays are believe that Ouija board can act as a medium for the users to communicate with the spirit. The ill fated Roland Doe was one of the users of the Ouija board which caused him to be possessed by the demonic spirit.

Milieu of the Demonic Possession

It was on 1949 in the quiet suburban of Cottage City, Maryland. Roland Doe is a normal school boy live with his family, nothing strange about him. After he went back from school he usually plays with his aunty, who is self proclaimed spiritualist. One day, his aunt introduced him a board game named Ouija Board. It is rumored can attract spirits and devils to communicate with the users. Roland Doe show some interest in Ouija Board and played it.

When he was 13 years old, his aunt died. Remembered that his aunt tells him that the Ouija Board can contact with the spirit from the ethereal plane, he tried to make contact with his deceased aunt. After several tries with fruitless result, his family noticed something strange about him. There is like a dark entity, a malevolent force that resides in their dear son. Then all hell breaks loose…

The family and the boy noticed strange occurrences happened in their house, unexplained thumping, and poltergeist activities such as levitating objects flying and smashing to the wall or objects moving by their own such as the chandelier swinging like there is a hurricane in the house. Not to mention frantic scratching and knocking from the floor boards. Still, the family lives in denial and thought it is caused from the rodents thus they called the pest control. But it turns out they discovered nothing, no pest, no rodent, nothing…

Then when night comes, their discovered their son has bruises and scratches on his skin as it was done by unknown force. Feared something superstitious happened to their son but still in denial, they contacted psychiatrist and doctors but all the efforts in vain. Then the family called priest to perform the exorcism rites as the last method to cure their son. This was the beginning of one of the famous possession cases in the world, the Roland Doe possession…

The house of the Roland Doe family in Cottage City, Maryland

Introduction

Assalamualaikum and greetings to all of my reader. Firstly my name is Muhammad Amirul Bin Habibullah from Kolej Professional Mara Indera Mahkota, right now undertaking the Diploma of English Communication. One of the subjects in my course is Digital and Mobile Communication and one of the assignments of the subject required me to create a blog about certain topics. My topic for the blog is the exorcism of Roland Doe. Even though the main reason I create the blog is to finish my assignment, but I hope that this blog can give you some information about one of the most famous possession case in the world that spawn and inspire numerous films and novel which is the exorcism of Roland Doe.