Customer Reviews

The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel

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The recent movie, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," made me curious about the original case, so I purchased this book. The author, a religious anthropologist with some psychiatric background, would appear to have good credentials for analyzing this case of possession/exorcism, but the author's bio at the end of the book makes one wonder if she may not be on the flakey side. For instance, the bio mentions that she grew up and attended school in Transylvania and immigrated to the U.S., after which "she was made aware of the infestation by vampires of her home province." Is this meant to be serious or a bit of dry humor? The background provided on Anneliese Michel contains surprising ommissions. For instance, we're told that she had an older sister who died, but we're not told how old Anneliese was when this happened. Surely this is an important part of her psychological history. The book's description of Anneliese's seven-year history of convulsions, medications, depression, odd behaior, etc. is sometimes maddeningly unclear. Paragraphs often contain quotes and conversations from multiple people, making it hard to determine who is saying what. And because the author does not footnote her sources, one cannot determine where some of the information and perspectives are coming from. The section detailing the several-month attempted exorcism is interesting and tedious at the same time. The subsequent report of the trial for negligent homicide rarely quotes from trial transcripts but instead relies primarily on psychiatric reports provided to the court and the memory of one of the accused. Finally, at the very end of the book, the author presents her own counter-perspective as to what was actually going on with Anneliese and why the exorcism failed and the young woman ultimately died. This is the most intriquing and rewarding part of the book, and it changed my own opinion, but even here the author fails to give us as much anthropological analysis and scientific research as the reader would want. For instance, if Anneliese was experiencing a relatively common "religious altered state of consciousness," why aren't there many more cases such as hers in the Western world? The author's claim that an anti-convulsant drug was responsible for Anneliese's failed exorcism and death, while an interesting hypothesis, lacks sufficient research. The epilogue, uncharacteristic of the rest of the book, raises a frightening but overly vague prospect. A final complaint: $28 (the Amazon price) is unreasonably high for a 250 page paperback.

Ms. Goodman uses court records and eyewitness interviews to put together the facts surrounding this case. She takes the view that possession is real, and common to many cultures.

But in the last couple of chapters where she looks at things from a clinical perspective, we find that she does not believe in possession as literally true, but as an altered state of conciousness, and that Anneliese, as a hypersensitive person, needed help to switch from the altered state back to "normal" reality. Rituals are the means of accomplishing this, and in her culture, exorcism was the means chosen.

Ms. Goodman also speculates that since Anneliese was not epileptic (in her opinion), the medication given to her to control her seizures only made her condition worse, increasing her frightening visions.

The book fleshes out many of the things the movie left obscure. It's a good read and I highly recommend reading it. I see it's been republished and is available again on Amazon. Buy it!

And rent the video if you haven't seen the movie. It's great.

I initially started searching for this book after seeing the movie THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE (which got it's inspiration from this book and real life event). This book is amazing and just like the movie it does present both sides of the story (religious and scientific) with a little more emphasis on the religious side.

I just finished reading the book tonight and I wanted to write a review to let other readers know that if they are interested in finding out more about Anneliese Michel and her amazing experience you have to read this book. It give you a more indepth look at her life and the specific events that happened to her before, during and after the exorcism. I must say that before I even cracked the cover of the book I was convinced that Anneliese was possessed by demons. And the first half of the book reinforced my beliefs. But in the middle I found one occurance of the author (Felicitas D. Goodman) contradicting herself in a very crucial way that made me think... maybe Anneliese wasn't possessed? And from that point on I was getting a little skeptical.

The book provides VERY strong evidence that she was possessed by demons, but also strong evidence that she was (for the lack of better words) crazy. This is one book that you will have to pick up for yourself and read if you are even remotely interested in the life of this girl. And for those of you who have seen the movie you will see the similarities between the book and the movie and where the movie draws directly from the actual events in the book.

This book is a little hard to follow in the beginning because it jumps back and forth in the timeline of her life but don't let that discourage you... it IS an excellent read and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in demonic possession or a fan of the movie.

Felicitas D. Goodman, The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel (Doubleday, 1981)

Two years ago (as I write this), a little, not-much-promoted horror film called The Exorcism of Emily Rose was released in America. It was passed over by most Americans, lasting just nine weeks in the cinema. It has, however, become a much-loved cult film since its DVD release, which has sparked new interest in the book from which it was adapted, Felicitas Goodman's The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel. (It should be noted that another recent film, Hans-Christian Schmid's 2006 release Requiem, is also based on the story, and is supposedly a more faithful adaptation.)

While the book is nonfiction, Goodman does note right at the outset that she has recreated certain scenes by extrapolating from the trial evidence, since there are some things we'll never know-- after all, the only person who could tell us about them died in 1976. The general outline, in case you're one of those who missed the movies and have never heard of the case: in the late 1960s, Anneliese Michel began having experiences that medical doctors diagnosed as epilepsy. Neither prescription drugs nor psychoanalysis helped Anneliese, and after what seems to have been a joking comment from a therapist, the family consulted a Jesuit priest, who stayed in contact with the family for a time to assess the situation with Anneliese. He eventually became convinced that the forces she was dealing with were, in fact, demonic, but that she was, at the time, only being assaulted ("molested") by them. Once this became a case of possession, the Catholic church took action, and Anneliese Michel went through a horrific, protracted series of exorcisms that ended (this is not a spoiler, as most of this is actually setup) in her death. While the case was kept secret as it was going on, a doctor who was brought in to make out a death certificate refused to cite natural causes, and the real meat of the book begins: the trial of Anneliese's parents and the two priests who conducted the exorcism. Goodman had what seems almost unprecedented access to court documents, and almost all parties involved seem to have been quite open with her about both Anneliese's condition and the ensuing trial. What will surprise you, I think, is where Goodman, in retrospect, places the final blame for the events that occurred here. (It may surprise you, but given some more recent and highly-publicized American court cases, you may find that surprise fading all too quickly.)

Goodman is, quite obviously from page one, entirely convinced that Anneliese Michel was, in fact, possessed by demons. A book review is not the place to go into the truth or falsehood of that, but it did seem to me that there were more logical explanations for everything that went on; they just weren't put forth by the prosecution in the trial. (It seems neither side thought to ask the right questions, focusing on Anneliese's physical symptoms rather than, as Goodman quite rightly points out, the cultural aspects of the case, which hang over the book like a funereal pall.) Was she, in fact, possessed by demons? I don't know. Neither do you. (If you'd like quite a jolt, search her name on YouTube. Pieces of the tapes made by Father Alt and reviewed by Goodman for the book, are up with photo montages of Michel's deteriorating physical state as the exorcisms progressed. It's hard to debunk the idea of possession while you're experiencing this...) But it makes for a good story nonetheless, and Goodman does relate it quite well. Rue crime books, in my recent experience, have been pretty badly-written affairs, often rushed to press before the ink is dry on court pronouncements so book companies can capitalize on Court TV viewers. This is not one of those books. Goodman's research was obviously extensive, and her presence at the places where key scenes of the book take place is obvious from her descriptions. She's been there, she's seen this stuff, and she can write about it without resorting to the deliriously purple prose so many true crime books revert to when describing, say, the scene where a body was found. That alone makes this one worth reading for the true-crime fan. For everyone else, it's an interesting meditation on the existence (or lack of same) of demonic possession-- and a meditation on what was then an unheard-of idea of where the blame may have lied for this case that was at least two decades ahead of its time. *** ½

This is a very good book for the curious and pragmatic. It doesn't really matter if you believe in demonic possession or not, the things this young lady went through are both tragic and remarkable. She showed remarkable strength through what had to be a living hell for her and her family.
During the entire read I found myself feeling so bad for Anneliese and wishing she would get better. But at nearly every turn she either got worse or made little or no improvement in her condition. I found it facinating that no one, even in the mid 1970s, could decide what was actually wrong with her except to say she was possessed by some demons. The doctors seemed convinced it was a mental condition but weren't sure and her behavior would certainly point in that direction, but having never met her (of course) it's just hard to say how she was before historically. I tend to think with the film "The Exorcist" having been released just a few years eariler, that Anneliese might have known about it and somehow tried to mimic what in her mind was a case for possession. But, she exhibted many other signs and behaviors that was not included in the film such as seeing gross and distorted faces looking back at her from the mirror, or seeing small rodents out of the corners of her eyes. Both conditions, I think, are examples of someone with mental illness. So, in fact, all things concerned, even if we resign poor Annelise to a mental condition, it's still a good read. And fasinating to say the least.
But, that's all just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Let me first say that I am a devout Roman Catholic, who prays the Rosary, but does not currently go to Church. I have self studied Hebrew and Latin, having plied and worked on translating some of the New and Old Testaments. In addition, I have read many, many accounts of Christian Fathers, ranging from Eusebius to Augustine to Pope Benedict III. I would characterize myself as a Thomist, in that I am essentially in whole agreement with the Philosophical Structure of the World as described in the Summa Theologica by Saint Thomas Aquinas. I accept a world of immaterial beings containing both numerous Angels and Demons, created by God, all serving various purposes, with an ultimate evil immaterial Being designated Lucifer, Satan, Azazel, or whatever name seems to please the believer. I have also read the lives of numerous Christian Mystics, and believe that many are `legit' and have either engaged in or participated in somewhat miraculous events during the course of human history.

I purchased this book because I originally had received the DVD `The Exorcism of Emily Rose' as a birthday gift. I enjoyed the movie, and researched enough to learn that the Anneliese Michel case was the inspiration for this movie. After doing some research on Amazon.com, it appeared that this particular book, albeit somewhat dated [1981?] appeared to be a fairly thorough and objective account of the events leading up to Anneliese' death. I hoped that the book might perhaps shed some light on the inspiration for the movie, and would hopefully produce some more tangible evidence to support some of the suggestions [particularly the encounter between `Emily' and the `Virgin Mary'] or visions as depicted on the silver screen.

As a final preface, let me advise the reader that I am a 20 attorney, who has participated in criminal defense for most of that period almost exclusively, and have done over 100 jury trials from start to finish. Thus, in part, I read the book with the hopes that some of the trial aspects, which take up the majority of the movie, would be better documented in the book.

I read the book in about four days and wish to first note that the author treats all the persons involved with the proper respect due them. My impressions however left me with a firm conviction that Anneliese Michel was probably not possessed by any demons whatsoever. Please understand that I have no doubt that during the course of human history there have been some individuals with the misfortune of being `possessed' by demon[s] or malevolent spirits of some nature. Unfortunately, the evidence as contained in this book would, in my opinion, not give sufficient basis for either religious or legal proof of a genuine possession.

The author does try to present the evidence in the most favorable light to Anneliese, her family, her priests, and even her doctors. Unfortunately, much of this evidence simply does not pass objective muster. One particular problem is that, although Anneliese kept a fairly detailed record of her illness over a period of years, much of her writings were deleted by her priest, which, unfortunately, would suggest that these statements and musings were not likely in support of the contention for possession. In addition, it appears that the author had to surmise a number of incidents from which there is no record whatsoever.

The author does at the end present a credible alternate explanation for Anneliese' condition, based on a state known as RASC, or Religious Altered State of Consciousness. Unfortunately, the book copy I possess has no updates after 1983 and therefore I have no idea if or whether any of this theorizing is currently in vogue some 25 years later. Nonetheless, it does appear that the `experts' in this case did a poor job of analyzing the evidence, the medications involved, as well as the causative affects of the various mixture of all these factors in determining whether or not the accused were `negligent' in their treatment of Anneliese.

I wish to point out that it is my firm conviction that Anneliese, as well as those around her, were completely convinced of her `demonic possession', and that it is almost a certainty that it was literally true for Anneliese in her own mind. This unfortunately does not support the underlying contention of `possession'. The `demons' involved, their very vague and somewhat inconsistent statements, the fact that they were unintelligible and certainly produced little or no information that would appear `supernatural', suggests that this was not a `possession' in the literal sense. Even so, we have so little understanding of human prescience, intuition, and subconscious communications that there can never be certainty in this regard. However, the Movie certainly takes liberties to produce `convincing' evidence of possession which is simply non-existent in the factual case from which the inspiration was derived. In this sense, I think that the movie certainly produces more convincing `proof' than was ever present in the actual events. I was hoping that the book, given that the exorcisms lasted for years, might perhaps give the basis for the `truths' as proposed by the movie but in an extended form from the film. Sadly, the book does not [because I believe the evidence cannot] support the rather powerful faith based convictions as presented in the movie.

In any event, the book reads well, is presented with the respect and decency this poor family and the poor priests involved deserved. I agree with the author that the conclusions of the Court appear arbitrary, and I unfortunately have to fault defense counsel for not `ripping these experts apart'. Under these circumstances, I would have treated the defense experts as `hostile witnesses' and cross-examined them to show the deficiencies in their own report preparations, and conclusions.

I hope this review helps a prospective purchaser.

After reading Matt Baglio's book-The Rite-the possession case of Anneliese Michel immediately sprang to mind, primarily because of the fictionalized films that were based loosely on her life and case: The Exorcism of Emily Rose as well as Requiem. Without any fanfare or hyperbole, Dr. Felicitas Goodman, a religious anthropologist, quietly gets straight to-the-point in detailing the life of a young and devout Catholic college woman from Bavaria who began to experience claimed supernatural anomalies that were plaguing her. Before her tragic death in the summer of 1976 in a failed exorcism, she claimed that she was not in full control of her will and that she could see frightening specters. Additionally, she had an aversion to religious items, possessed hidden knowledge and would occasionally emit a foul odor that smelled like burning dung. Atop of that, she suffered from a laundry list of other odd and unexplainable extremes. Witnesses were plentiful in attesting to the claims. Jumping from hospitals like the Institute for Psychotherapy and Medical Psychology to clinics and vice versa to get any kind of handle on what was happening to her, the doctors, scientists, psychiatrists and clinicians whom she encountered were of no real help. One or two indicated that she suffered from epilepsy and a psychosis, an illness that was made worse by their prescribed drugs of Tegretol, Dilantin and periciazine. Though meant to keep the seizures and other problems at bay, they in fact repressed her suffering consciousness as well as the shock element that the exorcism was intended to provide. The assorted drugs, were, in a way, having a warring battle against each other and not addressing the core problem of what was wrong with Anneliese Michel, and that, according to Dr. Goodman, was that she was possessed. The drugs diffused the penetrating arrows of the exorcism, shielding the soul/consciousness (whatever you want to call it) from being thrust away from the clutches of the entities whom Anneliese-in her altered state-claimed to be possessed by. Those entities were said to be Cain, Hitler, Nero, Judas Iscariot, Lucifer and Fleischmann, a fallen, corrupt and licentious priest from centuries past. Because of her deep religious convictions and her peasantry upbringing, Anneliese Michel felt unable to be honest with her doctors, who, in her assessment, would have frowned upon her backward diagnosis and simply written her off as a Catholic zealot. Her symptoms would not have been analyzed from a religious context, and thus, thinking outside of the box would not have been possible for any of the medical staff, for the symptoms did not fit any medical and scientific framework. The problem was that there were two stark and contrasting belief systems that were in play while addressing the same issue, namely a sick patient. Not finding the help that she needed, she turned to her priests, who, after meeting with her, also claimed to suffer from some supernatural residue. In assessing her, they noted that she did show the hallmark signs of a true possession case, a genuine demoniac, as laid down by the Roman Ritual, around since 1614. With the approval of the possessed, her family and the clerical higher-up, the priests were given the green light to perform the ritual. Not adding personal speculation to the case material, Dr. Goodman lets the eyewitness accounts and documentation speak for itself. And it does make for shocking reading. I found Dr. Goodman's assessment of the case to be the most cogent and plausible, mostly that demon possession is real but that it can be healed by way of exorcism. It may be an uncommon and fringe experience, but it is still a scientifically verifiable human experience, nonetheless. Perhaps if a cross-cultural psychiatrist had been in charge of the medical case from the very get-go, a better outcome would have ensued. This was an informative read. And I enjoyed the scientific, academic and anthropological analysis of it.

After seeing the "Exorcism of Emily Rose" on dvd, I was intrigued. Knowing that Hollywood often mutilates "true stories", I became curious about Anneliese Michel and seached out information online. This is how it came to pass that I read ms. Goodman's book. It certainly isn't a story I'll forget soon. I found it fascinating and at the same time horrible. Very sad but also thought provoking. Now, I didn't begin reading with this book with the expectation that it would convince me of Anneliese Michel's possession. I already have my own set of beliefs that would be difficult for another person to change at this point. However, I never got the impression that Ms. Goodman's goal was to convince readers that demonic possession was real or unreal. She simply gives us the details on what was an incredibly tragic case - she tells Anneiese's story, which I think, deserved to be told. When Ms. Goodman writes of the possession experience and how it seems to be a cross-cultural phenomena, she never claims that God is at the root of it. In fact I think she explained that the experience crosses religious as well as the cultural barriers. So...personally...I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject matter.

Anneliese Michel's story is gripping and macabre, and therefore deserves three stars, but Goodman's telling of it requires you set aside expectations for an objective presentation of Anneliese Michel's tragic story. The reader is told in the Introduction: "The point of view of the narrative is, as much as possible, that of the participants, who shared a set of often unspoken assumptions about the world ... [that] were not shared by others ... in the same society." Read: demons exist, can possess people, and exorcisms and the Virgin Mary's intervention are required to expel them.

Throughout her book Goodman has it in for scientific "assumptions" that would explain Michel's "possession." She does her best to dismiss the notion that psychiatry could explain how a young woman would endure visions of demons, writhe in a horrible state until her death, and physically lash at all around her and literally bite the walls and into her own flesh.

Because of the circumstances of the young woman's death, the State prosecuted two priests and Michel's mother and father for negligent homicide. In her summation of the court case, Goodman is seemingly fastidious in her analysis of the prosecution's case, but shows her hand with when she thinks she sees specious or contradictory testimony. She uses words like "erroneous statement", "patently incorrect," "negligence", and "glaring fault." Why are we never provided anything like a balanced examination of the family's and priest's contentions? Instead, in the 23-page chapter on the trial, Father Alt, one of the two exorcists, is quoted eleven times in blocks several sentences long from interviews held years after the trial. Prosecution witnesses or third parties who might be skeptical of the defense's contentions are quoted only to be dismissed. Goodman made no follow-up interviews with anyone skeptical of the family's and priest's case.

The final chapters feature Goodman's presentations of such topics as religious altered state of consciousness (RASC), linguistic analysis of voices on the 40 exorcism tapes, and the anthropology of demonic possession. These provide a tedious conceptual framework to explain Michel's "possession."

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in tales of exorcism, but spare yourself the $30+ to get this out-of-print book. Borrow it from the library unless you need flimsy fodder on your bookshelf that there is evidence of Satan's capacity to possess even the most pious of God's children -- or that RASC can explain what a diagnosis of dissociative disorder cannot. Instead, buy a book like Malcolm McGrath's Demons of the Modern World.

This is a very good book that will make you reflect on your relationship with the Catholic church & your belief in good verses evil.