Customer Reviews

Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area, I had always heard that the movie "The Exorcist" was based on a true story that happened to a boy in the Washington area. I recall as a young teenager being blown away by an article I read in The Washington Post, about a Mount Rainier exorcism many years ago, and the spooky series of unfortunate events that befell the Mount Rainer neighbors. That article was on the front page of The Washington Post, May 6, 1985, at the bottom. I was amazed, I had never read anything like it before. In the May 1985 article there was a reference to the original article back in 1949. I went to the University of Maryland, got out the microfilm from 1949, and proceeded to look up this original WP story. There on the top of the August 20, 1949 issue was the story: "Boy Reported Held in Devil's Grip." I read it, printed it out, read it again a few times. This was the article that the author of "The Exorcist", William Blatty read while an undergraduate at Georgetown University, and was the basis of his fictional account. This story really stuck with with me for a number of years. Then in 1993, out-of-the-blue, appears this full-length book on the subject. While the articles I had read back in 1985 made quite an impression on me, the whole story came alive in Thomas Allen's book. The impressive research combined with the descriptive writing really made this book an experience. There are a number of events that still haunt me to this day, as well as theological questions related to certain facts in the book (e.g., what was the connection between the Ouija board and demonic possession? why didn't the Lutheran baptism take?). This was an absolutely fascinating book and I and other readers are in Mr. Allen's debt for writing it.

I became curious about the 1949 exorcism after viewing the re-release of "The Exorcist" on Halloween. After a little research online, I discovered this book by Allen, and purchased it (though it was difficult to find a bookstore that had it in stock). After receiving the book, I literally disappeared from my routine life for a few days.

The best thing about Allen (who is a self-declared agnostic) is that he's honest, and he provides numerous references for every event that occurs. Why this is crucial is because diabolical possession is a subject that faces heavy criticism. I take it as blind faith - you either believe in it, or you don't (although it was the book that convinced me of that). Others, as I am known to be a skeptic as well, need more - and thus why it is critical that this report comes from someone who neither believes or disbelieves.

Most other books on diabolical possession are written either by the exorcists themselves, or by people who have had hands-on experiences with demons or spirits, or by priests who have known exorcists. While several of them I have read are incredibly well-written and are testaments to the belief that Satan and his legions are real, I can see how they can be more susceptible to criticism under the skeptic's eye. The intention behind those books and this one also differ - they are written for the people who already believe and are curious about investigating further into diabolical possession. Allen wrote the book for the same reason the reader chose to read it - to satiate the curiosity of a mystical phenomenon and to either be convinced by the evidence provided, or to be convinced that it is all a hoax.

The book presents more than an account of diabolical possession. I found it to be a very personal and surprising story about faith, and the need for its strength during a time of hostile adversity. Throughout the read, I acquired a deep respect for the Jesuits, and the people involved with the exorcism. It is no doubt that the family and friends involved suffered wounds that quite possibly never healed due to the demon's wrath. Although the possession of the boy was a tragedy, the story is a triumph as well; celebrating the compassions of men who are willing to sacrifice their physical and spiritual wellness to save the life of a young boy.

Quite simply, this story is also an admonition for those of us who are curious about the occult, witchcraft, psychic phenomena, and spiritualism. It warns the non-secular and secular population of today - think twice before playing with a Ouija board, think twice before attempting to raise spirits in a seance. On second thought, it also prompts readers to think again about their own spirituality, and to perhaps look again at restoring their once-lost faith.

Rest in peace, Father Bowdern.

Whether or not Allen misses and distorts some of the historical information contained within his narrative, this work is still ultimately entertaining. It provides an extensive look at traditional demoniac psychology/experience, which is invaluable regardless of whether or not we believe in possession.

It also provides an interesting look at Christianity's handling of demons and exorcism over the centuries, and even if there are historical inaccuracies, this aspect of the book is undeniably valuable.

I am also impressed with Allen's style; he makes no attempt at sensational, horrific, "scary" language. It seems to me that Allen's goal is to provide an honest, impartial account. He leaves the reasoning to us.

Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, this book has something to offer.

The Excorcist had such a powerful impact on the American psyche at the release in 1973, that it is difficult for the average person to separate those images of Regan from anything else related to the idea of "possession." Thomas B. Allen comments upon this fact, however, does little to differentiate it as well. The thrust of the book is a well documented "biography" of the events that led "Robbie" into a frenzied state later defined as demonic possession. While some of the facts are interesting, and much can be brought out of this book, it is generally a slow and dry read. Allen illuminates the mysteries that have surrounded this story that occured sometime in 1949, where a little boy began ranting and raving with maniacal noises of a beastly nature, as well as paranormal events of either psychic or poltergeist in nature. Allen does a good job explaining the most well developed and studied cases of demonic possession of psychologist T. K. Oesterreich. Essentially there are 3 stages, which seemed to be present in this case of Robbie: 1)infestation, usually of sounds, rappings, in the environment, 2) obsession, where the subject inherits the spirit, and 3) possession, the take over, or new identity. In Robbie's case, all of these elements seem to be in place, and once the biological, mental and paranormal were exhausted as a possible cause, then one had to look to the spiritual, in which we need an exorcist. This is the story that inspired William Peter Blatty's now classic horror 'The Exorcist.' While the latter has much more to offer in the way of entertainment, it is in exaggerated form. Some elements of, say, voice distortion, physiological changes, markings on the body are present in the case of Robbie, they do not go to the extremes of Regan of a full-blown physical make over.

Thomas B. Allen succeeded in making the right connections about the history of the case, however, his retelling needs a spark of life to make it more interesting. Aside from this, a complaint I want to make is the about the publishing. While the pages are good quality and the printing is clean, there seems to be some confusion in the pagination. Once the story is finished, he ends it with the authentic reproduction of the diary that was written on the days of the exorcism in 1949. Following the diary is the author's endnote. Then the puzzling part - a blank page on the left side, and quarter of a page of something about Robbie that begins in the middle of the sentence. The pages follow 296-297. Then to the bibliography, sources, chapter notes, ending with an index. The page 297 seems to come from nowhere, as there is no other page I noticed that was incomplete. What is this mysterious page? Its quite possible that my copy is a fluke, but based on the page numbers, I sincerely doubt this.

I reccomend this book to those that are curious of possession and certainly adds to anyones study in demonic possession a supposedly authentic case. Many of the details are still shrouded in secrecy, mystery and history. Those that were alive at the time are either dead or unwilling to talk. "Robbie" whose name is never revealed apparently is still living, but laregly unaware of the events and therefore does not have much to say about it.

For background, I'm a Catholic, 55 yrs old, and an attorney who has seen about everything one can see after 27 years of practice. I'm no one to believe what people tell me without some skepticism and research into whatever is brought before me. But I've also been exposed to some things I can't explain readily without admitting the possibility of the unseen world being present, good or evil. For example, I once spent an hour in a County Jail Interview Cell, interviewing a self-admitted murderer, accused of stabbing a person 47 times with an icepick. We'd had murder and other serious felony cases before. We were to see if we wanted to take his case. (We didn't.) When my partner and I went into this cell, I felt an unspoken, non-vocal, non-"voice in my head" warning inside me that I should get away from the prisoner. Now, mind you, that guy was just sitting in a chair, in lockup, shackled, was physically smaller and older than I, and indicated that he wanted me to represent him. Sheriff's Deputies were available, had I needed them. So, I felt no fear that he would or could hurt me, but by just coming into the cell, I felt a bit unnerved. During the interview, the prisoner proudly told me that after the stabbing, he stood over his victim, and said "that's number 23". That unspoken warning, and a perceptible chill inside that cell, (it was in July, and the temperature on the thermostat a few feet away from the cell read 72 fahrenheit), was the first time I felt I was exposed to something I could not explain by my senses. Before, I had simply believed that what my Church instructed me about the Occult was true; but after, I had evidence as to the practical possibility that the existence of demons and things we cannot perceive in the sensory world is true, after all. So, call me a believer, but don't call me a patsy either. I give all books I read the "smell test". This one passed the test, for reasons I give below.
I first picked this book up two years ago, after having read Malachi Martin's book Hostage to the Devil, and having seen many of Hollywood's movies, which never come close to the truth, except for the movie version of this book, and a recent movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose. This book was possible only because the author was able to obtain a transcript of the actual rite of exorcism performed by the priests upon a child in St. Louis. The Catholic Church, for understandable reasons, does not enter into this sacrament easily, and does its best to keep the proceedings secret, not for arcane purposes, but to protect the privacy of the possessed person. The book follows the steps of investigation which followed before the rite was approved. It then examines the three stages of diabolic possession of a person, and follows the attempts and finally the successful ritual which followed.
I found the author's writing and presentation not sensational(he has a sensational subject matter anyway) and well suited to the general public. I also feel that the subject matter is very appropriate in this day where the human race reaches technical innovation one after another, which gives some the impression that people "invented" God and the Devil to explain things they could not in their primitive state of life otherwise explain. The book also mentions that before any rite is performed, the victim is given psychiatric and medical tests to detect any underlying disease or mental problem, which may be the real cause of the person's behavior or at least a contributing factor to it. Today, more testing is performed than when the case in this book occurred, but at all times there are signs of demonic possession which are hard to explain if present, unless something or someone from the unseen world has become present. The tests the Church performs to determine whether such signs are present was treated in the book well. To those and to the general public, it makes a very timely read and, given its' adherence to an actual Catholic rite of exorcism, helps to de-mystify the sacrament, how the Church actually handles cases brought before it, and then gives reasons for what is done and why it is done.
Given the plethora of books about this topic, and the scarcity of access to Church records(there is always a tape recording, and perhaps a video one, too) of exorcisms, I think it is valuable to read an account of an actual exorcism rite, successfully performed, to compare with the ones done by non-Catholic exorcists(and I don't make judgment upon the sincerity or truth of the more public accounts of those doing it outside of the Church, or by defrocked Catholic bishops or priests) and the "Hollywood" versions we are bombarded with before Halloween. Just say a pray, if you believe in God, before reading this, as you will find yourself tested or intrigued by the subject matter, which can be dangerous when one considers that demons are described by most Christian churches as spiritual beings having great preternatural skills and which can sift a human mind like wheat, unless we invoke God's protection against them.

I could not put this book down. It was scary and exciting. It really makes you think of what is out there, and why you should never mess with the Ouija board (or other portholes to the other side).

The Exorcist movie was based on this book, but the victim was a boy and not a girl, and it began with the Ouija board, like many cases of this kind of possession. Detailed account of what took place, and well written. Also a SHOtime movie now.

5 stars!

This is an accurate and surprisingly dispassionate narration of the actual case of demonic possession upon which the novel and movie "The Exorcist" were later looslely based. Allen is objective and, as far as I could tell, very careful with his sources. His prose style is quite readable, and the story he tells never flags. Purient interest in things occult will not be fed herein, but the book remains better suited to mature (in the real sense of the word) readers. Allen's work might also serve as a warning against dabbling in occult matters (ouija boards, tarots cards, wall-tapping, etc.), even by way of so-called innocent fun, for these minor episodes were the ungarded gate through which the victim was so cruelly attacked. I did a fuller review of this book in "The Southern Cross" (Diocese of San Diego), 23 Sept. 1993, p. 34.

If you saw the movie you definitely have to read the book. Mr. Allen objectively gives us a recount of the only documented exorcism performed in modern American. This particular edition includes a copy of the notes taken by the assistant to the exorcist. Whether or not the victim "Robbie" was truly possessed is something that the reader has to decide for him/her self. The author does not lead you towards any one of these alternatives; he just states the facts as they were according to the research he had done on the notes of the exorcism, witnesses' interviews, and interviews to people who were involved directly or indirectly. What can be asserted is that Robbie's environment opened the door for darkness to set in his naive mind and soul; and someone had to do something about it. He was an innocent child. This innocent child had people around him who loved him enough to DO something about it. His family sought help from pschiatrists, pastors, a Catholic priest who was not prepared for what he was facing. Although not being Catholics, his parents knew that the Catholic Church "knew about these things" they "had to help Robbie". It was their only chance to save their boy from dementia or most certainly death (to himself or others). The struggle of a fine Catholic priest who although was convinced of the possession was not completely willing to confront this terrible task in 1949 -- when the Catholic Church "was being brought to the 20th Century" and an exorcism had to be kept secret -- to save a boy's soul as well as the mental health of his family was his priority. Father William Bowdern did not work alone, this child's family, other priests, the Alexian brothers, all were involved in the exorcism, but it was Fr. Bowdern's deep faith and his training as a Jesuit that kept him and the others together as one against the greatest of all evils.

I am a Catholic Researcher on cases of demonic possession in the 20th century and this TRULY is the BEST account of an Exorcism performed in our time. It is interesting to note that Tom Allen is an agnostic and writes about the Exorcism beautifully. It is a frightening account of what Satan can do to us human beings if we allow the Prince of Darkness to invade our lives. This should be required reading of all Christians! This book should get 100 stars!

To date, there has been no book or movie that has impacted me the way Thomas B. Allen's "Possessed" has. Although I read it the year it was initially published, the facts of this allegedly true exorcism still scare and disturb me beyond my wildest literary expectations. Reader, be warned that this thought provoking account will haunt you for a long time to come.