Requiem: A mass for the repose of the souls of the dead or an act or token of remembrence especially in the Catholic tradition.
Requiem was a 2006 German film about a woman with epilepsy, Michaela Klingler. It was believed by the members of her church and herself to be possessed. The film steers clear of special effects or dramatic music and instead presents a documentary-style portrayal. The movie focuses on Michaela’s struggle to lead a normal life while being trapped in a limbotic state which could either represent demonic possession or mental illness focusing on the latter. The movie focuses on the medical condition epilepsy as seen in the real-life events of Annelies Michel who was believed to have been possessed by six or more demons and died in 1976. These events also served as the basis of the film The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
I have long held an interest in Anneliese Michel since I became aware of the case in the early eighties. A German girl seemingly possessed by six demons who would not leave her alone. I have made a pilgrimage to her burial site and village in the 1990’s when I lived in Europe and have wondered how this beautiful and very religious girl became a victim of possession. Was she chosen? Why was she chosen? Were the demons sent? Was she a victim soul? A Martyr? Did her medical condition create an environment that would make her vulnerable to demonic forces or was this what the legal community had asserted-that she died by negligent homicide and malnourishment?
Anneliese Michel was born on September 21st, 1952. She came from a small Bavarian town by the name of Klingenberg, situated in the heart of the Catholic countryside of Germany. Her upbringing was very religious. Her family were devout traditional Catholics. So traditional in fact that it was considered a long-standing family tradition to dedicate at least one child to an ecclesiastical career. Anneliese herself expressed the desire to one day become a teacher of the principles of the Catholic religion.
There is evidence to suggest that the Michel family, like many others in Bavaria, rejected the reforms agreed upon by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council of the 1960s. The Second Vatican Council, informally referred to as Vatican II, was thought of as a means of spiritual renewal, which sought to modernize the Catholic faith making it able to better handle the changing cultural landscape of the world post-World War Two. A large part of this was the denial of Catholicism’s global supremacy over other religions. As part of its efforts towards dialogue with other religions Pope John XXIII invited other Christians outside the Catholic Church to send observers to the Council.
Such a devoutly religious upbringing could provide evidence for her later possession being the result of religious fanaticism. However, it is important to understand what Catholicism meant in Germany. A psychological study conducted in 1974 by the Freiburg Institute for Border-Line Psychology determined that only 63 percent of Catholic theologians in Germany believed in the devil. When members of the public were asked a similar question by the Wickery Organization two years later, an overwhelming 89 percent denied the existence of the devil in the form of a being. Germans, both Catholic and non-Catholic, were highly skeptical about the very existence of Satan. Furthermore, in more recent times, it has been estimated that there are only three Catholic exorcists in Germany, who operate in secret. Contrast that to neighboring France, where there are 70 exorcists who openly practice their trade. A similar number are employed in Italy. In July 2005 a congress in Poland was reportedly attended by some 350 practicing exorcists. German society is and was structured towards strict rationality, even in religious matters. This means that the social environment which Anneliese grew up in did not recognize the Devil and 
demonic possession as real things making it problematic to discredit the case immediately as an instance of religious fervor.
Looking beyond the religious convictions of her family there is much to suggest that Anneliese had a normal childhood. Anneliese’s parents, Anna and Josef, have been described as strict yet protective. Her mother recalled how Anneliese loved life. She sang beautifully. She was an intelligent and curious. Teachers and professors always complimented her. This opinion of her was shared by many of her classmates. To all who encountered her Anneliese was a quiet and sweet-natured young girl.
Medical History- A Young Woman in Decline
It was around the time of Anneliese’s sixteenth birthday that her life began to change. In the September of 1968 she lost consciousness at school. Later that evening, sometime after midnight, Anneliese woke up and she was paralyzed. She lost control of her bladder and her breathing was labored and her tongue felt sore. The moment quickly passed but left Anneliese terrified.
The episode although frightening was soon forgotten. It was not until almost a year later on the afternoon of August 24th 1969 that Anneliese had cause to remember. She suffered another brief blackout followed by paralysis later the same day. The following morning Anna took her daughter to see the family physician. Upon his referral an appointment with neurologist Dr. Siegfried Lüthy was arranged. On August 27th Anneliese had an electroencephalogram (EEG) which determined her brain activity to be normal. The doctor concluded that Anneliese was probably experiencing cerebral seizures with symptoms of grand mal epilepsy. At this point no anticonvulsant medication was prescribed to Anneliese.
Prior to this Anneliese’s medical history had been marred with illness. Before the age of five she had contracted mumps, measles and scarlet fever. She was regarded such a delicate child by her kindergarten teacher that her parents were counseled into keeping her home a year longer than the other children. She spent a lot of time inside reading and learning music.
Not long after her visit to Dr. Luthy Anneliese suffered from a terrible sore throat which resulted in her tonsils being removed. After this incident she contracted pleurisy and pneumonia. This was further complicated by a tuberculosis infection. At one point her symptoms were so bad that she stopped attending school and was confined to her bed. On 28th February 1970 with no improvement in her condition Anneliese was admitted to a clinic in Mittelberg which specialized in treating lung disease in young people. Before too long her parents were informed that she had heart and circulatory problems.
In June 1970 Anneliese experience a terrifying third episode. She visited a different neurologist Dr. von Haller and was subjected to another EEG. This time however, the test revealed a series of irregularities. The doctor observed irregular alpha wave patterns as well as scattered delta and theta waves in Anneliese’s brain. She was prescribed anticonvulsant medication. This marked the beginning of her treatment for epilepsy. On the 29th in August Anneliese was finally allowed to return home. But by now it was quite evident that Anneliese was far from a healthy young woman.
Anneliese Michel’s Mental Deterioration
Anneliese’s mental health began to decline. The emotional trauma caused by visiting multiple health professionals without resolution had a devastating effect upon Anneliese. In order to cope with the constant stress and irritation while visitng the doctor there is evidence that Anneliese buried herself in Christian literature and practices. Furthermore, Anneliese’s stay at the Mittleberg clinic represented yet another period of emotional stress. It was here that she was placed in isolated girl.a cold, sanitized environment away from the familiarities of home. There are reports that other children at the clinic shunned Anneliese and made a mocked her. Evidence of her inability to process this change is partly shown through her deteriorating mental state: Anneliese became depressed and withdrawn. She would rarely discuss her time at the clinic. Later her lifelong friend, Maria Burdich, would testify that: “After her illness Anneliese had changed. She was quiet and withdrew from her friends.”
There have also been suggestions that Anneliese’s relationship with her mother was at times strained, due to Anna Michel’s overbearing nature and eagerness to protect her fragile daughter. Often this would manifest itself in the prevention of Anneliese engaging in activities that were normal for girls her age. For example, at the age of fourteen Anneliese was stopped from attending ballroom-dancing classes due to fears of her delicate health. A psychiatrist Dr. Lenner who would later meet with Anneliese would highlight the tragic girl’s dysfunctional family as the root of her neurosis. He he noted Anneliese’s hatred of her mother and her use of holy objects and prayers as a means to control and discipline her daughters. This could perhaps explain Anneliese’s later aversion to such religious elements they might have been a symbol of her mother’s control. Angst and a desire to rebel against seemingly ignorant parents are hardly unusual amongst adolescents.
Anneliese Encounters “Fratzen”
It was sometime during her stay at the Mittelberg Clinic that Anneliese first reported encountering “Frazten”, the German word for grimaces.
In September 1973 she described what she saw to Dr. Lüth were ghastly, demonic faces. Whenever she witnessed them she claimed that she felt terrified, as though the devil were inside of her. In addition to Frazten Anneliese also described experiencing foul smelling odors, something which she likened to decomposing flesh or sulfur which are classic signs of a demonic presence.
As her seizures intensified Anneliese claimed that the demonic faces were becoming more frequent and that the voices which accompanied them told her that she was damned to hell. In spite of these episodes she was relatively able to function normally in day to day life and was even able to maintain a relationship with her boyfriend Peter. Over the next two years Anneliese was taken to see multiple different doctors and was prescribed medication for both the seizures and the subsequent psychosis. On November 20th, Dr. Lüthy her neurologist prescribed Dilantin an anticonvulsant primarily used to treat grand mal epilepsy. Although Anneliese experienced a terrible drawn-out period of illness it is important to state that no one initially believed Anneliese to be possessed. This was regarded as an illness that was treatable with medication.
Between March and April of 1973 Anneliese began hearing noises in her bedroom. In the middle of the night she would be awoken by the sound of knocking and banging. No other family members could hear these noises. Once again Anneliese was taken to see a doctor who found her hearing to be perfectly normal.
It was during her academic examinations that Anneliese’s symptoms escalated. The voices and hallucinations of demonic faces became increasingly worse. Alongside her mental ailments she was beginning to have trouble speaking and walking. She also suffered from severe bouts of depression. In 1976 during a recorded conversation with a priest Anneliese would describe this difficult time:
“It is a terror which goes through all my limbs and settles there. It is a dread that makes you think you are right there, in the middle of Hell. You are totally and utterly deserted.”
The Possibility of Demonic Possession
One evening over dinner Anneliese’s hands were reported to have swelled up to a huge size. According to her mother’s testimony Anneliese cried out: “I have black hands. My Savior, forgive me!”. As this occurred she claimed to be able to see diabolic faces on the wall. She described them as having “seven crowns and seven horns”.
By now the possibility that Anneliese was demonically possessed was being considered. A member of the local Church, Thea Heinz, is reported to have first suggested this to Anneliese’s mother. The ineffectiveness of the medication which Anneliese was on seemed to corroborate this. It was sometime in the second half of 1973 that Anneliese found solace in communications with Father Ernst Alt a priest who shared her convictions that she was under the influence of Satan. When discussing the case in a later interview Alt states that he initially approached the case with skepticism. He did not believe that demonic possession could happen in the case of someone who was baptized.
In a later statement Dr. Lüthy would assert that it was around this time that Anneliese became incapable of making decisions for herself. Could it be that a vulnerable young woman fell under the influence of Father Alt, her mother, and others in her religiously-minded community, which resulted in her believing herself to be demonically possessed?
The possibility of demonic possession was seemingly further evidenced by Anneliese’s growing intolerance of sacred objects, such as holy water and crucifixes. One particular episode is often cited. In 1973 Anneliese went on a pilgrimage with her father to San Damiano a church-monastery in northern Italy which is associated with Saint Francis’ encounter with Christ. During the visit Anneliese found herself unable to enter the shrine. She claimed that the earth beneath her feet burned. It even pained her to look upon holy pictures and sacramentals. On the way home Anneliese was still not herself. Her voice had changed. It was deeper and masculine. She also exuded a foul odor which was so strong that other pilgrims on the bus reported it smelled like sulfur or rotting flesh. In addition to this her mother Anna recalled one episode where Anneliese stood before a statue of the Virgin Mary and her eyes completely black.
1975- The Year the Exorcisms Begin
In May 1975 Anneliese suffered severe emotional trauma. Her grandmother to whom she was deeply attached had passed away. and her sister, 
Barbara, moved away to pursue a career. Authors writing on the subject of Anneliese’s alleged possession are keen to stress that this young woman was exceptionally sensitive and increasingly unable to cope with the world around her. During a conversation with Father Alt a few months prior on 9th September 1974 Anneliese had made the statement: “I cannot cope with reality.” Some authors refer to this as the moment Anneliese suffered a mental breakdown hallmarked by the development of multiple personalities known today as a dissociative disorder. At the time demonic possession was regarded as the increasingly likely explanation for Anneliese’s condition.
It was in 1975 that Father Arnold Renza a senior excorcist became involved in Anneliese’s case. Upon his first visit he was astounded by Anneliese. He claims that while standing she would be repeatedly thrown to the floor by a great force. Each time she would respond in the same way. She would get up onto her knees and recite the ‘Hail Mary’ prayer. Anneliese’s mother stated that the devil would constantly throw her daughter to the ground so much so that Anneliese eventually began sleeping on the floor. She would sleep this way for three years.
The Involvement of Medical Professionals
At the court case which dealt with these events after Anneliese’s death, the priests stated that they had sent Anneliese to as many doctors and psychiatrists as they could. Anneliese’s mother even claimed that it was Dr. Lüthy who had recommended that the family consult a Jesuit for help. To many involved in the case, the ineffectiveness of medication evidenced demonic possession.
According to Father Gabriele Amorth the former Chief Exorcist for the Vatican who claims to have performed over 30,000 exorcisms in his career resistance to medicine is one of the typical symptoms of demonic interference.
We can state that “one of the determining factors in the recognition of a diabolical possession is the inefficacy of medicines”, while blessings prove very efficacious. I exorcised Mark, a young man who was the victim of a severe possession. He had been confined for a long time and been tormented by psychiatric remedies, especially electroshock, without the slightest reaction. When the doctor prescribed sleep therapy, for an entire week they gave him enough sleeping pills to sedate an elephant; he never fell asleep, either during the day or during the night. He wandered around the hospital in a stupor, with wide-open eyes. Finally, he landed at my doorstep, with immediate positive results.
In the case of Anneliese Michel however it is necessary to mention that in the late 1960s and early seventies epilepsy was not as well understood as it is today. The MRI machine for example was not invented until 1977 meaning that a full picture of the brain was not possible when Anneliese was diagnosed with epilepsy. In addition there exists a drug-resistant form of epilepsy which accounts for some 20 to 40 percent of epileptics equal to around 400,000 people in America alone. It is therefore not impossible for Anneliese’s epilepsy to have been unresponsive to medication.
After all medical avenues were exhausted the priests began the preliminary steps towards exorcism. A trial exorcism was conducted by the priests to ascertain whether or not Anneliese was truly possessed. A large part of exorcism is really interrogation: to find out why the demonic entity has taken control of an individual. At one point the priests sat down next to her and mentally commanded: “Depart from her! Say who you are!”. Immediately Anneliese went into a frenzy. She grabbed herself by the neck and destroyed the rosary which she was wearing.
As with most alleged cases of demonic possession, evidence comes to us in the form of personal and eye-witness testimony. In the case of Anneliese Michel, the involvement of the Church means that detailed notes and case files were kept by the priests involved in the exorcism. It is because of this that we know Anneliese’s destruction of the rosary caused great concern. To the religiously minded, only the most powerful demons can destroy holy objects. After this event the priests appealed to the Bishop of Würzburg to approve an exorcism.
While the bishop consulted the details of the case the priests would conduct a deliverance ritual. Such rituals focus on casting out the spirit or spirits believed to cause an affliction. Prayer plays an important part in this process. Unlike the more formal exorcism, a deliverance ritual addresses lesser and more general influences such as obsession, oppression or torment at work, as well as spiritual trauma. Once approval had been received, the priests initiated the centuries-old ritual of Catholic exorcism, also known as ‘The Roman Ritual’ of 1614. On Sunday 3rd August 1975, Anneliese underwent her first exorcism. The elder of the two, Father Renz, took the spiritual lead.
The following is Bishop’s letter addressed to Father Renz:
After due consideration with good information, I now charge the Reverend Father Renz, Salvatorian, Superior in Rück-Schippach, to proceed to Miss Anna Lieser [Anneliese’s pseudonym] within the terms of CIC can 1151. For some time now my prayers have been directed to this concern. May God give us His help. I thank everyone sincerely for their efforts.
Although a religious cure had been sought a medical one was still being attempted. Anneliese remained on her prescribed medication until shortly before her death.
Anneliese Michel and the Six Demons
It is at this point that Anneliese’s case escalated once again. As soon as the exorcism began the demons spoke through Anneliese in deep, guttural voices. Everyone present was deeply disturbed. Such an instant and strong demonic presence was atypical in the exorcists’ experiences. In fact it was so unusual for demons to reveal themselves so early on in the exorcism that the priests were both unprepared and struggled to even comprehend the rapidity with which Anneliese spoke. The pace of the subsequent events compelled them to record everything for the bishop and others to study. It was Anneliese herself who requested that the tapes be made public across the world so that people would believe there was a devil. It is because of this that we now have access to audio evidence from the exorcism.
Allegedly, six demons revealed themselves: Lucifer, Judas, Nero, Cain, Hitler and Fleischmann, a disgraced 16th-century Frankish priest. Whenever Hitler possessed Anneliese, he would announce himself to the priests with a ‘Sieg Heil’. Bizarrely, Hitler would speak with the correct Austrian inflections.
The demons would criticize the Church, ridicule the faithful and faithless alike, and exalt their own power.
Lucifer is claimed to have said: “I want to conquer the earth for myself.”
“People are stupid as pigs,” Anneliese spat whilst claiming to be possessed by Hitler. “They think it’s all over after death. It goes on.”
According to exorcists and paranormal experts these names may have been chosen by demonic entities in order to inspire fear and dread relative to time and place and may not have been reflective of actual demonic names.
The Aftermath
Whatever the truth behind these names the atrocities which were allegedly inflicted upon Anneliese her experience was chilling. She would speak in tongues, spend entire days attacking family members with bestial strength. She would bark like a dog, bite the heads off dead birds, and even eat spiders. Anneliese would also claim to witness demons dancing around the priests in mockery. Invisible forces would throw her from wall
to wall so that she was almost always covered in bruises from head to toe. She would also gorge on copious amounts of food and drink while nearly always looking emaciated. Table and chairs are claimed to have moved around the house of their own accord. People sometimes scoff when I speak about the Demonic Realm and what they are capable of down here on Earth. What this young woman experienced I believe to be genuine and a reminder to us all that just as there is light there is darkness.
