Horror movies are always scary and intended to terrify us to our core! However, when we discover the movie is a true story or inspired by true events it becomes ten times more terrifying.
Join me while I dive into the terrifying true story that inspired The Exorcist. This episode explores the mysterious case of Roland Doe, a 14-year-old boy who underwent a month-long exorcism in 1949. His unsettling story of strange noises objects moving on their own, and violent outbursts gripped the nation and caught the attention of author William Peter Blatty, who used the events as the basis for his famous horror novel. 75 years later, Roland’s disturbing experience continues to haunt and intrigue us.
Roland Doe, also known as Robbie Mannheim, was born circa 1935. He was an only child and spent most of his days with adults. In Particular, he spent long hours with his Aunt Harriet. Harriet was a spiritualist who introduced Robbie to the Ouija board as a young boy. When Harriet passed away in January of 1949, due to natural causes, grief led Robbie to contact his beloved Aunt via a Ouija board.
Most neighbors and family friends described Robbie as quiet, intellectual, and a bit unpopular, though Robbie was slightly withdrawn, the family was a seemingly normal part of working-class America. Though the death of Harriet affected Robbie deeply, furthering his withdrawn behavior. This is when the family began experiencing strange occurrences within their home.
The family heard dripping sounds throughout the house and scratching coming from within the walls. The plumbing was inspected and later they went as far as to tear out some walls to investigate whether this was a rodent problem, though the problem only grew worse and eventually the furniture began sliding across the rooms and pictures fell off walls. At one point it was reported that the family believed they had a full-on poltergeist activity in their home.
During this time, Robbie began waking with scratches and mysterious welts on his body. One particular night his mother heard a noise coming from Robbie’s room, when she investigated she found the bed shaking violently with Robbie still on it. While occurrences were happening all throughout the home, the violent activity seemed to be more focused on Robbie. It is reported that the activity even followed him to school causing desks to fly across the room.
The normally withdrawn and quiet young boy became violent and aggressive and often would spew obscenities that sounded like they came from another voice. Occasionally Robbie would speak in Latin, though he was not fluent in the language.
Knowing there was something incredibly wrong, Robbie’s parents turned to the church for help. Rev. Luther Miles Schulze visited the home and witnessed Robbie’s bed shaking and furniture sliding around which led him to believe that an evil presence was in the home.
Rev. Schulze performed a Lutheran Exorcism but it seemed to have little to no effect on the evil presence. Rev. Schulze contacted Edward Hughes, a Roman Catholic Priest in hopes he could help rid the evil from the home and Robbie.
Hughes visited Robbie and described the boy as having an empty gaze and when he placed a bible in front of Robbie, Hughes’ chair began to shake and levitate. Hughes was convinced that Robbie was possessed and began asking Robbie who he was in Latin and was not surprised that Robbie answered in Latin. Although Robbie was not skilled in Latin. More shocking though was the answer, Robbie stated in Latin, “I am legions’.
This made Hughes believe there was more than one entity possessing the young boy. It was obvious an exorcism must take place.
Robbie was moved to Georgetown University Hospital, a Jesuit hospital, so the Jesuit brothers could monitor the boy during the exorcism.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Robbie became violent, kicking, spitting, and screaming that he required restraints. Father Edward Hughes recited exorcism rites for 3 nights straight, only inciting more violence from the boy.
On the last night, the boy slipped one wrist out of the restraints, ripped a bed spring from his bed, and slashed Father Hughes from his elbow down to his wrist. This injury ended this exorcism and Robbie went home. His very concerned parents continued to seek assistance from other Priests. Robbie’s family visited friends in St. Louis and spoke to Raymond Bishop, a priest and professor at St.Louis University, who recommended Priest William S. Bowdern.
Father Bowdern was a well-respected senior priest at the St.Louis Diocese. When Father Bowdern visited Robbie at his family friend’s home, he was welcomed with obscenities by the boy in a voice that wasn’t his own. After the previous attempt at an exorcism had failed, Father Bowdern proceeded with caution and brought two other priests, Walter Halloran, and Rev. William Van Roo to assist him. This time the trio moved the boy to the Alexian Brothers Hospital, another Jesuit Institution, but this time the exorcism was conducted in the psych ward as the location was soundproof with no objects or furniture to be thrown.
The exorcism continued for 6 weeks and failed 30 times. Father Hughes made one last attempt by baptizing the boy and forcing him to take Holy Communion, but the demons forced the wafer out of Robbie’s mouth and hurled it across the room at the priest, shattering his nose.
The priests finally restrained the boy and forced the wafer down his throat. For several days, nothing changed, but one day, Robbie sat up and said in a clear voice, “Satan! I am Saint Michael, and I command you Satan and the other evil spirits, to leave the body now,”. From that day forward Robbie slowly resumed a normal life and began going to mass and school.
There were up to 40 witnesses to this exorcism, but all have worked hard to protect the identity of this young boy and his family. He is only known as Roland Doe or Robbie Mannheim.
According to reports, Robbie and his family moved back to their home and lived a happy and healthy life. Robbie went on to get married and have a full, healthy, and happy life, though he has no memories of his possessions.
