The Shocking True Story of the Exorcist Fact Vs Fiction
The Victims
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As everyone knows by now, “The Exorcist” centers around a twelve-year-old girl named Regan MacNeil, who is possessed by the demon Pazuzu. Or, as Regan herself calls it, Captain Howdy. This is a slight deviation from the historic tale. The real case involved a fourteen-year-old boy who is known by the pseudonyms Robbie Mannheim, or more popularly, Roland Doe. The boy’s identity remained a mystery for over seventy years, until both The Skeptical Inquirer and The Guardian revealed in 2021 that he was likely one Ronald Edwin Hunkeler.
The Setting
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The primary location was also changed, with author and screenwriter William Peter Blatty bringing the action into what was then the modern year. The year is never explicitly mentioned in either the novel or the film, but the former was published in 1971 and the film was released in 1973. Therefore, we can infer that the story takes place in the early 1970s. However, the location is explicitly given in both, and that is the historic neighborhood of Georgetown, Washington, D.C. But the exorcism of Roland Doe occurred in the late 1940s and took place primarily in St. Louis, Missouri. That said, one of Doe’s exorcisms occurred at Georgetown University Hospital, which could be the location of Regan’s medical tests.
The Number of Priests
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Two priests perform the climactic exorcism - Father Damien Karras, the protagonist of the film, and the older Father Lankester Merrin. By only having two priests, Blatty streamlines the exorcism process and allows us to connect with the characters on a deeper, more personal level. In reality, the exorcism of Roland Doe was performed by several different priests. The one conducted at Georgetown University Hospital was performed by a priest named Edward Hughes. And in St. Louis, Doe was seen to by both Raymond Bishop and William Bowdern. These two priests were assisted by another pair, Walter Halloran and William Van Roo. All told, five different priests performed the exorcism of Roland Doe.
The Number of Exorcisms
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Talk about streamlining a process. While Karras examines Regan throughout “The Exorcist’s” third act, there’s just one primary exorcism, and it occurs in the climax of the film. This was obviously done for dramatic purposes, as the possession would lose its impact if it was seen too often. In real life, Doe was subjected to at least three different exorcisms. There was the aforementioned one performed in Georgetown, and at least two more followed in St. Louis. The first St. Louis exorcism was performed exclusively by Bishop and Bowdern, and it wasn’t until the third that assistants Halloran and Van Roo became involved.
The Number of Demons
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“The Exorcist” takes a major deviation from its real life source, and that’s in the number of demons involved. Thanks to various clues, it’s strongly hinted that the demon possessing Regan is Pazuzu, a real figure in ancient Mesopotamian religion. However, Pazuzu’s involvement is never made explicit in either the novel or the film. Regardless, there is definitely just one demon possessing Regan. And while “The Exorcist” carried over many details from Doe’s possession, there is one thing that was not included, and that was the letter X being scratched into Doe’s stomach. The priests performing the exorcism interpreted this to mean there were ten different demons inhabiting Doe.
The Demon Using Weapons
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“The Exorcist” takes another major deviation from the source, and that’s in the demon’s use of weapons. In “The Exorcist,” Pazuzu prefers to wage psychological warfare, often taunting Karras with his dead mother. It doesn’t often revert to physical violence, as its hands are tied to the bed throughout the majority of the exorcism. This is in stark contrast to the demons allegedly inhabiting Doe, who physically assaulted Edward Hughes during his exorcism in Georgetown. Doe reportedly broke free from his restraints and grabbed a piece of the bedspring to use as a weapon. He then used the sharp bedspring to cut Hughes’s arm. It was a temporary victory, as Hughes ended the exorcism and Doe was moved to St. Louis.
The Use of Hospitals
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Medical institutions are curiously absent throughout much of “The Exorcist.” In fact, one of the extended sequences in which Regan undergoes various medical tests was excluded from the theatrical release and can only be seen in the director’s cut. Nope, most of the action, and the entire exorcism, is performed in Regan’s Georgetown home. This is in stark contrast to the story of Roland Doe. As mentioned previously, the first exorcism was performed by Edward Hughes at Georgetown University Hospital. After Doe was moved to St. Louis, additional exorcisms were performed by the aforementioned priests at the city’s Alexian Brothers Hospital. It’s unclear why Blatty moved the location, but it’s likely owing to the more intimate setting of the bedroom.
Witnesses
When it comes to a supernatural story such as this, it’s important to have witnesses. Otherwise, it becomes a mere case of “You’ll have to take my word for it,” and that’s never satisfying. When it comes to “The Exorcist,” there are very few witnesses. A number of characters know that Regan is having problems, but in regards to the exorcism itself, there are only three witnesses - Regan, Karras, and Merrin. Unfortunately, two of them die and the third doesn’t remember the experience. So, basically no witnesses. The same cannot be said for Roland Doe. While the veracity of this is certainly under question, it’s been reported that forty-eight people witnessed his numerous exorcisms.
Surviving Exorcists
The film has a rather bittersweet ending. Young Regan is saved, but at the cost of the two priests who perform her exorcism. Merrin dies during the battle, presumably from his heart condition. And in the famous climax of the film, Karras asks the demon to enter his body before throwing himself out the window. It undoubtedly makes for great drama, but nothing of the sort happened in real life. All of the exorcists survived and lived long lives. The earliest death was that of Raymond Bishop, who died in 1978 - roughly thirty years after the exorcism occurred. He was seventy-two. Hughes was sixty-two, Halloran eighty-three, Bowdern eighty-six, and Van Roo eighty-nine. Halloran was the last priest to die, having passed away in 2005.
The Veracity of the Possession
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And here we come to the big question - was the possession actually real? When it comes to the film, there’s no ambiguity at all - the possession, the demon, and the exorcism were all real. Obviously, the case is not so cut and dry when it comes to Roland Doe. Some religious experts, including professors Terry Cooper and Cindy Epperson, still posit that the possession was real. However, it is now the common opinion that Roland Doe was merely a troubled boy and that nothing supernatural had occurred. Even worse, various authors and historians have poked holes in some of the events. For example, Mark Opsasnick proved that there is no evidence of Father Hughes performing an exorcism at Georgetown University Hospital. Did you know “The Exorcist” was based on a true account? Let us know in the comments below!