- The idea of the paranormal or even demons
has become something that we have associated
with fiction because of movies.
However, we often forget about the history
of the paranormal, and when it comes to possessions,
that many of the stories are actually based
in real life.
The following documented cases of possession are just that.
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Here are 10 real life cases of possession.
Number 10 is Elizabeth Knapp.
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Elizabeth Knapp's alleged possession took place
between October 1671 and January 1672.
While this case is centuries old,
what's so compelling about it is how well documented it is.
In the town of Groton, Massachusetts,
its town preacher, Samuel Willard,
began to notice that one of his servants
was acting strangely, so he wrote about it
in his journal.
Her name was Elizabeth Knapp.
Her first symptoms included pain throughout her body,
including the sensation of being strangled.
She began to see two phantom people walking around her
and a man floating above her bed.
Samuel Willard documented the case,
claiming to witness Knapp speaking in demonic voices
and making animal noises.
Willard's journal survives to this day,
though exactly what happened to Elizabeth Knapp
after these occurrences remains a mystery.
Number 9 is Anneliese Michele.
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The case of Anneliese Michele's possession
caused widespread controversy in her home country
of West Germany.
Diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy at the age of just 16,
she and her family were convinced that her symptoms
of convulsions, hearing voices telling her to rot in hell,
drinking her own urine, and eating insects
were all signs that she was possessed.
A priest name Ernst Alt was given permission
to carry out 67 exorcisms.
After her death in 1976, the autopsy revealed
she was suffering from starvation and dehydration.
Though the priest and Anneliese's parents
were found guilty of manslaughter, they did not
go to prison.
The priest claims that Anneliese was cured
just before she died, while others suggest
that this case is a prime example of superstition
leading people to commit terrible acts.
Number eight is Anna Ecklund.
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Spanning several decades, the exorcism of Anna Ecklund
is among the most enduring of all time.
Raised during the late 1880s, from an early age,
she exhibited signs of possession,
including revulsion of holy objects.
It was rumored that Anna's aunt, Nina, practiced occultism
and had placed herbs in Anna's food,
which resulted in her possession.
After an initial exorcism in 1912,
Anna underwent another in 1928.
Her behavior during the exorcism was violent
and including levitation, howling, and hanging
from a doorway.
Further exorcisms took place where Anna reputedly
spoke in different languages and claimed
to have been possessed by her own father.
On December 23rd of that year,
Ecklund was reportedly cured of her demonic affliction
and returned to a quiet life.
However, the horrors of what happened to her
remain fresh in many people's minds to this day.
Number seven is Gottliebin Dittus.
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The Gottliebin Dittus exorcism took place in Germany
between 1842 and 1843, and remains one of the creepiest
possession cases on record.
Living in the Black Forest, Gottliebin stayed
with her three siblings.
Those living nearby claimed strange events occurred
around their home, including ominous noises at night.
Soon, Gottliebin reported seeing a female apparition
with a baby in its arms.
That is when bizarre poltergeist-like activity began,
and it wasn't long before Gottliebin was first exorcized.
During the exorcism, she said she was possessed
by a woman who murdered her own baby.
She then proceeded to vomit up objects of sand and glass,
with the dead woman speaking through her
to those carrying out the exorcism.
After two years, and on Christmas Day,
the demonic forces inside her were said to be
finally put to rest.
But the documented horrors of this terrifying situation
are still studied to this day.
Number six is Maricica Irina Cornici.
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The exorcism of Maricica Irina Cornici resulted
in five members of the Roman Orthodox Church
being convicted of murder.
Led by a priest called Father Corogeanu,
the exorcism ended in tragedy when the 23-year-old died.
Those involved claimed that she was genuinely possessed,
citing the spontaneous nature of her symptoms
and that her brother had seen a ghostly apparition
move inside of her.
Maricica had reportedly asked to be tied up
to stop herself from committing suicide or murder.
When the exorcism finished, she was supposedly cured,
but soon she fell ill and died inside an ambulance.
Those involved were sentenced to 14 years in prison,
but it was later discovered that Maricica's death
was due to an overdose of adrenaline given to her
by paramedics.
Number five are the Ursuline Nuns.
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While most possessions involve an individual,
the case of the Ursuline Nuns in 1611
is a well-documented instance of mass possession.
It began with a 17-year-old French nun called Madeline.
Rumors persisted that she had had an affair
with the priest at a former convent.
When she was moved to another convent in order to stop
the scandal, she began to exhibit possessed behavior.
This included convulsions and destroying religious objects.
Within the isolated convent, three other nuns
exhibited the same behavior, and by the end of that year,
eight of the nuns at the convent were declared possessed.
During several of the exorcisms, Madeline revealed
that her lover, Father Galfridi, had made a pact
with the devil.
The priest was executed at being burned at the stake,
and the moment that that happened,
Madeline's possessed behavior suddenly stopped.
Number four is Clara Germana Cele.
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Clara Germana Cele was a South African girl
who became involved in a notorious possession case.
She claimed that at the age of 16, she made a pact
with the devil, and this was the reason
for her possession.
The religious staff of the mission where she lived
documented the case and claimed
that she could speak languages that she had not
previously known.
Allegedly, she suddenly understood Polish, German,
French, as well as other languages.
While being unable to tolerate holy objects
and showing the extraordinary strength
often associated with possession cases,
it was Clara's ability to psychically reveal
individual's deepest and darkest secrets
which caused the greatest stir.
When an exorcism was finally performed,
it took two full days, during which she attempted
to strangle the exorcist.
It was said that at the end of the ordeal,
she was finally cured, although nobody really knows
for sure.
Number three is Michael Taylor.
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The Michael Taylor possession remains one
of the most tragic of its kind.
Living in West Yorkshire in England during the 1970s,
Michael was married to Christine Taylor.
Both were members of a Christian fellowship group,
and after being accused of adultery by Christine,
Michael said that he had a deep evil within him.
It was then that he began acting erratic.
As a consequence, a local minister conducted an exorcism,
and by the end, Michael was exhausted.
He felt as though the three demons which he claimed
had been possessing him, insanity, murder, and violence,
were dormant but still there.
The exorcist warned that despite casting out 40 demons,
that Michael was still at risk.
That day, when Michael returned home, he murdered
his wife and his dog, and was found prowling the streets
outside by a policeman, naked and covered in blood.
Number two is Roland Doe.
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Roland Doe's possession was the inspiration
for the 1973 classic The Exorcist.
The trouble began when Roland's Aunt Harriet
introduced him to a Ouija board before she died.
After Harriet's death, strange noises were heard
around the house and objects allegedly moved on their own,
all while Roland was in the vicinity.
An exorcism was then carried out,
during which Roland broke his restraints,
pulling out a bed spring from the bed
and then stabbed the priest carrying out the ritual.
Another exorcist saw the words hell and evil
appear on the boy's skin while Roland used
a demonic guttural voice.
To this day, this case remains one of the least understood,
most disturbing and horrific of all time.
And number one is the Son of Sam.
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The Son of Sam was an infamous serial killer in the 1970s,
but he also claimed to be possessed by a demonic force.
His real name was David Berkowitz, and between 1976
and 1977, he murdered six people in New York,
leaving a letter next to two of his victims.
In it, Berkowitz refers to himself as the Son of Sam
and states that an entity known as Papa Sam
keeps him locked in the attic
and that this demonic father figure years for blood
to keep itself youthful.
When Berkowitz was finally caught, he stated
that he had been possessed by a demon.
He later converted to Christianity
and retracted his claims of possession,
but his evil crimes remain inextricably linked
to the subject of demonic possession and that,
even if these things don't exist,
that the idea of them can be channeled
to commit bloody atrocities.
So, those were 10 creepy real life cases of possession,
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