There are some people who believe a human being can become the host for demons. Filled with evil spirits, they require their souls to be cleansed by a priest. One particular exorcism has inspired the latest Al Pacino film, aptly named The Ritual.
There have been a number of recorded exorcisms in the past, but none as well documented as Emma Schmidt in 1928. A book titled Begone Satan outlined the long and arduous process the priest and his assistants went through to rid a young woman of evil.
This is the exorcism that has prompted the independent filmmaker to make the latest Al Pacino movie, The Ritual. Looking at the story, it’s easy to see why.
A Harrowing Tale
According to the story told about Emma Schmidt, she first started showing signs of possession as a teenager. As young as 14, she was able to hear voices in her head, telling her to do unspeakable things. The book says she was compelled to perform lewd sex acts, had an aversion to religious objects, and her spiritual advisors.
She was apparently so sensitive to religious objects, she could even detect them while concealed. One example states she refused a meal that had been sprinkled with holy water.
Doctors examined her and deemed nothing wrong physically or mentally. However, this is during a time when they still prescribed cocaine to patients, and therapy involved a long needle through the eye.
There was an initial exorcism performed on the young woman, but the famous one that inspired The Ritual came twenty years later. It was performed by a priest in an Iowa convent. The process took 23 days.
According to the priest performing the exorcism, she was possessed by four spirits. One was thought to be from her aunt, who was allegedly a witch. The other was from her father, who raped her. I think the latter probably explains away the entire situation. But why blame him when you can blame ‘satan.’
Afterwards, Schmidt apparently lived the rest of her life in peace, with only a few satanic whispers. The harrowing ordeal will be played out by Al Pacino as the priest, directed by David Midell.