Possessed: The True Story of the Most Famous Exorcism of Modern Time (edition 1993)

Possessed is a journalist's account of the exorcism that occurred in 1949 that "inspired" William Peter Blatty to write The Exorcist. "Inspired" is in quotes, because by the end of this book you find out all that inspired Blatty was an article that said an exorcism occurred, then no one would talk to him about it, so he just made it up himself. The author of Possessed did get a few people to talk to him, mostly a Mr. Halloran who was present for much of the exorcism with the job of holding the boy down when he got all crazy. Halloran gave the author a copy of one of the Priest's notes, and then the author based the story of those notes, filling in gaps with either hearsay testimony or what he figures must have probably happened.

I have been a fan of exorcism stories since I was young (too young, most likely), and this one is interesting, but I would take Allen's tale with a grain of salt. My copy of the book included the Priest's notes (transcripted, not photocopied, therefore we must have faith that they are full and complete), and after reading those it becomes all too clear how much Allen filled in the details with his own imagination. ( )

A fascinating look at the subject of demonic possession, through an examination of the case history that inspired The Exorcist. The author is an agnostic ex-Catholic, so he has the background to understand the ritual and the Church but looks at it critically. He also usually writes about military matters, and his background as a journalist helps him to weigh the facts and consider what conclusions are best supported.

Briefly, the book tells the story of a boy in Georgetown, in Washington, D.C. From a Lutheran family, his family was urged by a Lutheran priest with an interest in the paranormal to get the boy to a Catholic after a series of disturbing events. Allen had access to the diary of the priest who exorcised the boy and also interviewed many of those who were involved in the events detailed. He judges claims (like those that the boy spoke in languages he didn't know) based on who made the assertions and what access they would have to information. He also examines critically but impartially the apparently paranormal phenomena that occurred surrounding the boy. And he does all this while also looking at the Church's official stance on demonic obsession, possession, and exorcism. In short, a fascinating and very readable book, and a good introduction to exorcism in the Catholic Church.

(An aside on the made-for-TV film adaptation starring Timothy Dalton: That was a horrible movie which does no justice to the book. Conflicts over the priest's faith that don't appear in the book are invented. The movie sensationalizes the book, rather than do what Allen does, which is take an impartial view and examine the evidence. Perhaps worst of all, the film is bland. I'd rather watch The Exorcist.) ( )

http://www.canonlaw.info/a_exorcism.htm ( )