Steven A. LaChance - Confrontation with Evil: An In-Depth Review of the 1949 Possession That Inspired The Exorcist

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

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Confrontation with Evil: An In-Depth Review of the 1949 Possession That Inspired The Exorcist 2017 by Steven A. LaChance.

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First e-book edition 2017

E-book ISBN: 9780738751924

Book design by Bob Gaul
Cover design by Ellen Lawson
Editing by Aaron Lawrence

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: LaChance, Steven, author.

Title: Confrontation with evil: an in-depth review of the 1949 possession

that inspired The exorcist / by Steven A. LaChance.

Description: Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Worldwide, [2017] | Includes

bibliographical references.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016038371 (print) | LCCN 2016042802 (ebook) | ISBN

9780738747996 | ISBN 9780738751924 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Doe, Roland. | Demoniac possessionMissouriSaint

LouisCase studies. | ExorcismMissouriSaint LouisCase studies. |

Exorcist (Motion picture) | Blatty, William Peter. Exorcist.

Classification: LCC BF1555.L33 2017 (print) | LCC BF1555 (ebook) | DDC

133.4/26dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016038371

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Contents

: Where the Devil Played

: It Begins in Cottage City, Maryland

: The Ouija Board

: Welcome to St. Louis

: Father Bishops Blessing

: The Arrival of Spiritual Reinforcement

: Permission Granted

: A Fathers Love

: Diabolical Escalation

: On the Move

: X Marked the Spot, or Did It?

: The Meaning and Importance of Numbers in the Occult

: Baptism and Communion

: Going Home

: The Devil Rages While the Faithful Pray

: Holy Week

: Dominus

: Keeping the Secret

: Inspired

: Alexian Brothers Hospital

: St. Francis Xavier College Church

: The White House Jesuit Retreat

: The Uncles House

: The Secret Revealed

To Roland Doe, wherever he may be today, this is for you because it is clear that you were a victim in many different ways. My thanks, my prayers, and my gratitude will always be with youin this life and in the next.

Thank you to Shannon Lusk for working as initial editor, coresearcher, and investigator. Without your continued support and direction this book would have never been possible.

On [SAT.] February 26, 1949, there appeared to be scratches on the boys body for about four successive nights. After the fourth night words were written in printed form. These letters were clear but seemed to have been scratched on
the body by claws.

Since Mrs. XXXXXXXX is a native St. Louisian she thought of leaving her home and taking the boy to St. Louis in order to avoid some of these strange manifestations. It seems that whatever force was writing the words was in favor of making the trip to St. Louis. On one evening the word Louis was written on the boys ribs in deep red. From Father Raymond Bishops diary, 1949

Introduction

Growling filled the house as the priest, standing at the opposite end of the hallway, kissed his purple stole and placed it around his neck. Anticipation of what lay ahead filled the priest with not only dread but also a clear sense of anger. The demon from the room down the hall began to scream as the priest brought his crucifix to his lips to kiss the sacrament. Your God is dead, Priest, he is not going to help you, the demons voice filled the entire house with its vile speech. Bible, crucifix, holy water, and liturgical vestmentsthe priest was now completely armored and dressed for the long battle that was ahead for himself and the young boy who laid behind the door at the end of the hall, writhing in pain as he wrestled with the demon within him.

The priest began the long walk down the hallway toward the boys door, which now appeared to the priest to be moving in and out with the loud breathing of the demon within the boy. Whispers began to fill the hallway as he walked slowly, Fuck the priest. Bend him over and fuck him. Suddenly the hall began to shake violently, almost knocking the priest off of his feet with a vicious rumble. A loud giggle from behind the breathing door at the end of the hall continued its demonic taunt meant to create fear in the faithful. The priest could see one of the hinges on the door begin to give way as he reached out to turn the doorknob. The door instantly blew off its frame with violent force, throwing the priest to the floor. The priest covered his head with his arms to protect himself. He stumbled to his feet, grasping the crucifix tightly within his hand with resolve, and he peered into the room.

The boy lay tied to the bed. His face was ashen in color with blood and ooze running from cuts all over his body, including the ashen face. The priest worked to avoid gazing into the glare of the glowing yellow serpentine eyes of the possessed teenage boy. Enter if you dare, Priest, the boy spoke with a low, guttural, and almost animal-like growl.

Cut! Will someone get this damn lighting fixed on the boy. Its supposed to show the shadows on the damn wall, the director of the horror film barked at the crew. Can I get a drink over here, the boy in the bed said, breaking character because he was thirsty.

This scene has been played out over and over again throughout the years in many horror films. It is always displayed with over-the-top theatrical special effects, and rarely is it ever done with any care to realism. It is nothing more than an entertaining version of diabolic demonic possession. The lack of realism, the focus on the spinning heads, and the flowing pea soup has lessened the reality of what true possession is and how it works. Horror films are not only guilty of their misrepresentation, but within the past decade, supposed reality television has fed audiences a steady dose of the fantastical demonic while telling its audiences what they are about to see is real and unscripted. The reality of reality television is that it is completely scripted and much of what you see is not realit is either faked or completely and absolutely overdramatized.