Over the years, “The Exorcist” has become a classic in the horror movie category. Despite the movie releasing in 1973, many people today still come back to watch this eerie story about a possessed girl and the priests who performed an exorcism on her. So, what is the story that inspired this film? 

It all started in 1949 with 14-year-old Ronald Hunkeler. During his childhood, he lived in Cottage City, Maryland. Hunkeler was very interested in Ouija boards, so for one of his birthdays, his spiritualist aunt gifted him one. After she passed, he started noticing odd things happening around his house: objects would start flying, random noises including scratching were heard in the walls, items would start vibrating. Once, his mattress was even moved. This was only the beginning. 

Eventually, Hunkeler started to get scratches all over his body. His family did everything they could think of to try and help him, but nothing seemed to work. As a final resort, they tried seeking out a priest to perform an exorcism. During this exorcism, Hunkeler attempted to harm the priest, which brought the exorcism to a stop.

That exorcism did not work, and Hunkeler continued to receive scratches on his body. One day, he got a scratch that spelled out “Louis,” and his family then decided they would travel to St. Louis to seek out help. They ended up at St. Louis University where they met Father Walter H. Halloran and Reverend William Bowdern. 

Multiple exorcisms were held, and during those exorcisms Hunkeler would act out. Some of the things he did during the exorcisms include vomiting, urinating, shaking, and speaking in Latin in an odd voice. After many attempts, Hunkeler was finally cured. 

Later in his life, he ended up working at NASA. They kept the fact that he was the inspiration for “The Exorcist” a secret for years, and he was able to live a pretty normal life. Using the terrifying experience he went through as a child as inspiration, “The Exorcist” was made.