10 Horror Movies Based On True Stories (That Were All Lies)

Scott Derrickson's directorial debut follows the trial of Father Moore (Tom Wilkinson), who was accused of negligent homicide after a young woman named Emily Rose (Jennifer Carpenter) died during his exorcism.

Although the majority of possession films focus on the supernatural, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is surprisingly grounded. Most of the story takes place in a courtroom, playing out more like a legal drama than a paranormal flick. Since it takes a surprisingly realistic approach to the matter of hand, viewers may assume there's more truth to the story than what's usually conveyed in the genre.

But that's not the case. The Exorcism of Emily Rose was inspired by a German woman called Anneliese Michel, who underwent a whopping 67 exorcisms before succumbing to malnourishment. 

Despite the fact the film emphasises the titular character was terrorised by numerous demons, all evidence indicates Anneliese endured a terrible mental episode, since she suffered psychosis, depression, and temporal lobe epilepsy for seven years.

Even thought the Catholic Church have a dense record of each exorcism, they dismissed this case, stating there was insufficient evidence that Anneliese Michel was possessed.