‘The Ritual’ True Story: Inside the Real Exorcism of Emma Schmidt

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Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:

The new movie The Ritual is based on a 1928 exorcism in Iowa.

Catholic priest Theophilus Riesinger performed the ritual on Emma Schmidt, a 40-something woman who had been suffering from possible demonic possession since she was a teenager.

The exorcism, a grueling affair that lasted 23 days, has also inspired other books, articles, and movies.

In 1928, Catholic priest Theophilus Riesinger traveled to rural Iowa for his most difficult assignment yet: treating a woman named Emma Schmidt who was allegedly possessed by demons. A grueling four-month exorcism ensued, testing both of their wills.

Almost a century later, Schmidt’s infamous case is getting a modern retelling on the big screen as the basis of The Ritual . Th