The 1973 film “The Exorcist” is one of the most popular horror movies in America, and generations of St. Louisans have traded tales about the very real exorcism that inspired it. Everyone has a slightly different version of the story they’ve been told, leading to rumors of sealed-off rooms on the university’s campus, a priest jumping off the roof and bloody handprints that resist cleaning supplies and elbow grease.
The urban legends born from the exorcism of “Robbie Mannheim” (a pseudonym given to the boy in the case) have caused a lot of confusion on what happened 75 years ago. Caitlin Stamm, St. Louis University archivist and assistant professor, said that what really happened to “Robbie” is sealed from the public by the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
The undeniable truth is that in 1949, a family from Maryland came to St. Louis seeking help to heal their son of a mysterious ailment that left him speaking in disembodied voices — and with wounds to his body.
"Robbie had been experiencing symptoms of possession for several months. One morning, his family found the word ‘Louis’ scratched into his chest, and they took that to mean ‘St. Louis.’” Stamm said. “The way that St. Louis University got involved was: Robbie's cousin was a student at SLU, and she went to her professor and said, ‘My cousin is coming to stay with us, and I think he might be possessed.’”
The professor in question was the Rev. Raymond Bishop. He would later become part of the team of Jesuit priests tasked by the archdiocese to perform the exorcism. Bishop kept a personal diary detailing the attempts to help “Robbie.” That diary remains the most credible public source of information about the famous exorcism.
In true St. Louis fashion, many people claim to have a degree or two of separation from someone that knows something about the exorcism. The entire, true story is known only to those who conducted the exorcism: Bishop, the Rev. William Bowdern and Walter Halloran, a significant yet unsuspecting participant who would eventually become a Jesuit priest himself. Halloran shared his experience in a series of interviews before his death in 2005.
“Halloran had been Bowdern's driver and didn't know what he was getting involved in. He showed up and Father Bowdern said, ‘Guess what? We're going to an exorcism,’” Stamm recounted. “[Halloran] tells this story [of how] he thought he was just driving his boss to a dinner party, and then, quietly, [Bishop] says: ‘You're getting out of the car, too. You might need to hold this child down while [I exorcize him]. We don't know how the child's going to react.’”
For more real talk and myth busting with Stamm — including how exorcisms play a role in society today and the truth behind connections between “Robbie” and the campus — listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Jada Jones is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
