The Devil Came to St. Louis

by Troy Taylor

According to legend, the most famous exorcism in American history occurred in St. Louis in 1949, creating a mystery that continues to endure to this day. But what really happened in this enigmatic case? How much of the mysterious story that has been told over the years is truth and how much fiction? Author Troy Taylor, who has examined many cases of ghosts and the unexplained over the years, has spent more than 10 years researching the facts behind this chilling story --- searching through old records, visiting the sites associated with the exorcism and even interviewing the last remaining witnesses to the strange events. This book now reveals the results of his work, unveiling the true facts behind what occurred in St. Louis in 1949 and allowing the reader to judge for himself whether the victim in the case, "Robbie Doe", was really possessed by demons or not. This eye-opening and horrifying book is not for the faint of heart and is liable to have you sleeping with the lights on long after you have closed it pages for the final time!

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, History, Horror, Psychology, Religion, Historical

168 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2006

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Devil Came to St. Louis is the story of the 1949 exorcism of Robbie Doe in St. Louis. Robbie's story starts in Maryland, but his family finds no help there and end up coming to St. Louis where they had family. They come to the attention of Father Bishop at St. Louis University and through him Father Bowdern, who led the exorcism, and other Jesuits. Robbie's exorcism lasted several weeks and took place in his family's home, St. Francis Xavier rectory and the Alexian Brothers Hospital. Taylor does a pretty good job of detailing the admittedly thin history of the event. Most of the participants never talked about what happened and what little is known comes from "the exorcism diary" compiled by Bishop and interviews with Father Halloran, one of the participants. Taylor said he wrote the book with an open mind, but you can tell that he believed Robbie was actually possessed by a demon. However, he does go into other causes such as mental illness and psychokinesis as other possibilities for those claiming to be possessed. If all the accounts are true, I am not sure what to believe, but there is a pretty compelling narrative for a possession. This story became the basis for William Peter Blatty's novel The Exorcist and the movie that followed. Robbie's story was pretty frightening and compelling as were the other exorcism/possession stories Taylor included in the book. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started the book, but quickly found myself unable to put it down. In fact, the only reason I didn't read it in one sitting is because I actually fell asleep (it was 2 am!). Great Missouri paranormal history story.

[Sabrina Rutter]

Please don't let the fact that this book is on my "didn't finish" shelf put you off from reading it. This should not reflect in whether or not it's a good scary read or not, in fact this may well be a good scary book I don't know. I just happened to run out of time with the book as I was borrowing through interlaon, and I got very sick during that time which caused me to be unable to read this in time. You're probably wondering why I didn't just go ahead and place this in my "try again later shelf" then. Well the answer to that is that I have already read a detailed account on this particular exorcism and decided that I really don't need to revisit it in this small book that is more of an introduction into exorcism.

[Mark Muckerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. Not great, but creepy enough that you'll regret reading it at night. Rumors have abounded for decades that "the Exorcist is a true story". For those of us who grew up in St. Louis, it's been pretty common knowledge. There's only so much that can be written about a singular event a) took less than 30 days, b) happened half a century ago, and c)is one of those things that 'never happened', but Taylor does a fine job of research and consolidation of facts from very thin sources.

In 1949 a young boy was the subject of a full and apparently successful exorcism in St. Louis. Devil Came to St. Louis captures the background, the terror, and what little first person commentary remained, from the few who were there.

Did it happen? Oh yeah, it did.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this during one St. Louis autumn amid a bunch of other similar books on local mysterious history and legends as a way of enjoying Halloween time. Many of the details in this I had heard from other sources, but for one volume detailing what is known (other than by the Catholic Church and those involved) regarding the actual events that became featured in "The Exorcist" this is a good place to go. Not remotely academic, but certainly entertaining and genuinely creepy.

[Janna Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book. I was always very curious about the true story that inspired the movie The Exorcist but it was very hush, hush. Now after the death of Ronald, the story can be told. Although many eyewitnesses have passed away, the book was well researched and many angles explored. I liked it.

[Sleepy Sheepie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book met my expectations, which were not very high. There were several spelling and punctuation errors which made the text seem very amateurish. The story itself actually dragged in several parts, which seems crazy considering the spicy subject matter (if I read one instance of the bed “shaking uncontrollably,” I must’ve read fifty) and often it reads like a police report rather than a story: no dialogue and not much description or character development, just a litany of events. However, it was a pretty short book so I wasn’t too bothered.

While this was a slightly tedious read, I persisted because of the local references and the thrill of possibility I always get when I think there may be more to this boring life we lead than just what we perceive with our five senses. The last three chapters were by far the most interesting—although perhaps the most speculative—in that they described all the crazy events that allegedly happened on the set of The Exorcist (and personal tragedies that befell the cast and crew), as well as the unsettling fallout at the old Alexian Brothers Hospital and the darkness that pursued the old furniture in the possessed boy’s hospital room. This is why I never shop at thrift stores.

I was extremely pleased to read that the Archdiocese of St. Louis was a pioneer in racial integration thanks to Cardinal Ritter (which is why they didn’t really want to publicize the exorcism—they were worried it would undermine the credibility necessary to achieve integration). Lord knows, STL has very little to boast about when it comes to issues of race.

One thing in favor of this book is that the author does us a service by calling out the anecdotes that are more likely to be rumor or myth, versus the account of “the exorcist’s diary” itself. So it at least pretends to avoid sensationalism. Ostensibly this is so we can make up our own minds about what happened, but the author isn’t exactly rigorous in his approach and it’s pretty obvious he thinks the possession was legitimate. As for me, I’m willing to believe it was demonic possession, but probably not Satan himself. (I just feel like he has better things to do than visit St. Louis.) But assuming this is true, it really makes you think about the power of the Catholic prayers and rituals to ward off evil. (Brb, going to buy a scapular off Etsy.)

Should you read it? Sure, if you live in STL and are curious about this topic. Just take it with a grain of salt.

[Lydia M · Rating 4 out of 5]

PK+an abused boy=what happened here. He was 13 and bullied by his peers with mom and grandma sleeping with him, mom was still tucking him in and dressing him for bed? Can no one see how that would affect a pubescent boy? In kids who are neglected by at least one parent and smothered by the other spitting, hissing, inappropriate behavior, contortions, mimicry, cursing, and fits are pretty normal reactions to trauma. Every time his mom showed up he got worse. Of course Odell and Ana using the house as a ouija board didn’t help. I think the priests giving him a structured fatherly attention away from his home, along with hope religion can bring is what loosened the knots. Also the smells could be a hyperactive endocrine reaction, the banging related to his poltergeist activity. I’m great they didn’t medicate him, that would have fried his brains.

[Edwin Vázquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

I really enjoy when a book that deals with conspiracy or the supernatural really has a problem with its identity between being a full-out scary story as it was originally intended to be told and being this sober, factual piece of journalistic research. This book does exactly that. I also found entertaining how the author wanted to protect the identity of the victim and yet managed to fully list out every single detail including photos, addresses, dates, priests involved, mental health institutions, and even a high school yearbook picture. I find that funny. Other than that considering the notoriety of the case it's a very interesting read.

[Turbulent.Skies · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read by Troy Taylor on the 1949 exorcism of St. Louis. Taylor did a well researched and detailed investigation, reporting the facts, and neither disproving or making one believe in what really occurred, but just stating the facts and giving an expert opinion. Furthermore, William Beatty used this incident as a basis for the movie The Exorcist.

Personally, I'm glad I finished this book and done reading it. As I was reading the book "spooky" things were happening during the time I spent at home reading this story. Taylor even mentioned about the mysterious things happening to him while he was writing the book, very... peculiar indeed.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nonfiction book about Exorcisms and the Catholic Church. The author writes about exorcisms that occurred in France and a couple of places in middle America in the 20th century. The exorcism described in the title occurred in 1949 between St. Louis and Maryland, where the victim was living at the time. In each scenario the author presents the facts of the case, and then leaves it up to the reader to decide whether to believe him, or not. I really liked this angle of storytelling even though I was ultimately unable to come to a satisfying conclusion. The exorcism of 1949 was used as the basis for the book and subsequent film, The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. I am giving this book four stars.

[Bob Gaffney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Devil Came To St. Louis

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have watched the film The Exorcist and many tv documentaries over the years which included interviews with Fr. Halloran. Being raised Catholic, I was very aware of exorcisms and had a priest friend that was an investigator for exorcisms tell us some of his investigative stories. With so many paranormal shows presenting the evidence, there is no doubt something otherworldly that is unexplainable is out there. I took Troy’s advice and kept an open mind. The last part of the book convinced me that Ronald’s story was real.

[Cathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am from St. Louis, and actually walked through Bel Nor all the time when I was going to UMSL. I didn't grow up hearing that the Exorcism was based on a incident there and when I heard about the book I purchased it immediately.
I found it easy to read, engaging, and very interesting. If it weren't a possession, and I am not convinced it was, what could have caused some of the behaviors and make the witnesses believe they were seeing what they say they saw. Because I do believe they believed what they said.

[Commit Purple Prose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was busy, so this one took far longer than normal to read.

It is well-researched and an interesting read. Taylor was careful to find primary source material and did not speculate on if Robbie Doe was truly possessed or not. I found Taylor's care on this issue intriguing as most author's end with conclusions about the stories they are writing. Though a slim volume, it does provide interesting information on the Robbie Doe incident and what happened afterwards.

[Dale Muckerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I come from the St. Louis area but never knew that the book The Exorcist was based on events that largely happened in St. Louis. The book does a good job of presenting the known and the rumored details of the case. He maintains a skeptical distance from various interpretations of the events which really are a bit scary. Some pretty weird things apparently happened.

[Matt Sautman · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the history of the 1949 St. Louis Exorcism is interesting, I wish Taylor made use of footnotes and more descriptive writing. The strongest sections tended to be whenever Taylor worked directly from firsthand experiences or interviews. Most of this book though read as if it could have been written by anyone who has carried out similar research. I wanted to like this book more than I did.

[Joanne Leoni · Rating 3 out of 5]

The real Exorcism Story

Extremely detailed account of the real exorcism of the young boy that was the basis of "The Exorcist" book and movie. The end of the exorcism is very powerful. As a practicing Catholic, I believe in evil spirits. Don't ever play with a Ouija board. Well written book!

[Katie Buckingham · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not like this book. It was too text book like and drug on. I wanted a scary, late night read to give me the creeps and all I did was fall asleep after a few pages every time. I did not finish this book.

[Sara Evraets · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much information and incredibly interesting. This book provides years of research and studying along with different theories and perspectives that allow the reader to make up their own opinions and beliefs of what actually happened. I loved it

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scary and well written.

[Tim Schiraldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and unbiased account of the happenings in St Louis in 1949.

[jaynemarie connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Interesting Read

Very interesting story without any assumptions being put forth by the author. Compelling at times with great details of the events.

[Sidnee Sawyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We each make our own devils. And we make this world our hell”

[Adri G.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5* Real o no, juzguen ustedes. Lo que si puedo decir es que me dio miedo, ahí si no puedo mentir.

[Krystyna Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the uncensored version. I greatly enjoyed how Troy told the events and the inclusion of imagery of those people and locations involved from the time. I also appreciated the end of the book where Troy included the various theories associated with what actually happened in 1949.

[Amanda Schwender · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was interesting to me growing up in Saint Louis County. I had always known the story of the Exorcist was dramatized and that there was more to it than the movie and book. But it was enlightening to realize that events even took place in Oakville itself! I won’t spoil anything here. Whether or not you believe in god or in the events that took place or didn’t the book itself seemed well written and enjoyable. If you have an interest in exorcisms or history of Saint Louis it is worth a read for sure!

[Rhys B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really well written book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The author makes it clear from the start that he's not trying to influence you and wants you to make your own mind up on what really happened. He outlines all of the facts along with some other disproven stories. I highly recommend reading this if you have an interest in paranormal activities etc.

[Dayna Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book was fantastic, but not for the faint of heart. The author did a great job of presenting the facts of what happened to Ronnie Hunkeler in 1949 through portions of the Exorcist's Diary and his own interviews. It seriously gave me chills and made me feel uneasy, which doesn't happen often to me! I can't wait to read more by this author.

[Spencer Zhang · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Teresita Basa possession was a little creepy and those things happened during the film making were too. I am not interested in the story of the 1949 exorcism actually, because it's hard for me to believe there is such thing as demonic possession unless I see with my own eyes.

[Shweta47 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too long

It seemed like the exorcism and this book would never end. It was spooky in parts and most of the foul language spoken by the devil in 1949 is now a part of the modern day language of english speaking people.

[Jennifer]

Bob heard about it on the radio & he wants me to rent it for him. This is supposed to be the true story that was altered to make the movie The Exorcist.