The flickering light of a single candle. A girl writhing on a bed, speaking in voices not her own. Holy water sizzles on her skin. This is the opening mood of THE RITUAL (2025), a chilling new horror film that grips audiences with its intense portrayal of faith, fear, and something unexplainable. Even scarier, though, is the fact that The Ritual is not entirely made up. Inspired by the true story of Emma Schmidt, whose possession and exorcism shocked the Catholic world in the early 1900s, this scary story is based on a case that helped shape The Exorcist.
Directed by David Midell and co-written with Enrico Natale, The Ritual stars Abigail Cowen as the tormented Emma Schmidt. Legendary actor Al Pacino plays Capuchin friar Father Theophilus Riesinger, while Dan Stevens takes on the role of Father Joseph Steiger, a local priest caught in a crisis of faith. The film draws heavily from actual historical records and the Church-sanctioned booklet Begone Satan! to reconstruct a terrifying account of demonic possession. But how much of what we see on screen actually happened?
IS THE RITUAL (2025) BASED ON REAL EVENTS?
Yes, The Ritual is based on a true story. It’s about one of the most famous and controversial exorcisms the Catholic Church has ever kept track of. The movie shows what happened when a woman named Emma Schmidt, who was also called Anna Ecklund or Mary X in some sources, was exorcised in 1928. The story has interested both paranormal researchers and skeptics, making it hard to tell the difference between believing in the supernatural and being mentally ill.
Father Carl Vogl wrote a booklet called Begone Satan! in 1935 that talked about Emma’s case. The story gives a clear picture of how religious priests in a remote convent in Earling, Iowa, fought a spiritual war. The movie does a great job of adapting these events, but what’s really scary is Emma’s pain, no matter if you think it was caused by demons or mental illness.
WHO WAS EMMA SCHMIDT?
Born March 23, 1882, Emma Schmidt began to display troubling symptoms as early as age 14. Her story is one of pain, spiritual confusion, and deep trauma. According to historical accounts, Emma had been sexually abused by her father. Even scarier, Emma’s aunt Mina, who was her father’s mistress, was accused of witchcraft and child murder. People thought that Mina had cursed Emma by putting herbs in her food that were meant to make it sick.
Because of these events in his early life, Father Riesinger tried to exorcise a demon for the first time in 1912. Emma’s condition got worse over the years, even though it got better for a while. She had delusions, was depressed, and said she heard evil voices telling her to do bad things that were against God. Emma didn’t think she was going crazy.
Emma had one of the most well-known and upsetting exorcisms in American history in 1928, when she was 46 years old. She was taken to a secluded Franciscan convent in Earling, Iowa. There, under the supervision of Father Theophilus Riesinger and the assistance of Father Joseph Steiger, a series of exorcisms were performed over 23 grueling days.
WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE EXORCISM?
According to Father Vogl’s Begone Satan!, Emma’s behavior was terrifying and inexplicable. She reportedly levitated, clung to walls, vomited foul substances, and reacted violently to sacred objects. She spoke in multiple languages she had never studied and screamed blasphemies with inhuman voices.
Father Riesinger, portrayed in The Ritual by Al Pacino, claimed that Emma was possessed by four distinct entities: Beelzebub, Judas Iscariot, her Aunt Mina, and her father. The battle between good and evil raged in that convent for weeks. At one point, Riesinger conducted three consecutive days and nights of uninterrupted exorcism rites—an act of immense physical and spiritual endurance.
Eventually, Emma was freed from the torment, though some accounts suggest the possession returned at intervals until her death. Still, those final days in 1928 are remembered as the climax of her spiritual struggle.
EMMA SCHMIDT IN THE RITUAL (2025)
In the film, Abigail Cowen brings new life—and horror—to the figure of Emma. Though Cowen is only 27, the filmmakers chose her to reflect Emma’s emotional fragility and youth-like vulnerability, even though the real woman was in her 40s during the exorcism. Midell’s direction doesn’t shy away from portraying the trauma Emma endured. While much of the movie focuses on the clash between the two priests—Steiger’s wavering faith and Riesinger’s zealous conviction—it never loses sight of Emma’s suffering.
Cowen’s performance is visceral and grounded. Through her, we see a woman caught between belief systems—medical and spiritual—at a time when female trauma was often misunderstood or ignored. Her scenes of possession are dramatic but intentionally crafted to reflect descriptions from the actual records. Bile vomiting, violent rage, and unnatural physical abilities mirror what was said to have happened in that Iowa convent nearly a century ago.
FACT OR FICTION?
As director Midell has pointed out, what you take away from The Ritual depends on your worldview. The Church’s version of events is one of evil defeated through faith. Skeptics might see a woman suffering from undiagnosed mental illness, exploited by superstition and religious zealotry. Midell says he was “struck by the scientific and fact-based approach many have taken in relation to seemingly unexplainable events.”
In the end, The Ritual offers no easy answers. It dramatizes an extraordinary real-life event, but acknowledges that belief in possession or pathology remains subjective. What is undeniable, however, is the pain endured by Emma Schmidt—and the courage it must have taken to survive it.
For those curious about the intersection of faith, fear, and the unexplained, The Ritual is more than a horror film. It’s a disturbing echo from the past, reminding us of a time when evil had many names and a girl named Emma bore the weight of them all.
Visit tvacute.com again soon for more The Ritual updates, behind-the-scenes insights, and real-life stories that inspired your favorite horror films.
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