The Exorcism of Roland Doe

This week on Lunatic Soup, we dig into the real 1949 case that inspired The Exorcist: the exorcism of the boy long known as “Roland Doe.” We break down the documented events from Maryland to St. Louis, the priests’ eyewitness accounts, the diary entries, the medical theories, and the decades‑long secrecy surrounding the boy now believed to be Ronald Hunkeler. From moving furniture to unexplained markings to the Jesuits who risked their reputations, this episode unpacks what’s fact, what’s folklore, and why this case became the blueprint for every possession story that followed.