In a quiet suburban Maryland community in 1949, a dark chapter in history began when a 14-year-old boy named Ronald Edwin Hunkeler, mistakenly known as Roland Doe, made an unusual request for his birthday: a Ouija board.
This simple request, which at first seemed like an innocent curiosity, sparked a series of supernatural events that would inspire the iconic film The Exorcist. Here we tell you what happened.
Roland Doe, the boy who inspired ‘The Exorcist’
The story of Ronald Edwin Hunkeler, who was born on June 1, 1935 and died on May 10, 2020, has remained in the shadows for decades, hidden under the pseudonym Roland Doe. However, an investigation conducted in December 2021 by ‘The Skeptical Inquirer’ and ‘The Guardian’ has shed light on the true identity of this man and the details behind his terrifying experience.
The mystery began when Ronald’s aunt, with connections in the world of spiritualism, gave him the Ouija board. What followed was an increasingly disturbing series of events. After his aunt’s death, Ronald tried to contact her through the ouija, but something went horribly wrong.
His personality changed drastically. He became aggressive and uncontrollable, even towards his mother, so the family sought medical answers, but no rational explanation seemed sufficient for his strange transformations.
In desperation, the family finally found Father Raymond J. Bishop, who recognized the seriousness of the situation and performed exorcisms to no avail.
Marks on Ronald’s body that read “LOUIS” eventually led the family to St. Louis University, where they met Father Walter H. Halloran and Reverend William Bowdern. Together, with the help of Father William Van Roo, they performed an exorcism that they deemed successful, ending the horror that plagued Ronald.
The true story behind the ‘possessed child’
The truth behind the legend of “The Exorcist” is far less spectacular than the film suggests and differs significantly from the popular narrative.
Over the years, various aspects of the story have been debunked, such as that Ronald did not change the tone of his voice or display supernatural strength.
The use of the Latin language is attributed to imitation of Catholic rituals performed during exorcisms.
Most amazing of all, Ronald lived a normal and successful life after these events. He became an engineer and contributed to NASA’s Apollo program before retiring in 2001. Despite his achievements, he was always singled out as “The Exorcist’s Boy”, leaving his house every Halloween to avoid unwanted attention.
The story of Ronald Edwin Hunkeler, finally revealed, sheds new light on one of the most puzzling cases that inspired one of the scariest films in film history. His life after the exorcism shows that behind the inexplicable events was an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life beyond his fame, but let us know in the comments if you already know him and what you think about his case.
Source: univision
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
