How ‘The Ritual’ exorcism movie compares to ”Begone Satan!’ book

‘The Ritual’: Al Pacino, Dan Stevens take on exorcism horror

Al Pacino and Dan Stevens star in “The Ritual,” a horror film based on the account of a 1928 American exorcism.

“The Ritual” exorcism horror drama (now in theaters), starring Al Pacino as the real-life German-American Capuchin friar Theophilus Riesinger and Dan Stevens as Father Joseph Steiger, proudly claims to be “based on true events.”

The star duo delivers hair-raising moments as they recreate the 1928 exorcism of Emma Schmidt (Abigail Cowen). But on a horror level, it pales in comparison to the more sensational source material.

Writer-director David Midell has made it clear “The Ritual” is inspired by the 1935 “Begone Satan!” book by Father Carl Vogl, a German priest and author. Vogl’s exclamation point-filled “true account” of the proceedings in Earling, Iowa, is still available online and makes for great, campy reading.

How ‘Begone Satan!’ emerged as the source of ‘The Ritual’ in Time magazine

Steiger’s job was to host (other churches declined) and to take notes during the harrowing (and reportedly successful) exorcism. The Steiger notes are the purported source of “Begone Satan!” which made front-page news in religious publications like Denver’s Catholic Register years later.

Time magazine brought the story to mainstream readers with a Riesinger-heavy 1936 account of the “diabolical possession.” The Time article demonstrates some skepticism by reminding readers “that no Catholic is obliged to believe in any particular account of a case of diabolical possession outside of those recounted in Scripture.”

At the end of this long, twisted, and sometimes dubious road, “The Ritual” earns the right to make the carefully worded claim in its closing: “The 1928 exorcism of Emma Schmidt represents the most thoroughly documented and well-known exorcism in American history.”

The devil will apparently mess with your car

In an early “Ritual” scene, Steiger apologizes for failing to pick up Riesinger at the train station, attributing the oversight to the devil’s mischief. With 19 exorcisms to his name, he knows that the devil will mess with cars. In “Begone Satan!” Steiger can’t explain why his “tip-top” car takes two hours to get to the station. Riesinger points out that the traveling mishap is the devil “doing his utmost to foil our plans.”

Later, Steiger is nearly killed after inexplicably losing control of his still-new car on a familiar road and crashing it to “smithereens.” The book’s car-totaling “devil’s trick” doesn’t make “The Ritual,” which is a shame, given the rich real-life irony: Stevens’ “Downton Abbey” character, Matthew Crawley, was killed in a Season 3 car crash that allowed him to pursue a film career.

In “Begone Satan!” Steiger’s congregation pitches in to buy a new car for the pastor, which frankly could have been an alternate film ending (with a Ford sponsorship).

Riesinger had met Schmidt’s demons before

In “The Ritual,” Riesinger makes it clear that the case is personal because he had previously exorcised Schmidt. “Begone Satan!” says Riesinger “freed her from this possession” in 1912, but Schmidt “became possessed again” in her 40s.

Schmidt is said to be possessed by four entities that announce themselves as Beelzebub, betraying disciple Judas, Schmidt’s abusive father Jacob and Mina (Jacob’s lover and Schmidt’s aunt).

The devil didn’t mess with the ‘Ritual’ nuns

Three nuns are injured while dealing directly with the possessed Schmidt in “The Ritual,” and Sister Rose (“Twilight” star Ashley Greene) has her hair pulled out of her scalp. In “Begone Satan!” the devil never attacked the nuns, saving his blows for the bigwigs — Pastor Steiger or Mother Superior (played by “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Patricia Heaton).

In “The Ritual,” the demons within Schmidt taunt Steiger with knowledge of his brother’s recent death by suicide. There’s no suggestion of these low blows in “Begone Satan!” But in the book, Steiger gives some memorable verbal shots in that never made the movie, like “detestable hellhound” and “vile serpent.”

Satan also calls Riesinger “dumbbell” when the overtired priest doesn’t get his prayers right. That didn’t make the movie, either.

‘Begone Satan!’ has the possessed woman flying over bed like ‘The Ritual’

The possessed Schmidt throws up black bile often in “The Ritual,” but not as much as in the book. “It was not unusual for her to vomit 20 to 30 times a day,” the book says, including bedside descriptions of wretched output “resembling vomited macaroni.”

The movie scene featuring Schmidt flying over the bed is detailed in “Begone Satan!”

“The possessed woman broke from the grip of her protectors and stood erect before them,” the book says. “Only her heels were touching the bed.”

How ‘Begone Satan!’ ends the story

Unlike the movie, the Iowa exorcism reportedly took place in three stages, in August, September and December 1928.

The book’s climax differs from “The Ritual” ending, which has Schmidt running through the church catacombs, and Steiger stepping up with an exorcist hero moment, shouting down the demon with the Bible in hand.

In the book, levitating Schmidt returns to the bed, and “Satan was forced to leave his victim at last to return to Hell.” Schmidt utters, “My Jesus mercy! Praised be Jesus!” showing she’s clear.

The woman “reportedly lived out the rest of her life peacefully,” the movie says in the closing credits. “Begone Satan!” backs up that happy ending, adding “there were still possessions, but of a milder nature.”