NASA engineer whose life inspired The Exorcist: Paranormal odyssey of Roland Edwin Hunkeler
NASA engineer Roland Edwin Hunkeler, whose demonic possession inspired The Exorcist, dies at 86 in 2020.
Do you remember the iconic 1973 film, The Exorcist? This horror masterpiece, inspired by a true story, revolves around Roland Edwin Hunkeler. Born in 1935, Hunkeler faced paranormal occurrences at 14, hearing mysterious sounds and witnessing furniture moving on its own. Reverend Luther Schulze documented these eerie events in a letter to Duke University, describing shaking beds, moving chairs, and even a picture of Christ shaking.
Seeking help, Hunkeler's family enlisted Jesuit priest William Bowdern, who performed over 20 exorcisms. On March 10, 1949, during a session with 14 witnesses, Hunkeler entered a trance. Admitted to Alexian Brothers Hospital on March 21, an article in The Washington Post on August 20, 1949, reported that Hunkeler was "freed by a Catholic priest of possession by the devil."
Remarkably, Hunkeler, after surviving this ordeal, led a remarkable life as a NASA engineer, contributing to the Apollo missions. He patented technology for space shuttle panels. In 2020, just before his 86th birthday, he passed away from cardiac arrest, leaving behind a legacy that goes beyond the eerie events of his youth.
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