Couple unwittingly buys chilling ‘haunted’ house which inspired The Exorcist – and now know why it was so cheap
A COUPLE who thought they bagged their dream home for a bargain later discovered it was the scene of a real-life "demonic possession" that inspired The Exorcist.
Ben Rockey-Harris and Danielle Witt were delighted when they found the Maryland three-bed house for $50,000 under the typical price in the area.
The couple closed on the house, located in Cottage City, last August after months of searching for affordable houses.
But it was only after they had bought it that they learned of the home's haunted history after a deep-dive online.
"Literally that evening when our realtor called us and told us we got it, I Googled it - and I think I screamed," Witt told NPR.
In 1949 a 14-year-old boy was said to be possessed by a demon in the Maryland home,
From reports at the time, a Catholic priest is said to have performed a rare exorcism on the boy to drive out evil spirits.
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Priests who visited the home claimed to have seen furniture mysteriously flip over as the teen screamed Latin phrases - a language he reportedly never studied.
Years later a Georgetown University student heard about the event and wrote a cult classic novel based on the events.
It was released in 1971 and two years later it was turned into a film which became a smash hit.
Upon learning of the house's history, Witt said: "Honestly, the first thing I thought was, oh, God, this is going to tank our resale value.
"And then the next thought I had was, maybe I better rewatch that, start learning more about what it is that we just bought.
"And also, I had no idea that that was even based on a real story."
However, the couple said they are not afraid of the home's past and will embrace it for Halloween this year.
"I thinking I'm going to get a Catholic priest Halloween costume this year and get an amplified speaker and have The Exorcist soundtrack just playing on a loop on our front porch for trick-or-treaters," Rockey-Harris said.
Although the couple are not without their reservations.
When a friend asked Witt if they should bring an ouija board to recreate some of the scenes in the film - she said no.
"The last time someone did that, they made a movie about my house," she joked.
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