Ep 221: The True Story Behind the Exorcist Part 3
“I have never felt that he faked any of it. He was a nice kid. What happened, I can’t say, but it was not a hoax.”
Description:
Now that we've heard the shocking details of Ronnie Hunkeler's exorcism, we're once again left to wonder at what point does a logical, scientific explanation become inadequate in accounting for all the extreme events that occurred? Looking objectively at Ronnie's behavior before, during, and after the exorcisms, those who favor a psychiatric or medical diagnosis could explain them as the result of an ailment like Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Dissociative identity disorder, or perhaps Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis along with comorbidities. For those who believe in supernatural possibilities, then a spiritual force of possession could explain the incredible actions, or maybe one in conjunction with a medical condition; for them, the two are not mutually exclusive. Yet mental illness or a brain abnormality only goes so far in explaining Ronnie's lifetime of conduct. While he may have had a difficult childhood with an overbearing mother and grandmother, there are no indications that he suffered any ongoing abuse severe enough to bring about PTSD that is often the gateway to the mental illnesses mentioned above. After Ronnie's time with the priests and the rites, it seems he went on to lead a disorder-free life with a successful career. Our current understanding of psychology states that these conditions don't go away on their own and are only manageable by the patient through ongoing behavioral therapy and medication. And if the eye-witness testimony is correct, then psychological diagnoses can't begin to account for the poltergeist activity experienced leading up to and during the exorcisms. In the end, whatever horrors that terrorized Ronnie and those around him in 1949 seemed to leave him once and for all, but they may not have left every place he experienced them. In our final chapter on this series, we'll hear from our friend, popular St. Louis radio talk show host Dave Glover. In 2008, Dave and his crew staged a contest for one of their Halloween Specials. Three listeners won the chance to see if they could sit alone for an hour in the bedroom where Ronnie's exorcism began, in the former home of Ronnie's aunt and uncle, Doris and Leonard Hunkeler, on Roanoke Drive in Bel Nor, Missouri. None of them made it past a few minutes. Whether from overactive imaginations or a lingering presence of evil, either explanation for the primal fear and torment one feels matters as little to the person at that moment as it does to the Devil himself. Neither he nor your senses care what you believe.
The Dave Glover Show 2008 Halloween Special – The Exorcist House
Talk radio show contestants see if they can spend an hour sitting alone in the former bedroom of Ronnie’s cousin Neil, where his exorcism began. The house at 8435 Roanoke Drive in Bel Nor, Missouri belonged to Ronnie’s aunt and uncle, Doris and Leonard Hunkeler.
The Dave Glover Show 2008 Halloween Special: The Exorcist House
Location:
The home of Leonard Hunkeler, Ronnie’s uncle, at 8435 Roanoke Drive in Bel Nor, Missouri. It was in this house where Ronnie’s exorcisms began.
Reference Links:
Facebook page for The Dave Glover talk radio show on KMOX 1120 AM – 98.7 FM
“The Impossibility of the Inert: Placebo and the Essence of Healing” by Thomas J. Csordas
“Your Complete Guide to Pure-O OCD” by By Nicholas Farrell on TreatMyOCD.com
Other Troy Taylor books and offerings from American Hauntings Ink
“How to Pray the Rosary Beginner’s Guide” from The Catholic Company
“Couple unknowingly purchases 'The Exorcist' house” from NPR.org, October 3, 2021
The 1973 William Friedkin classic horror motion picture, The Exorcist on IMDb
“Father Gabriele Amorth: The Vatican’s Chief Exorcist” from Biographics on YouTube
“Vatican exorcist reveals his most haunting experiences” from A Current Affair on YouTube
“Figures of Babylon: oldest drawing of a ghost found in British Museum vault” from The Guardian
Related Books:
Suggested Listening:
Halloween Roundtable on Kolchak’s Loop podcast with hosts Robert Beury and Bradley Netherton
Episode description: “Join Kolchak’s Loop for the Halloween Special of a lifetime!! Guests include Rodney Barnes, Rich Hatem, Forrest Burgess, James Rice, and Mark Dawidziak. Join us as we spend the night in a haunted mansion talking about all things creepy and macabre! Our guests tell us their favorite horror shows and movies, paranormal experiences they’ve had, and horror toys they played with. Rodney and Rich talk about the stress of being television writers, and James gives some amazing insight into his father and tells stories from his dad’s childhood living in Las Vegas.
You never know what guests will stop by! You will also hear from Forrest’s other Astonishing Legends half Scott Philbrook, Independent Professional Wrestler Danhausen, and Buddy Candela from Buddy’s House of Horror.”
Peer Beyond The Veil podcast with host Mark Watson and its “2021 monsters ball”
Episode description: “As the nights draw long, the leaves flicker red and brown and carpet the land, and the great hearth fire is stoked. In from the dark come all manner of creatures, the lost souls of the underworld, seeking shelter from the encroaching frosts. It is around that fire that we gather tonight for stories of the darkness, tales from the crypt, legends of the beyond.
We are honoured to welcome to the fray;
- Forrest Burgess, the magnificent host of the Astonishing Legends - https://www.astonishinglegends.com
- James Shakeshaft, my fellow countryman from Loremen - http://www.loremenpodcast.com
- Joshua Cutchin, a fantastic author and previous guest on the show - https://www.joshuacutchin.com
- Anna Timperley and Lindsey Behee from Ghost In The Attic, Bodies In The Basement - https://www.facebook.com/GABBPodcast
- 'Toledo' Joe Shortridge, one of the co-hosts of the awesome 222 Paranormal - https://www.facebook.com/222paranormal
and special guest;
- Allen Greenfield, the incredibly mind and author behind many books on the subject of the paranormal and the recent Hellier documentary
So join us for a one-night only special ad-free event, the 2021 Peer Beyond The Veil MONSTERS BALL!
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CREDITS:
Episode 221: The True Story Behind the Exorcist Part 3. Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess; Audio Editing by Sarah Vorhees Wendel and Brandon Shexnayder. Sound Design by Ryan McCullough; Tess Pfeifle, Producer, and Lead Researcher; Graphics Animation by Joshua Slone. Research Support from the astonishing League of Astonishing Researchers, a.k.a. The Astonishing Research Corps, or "A.R.C." for short. Copyright 2021 Astonishing Legends Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.