Obituary; Jesuit Helped Inspire the Exorcist,' Served in Vietnam

Summary

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As a Jesuit seminarian in 1949, Walter H. Halloran was involved in an exorcism rite that became the inspiration for the book and movie known as "The Exorcist."

It was a fame he did not seek and did not want. Decades later, in the glare of the public spotlight, Halloran acknowledged his role, speaking only reluctantly. He also decried the sensationalism created by William Peter Blatty's 1971 bestseller and later the movie, saying they were only loosely based on actual events. In one notable change, the real-life boy became a girl in the fictional story.

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Obituary; Jesuit Helped Inspire the Exorcist,' Served in Vietnam

Halloran, the last surviving Jesuit member involved in the case, died Tuesday. He was 83. In 2003, with a diagnosis of cancer, he retired to the St. Camillus Jesuit Community in Wauwatosa.

A native of Jackson, Minn., Ha...

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