The Four-Day Exorcism Of Joan Vollmer

In the remote outback of Victoria in 1993, Ralph Vollmer believed his wife, Joan, was possessed.

Ralph enlisted members of his local religious community to perform an exorcism, hoping to rid Joan of the ten demons they believed controlled her. What followed was a horrific four-day ordeal that ended in Joan’s death. 

Margaret Thanos is the director of Furious Mattress, a play based on Joan Vollmer’s tragic story. It raises the question: what are the ethics of turning a real-life tragedy into entertainment?

You can find tickets to see Furious Mattress here.

THE END BITS 

Subscribe to Mamamia

CREDITS

Guest: Margaret Thanos

Host: Gemma Bath

Producer: Tahli Blackman

Audio Producer: Jacob Round

GET IN TOUCH

Email us at [email protected] or send us a voice note to give us feedback or suggest a case for the podcast.

Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. You can also leave a comment for us on Spotify. 

If any of the contents in this episode have caused distress, know that there is help available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.