Father Gary Thomas

In his latest film, Anthony Hopkins plays a priest who casts out the Devil… but the churchman who advised him on set reveals here how he has dealt with the real thing…The images are terrifying. Girls scream in agony, their bodies inhumanly contorted. They spit curses and growl in unknown tongues. Demonic possession, and those who battle it, have been a recurrent theme in films from 1973’s classic The Exorcist to this month’s thriller The Rite.

But to Father Gary Thomas The Rite is no Hollywood fantasy. It’s his life. The movie tells the story of the clergyman’s own chilling journey to becoming an exorcist, learning all he knows about battling the Devil from a venerable priest, played on screen by Oscar winner Sir Anthony Hopkins.

“I don’t think I’d ever seen Satan until I became an exorcist,” says Father Thomas, who spent a week on the movie set in Hungary as an adviser. “I’m not offended if someone doesn’t believe it. What I’ve described, I’ve seen.” Hopkins plays Father Lucas, based on Father Thomas’s mentor, Rome’s leading exorcist Father Carmine De Filippis. In the film Father Thomas is renamed Michael Kovak, played by Colin O’Donoghue, Irish star of TV series The Tudors.

But as filming progressed, the cast grew nervous of demonic possession. “The producer and the two key actors all asked me privately if they could be attacked by doing this movie,” says Father Thomas. “I said: ‘I can’t absolutely say yes or no,’ which led me to say: ‘possibly.’ They were afraid.”

Read complete article here {via express.co.uk}

Of all the superstitions prevalent amongst the natives of Ireland at any period, past or present, there is none so grand or fanciful, none which has been so universally assented to or so cordially cherished, as the belief in the existence of the banshee. There are very few, however remotely acquainted with Irish life or Irish history, but must have heard or read of the Irish banshee; still, as there are different stories and different opinions afloat respecting this strange being, I think a little explanation concerning her appearance, functions, and habits will not be unacceptable to my readers.

The banshee, then, is said to be an immaterial and immortal being, attached, time out of mind, to various respectable and ancient families in Ireland, and is said always to appear to announce, by cries and lamentations, the death of any member of that family to which she belongs. She always comes at night, a short time previous to the death of the fated one, and takes her stand outside, convenient to the house, and there utters the most plaintive cries and lamentations, generally in some unknown language, and in a tone of voice resembling a human female. She continues her visits night after night, unless vexed or annoyed, until the mourned object dies, and sometimes she is said to continue about the house for several nights after. Sometimes she is said to appear in the shape of a most beautiful young damsel, and dressed in the most elegant and fantastic garments; but her general appearance is in the likeness of a very old woman, of small stature and bending and decrepit form, enveloped in a winding-sheet or grave-dress, and her long, white, hoary hair waving over her shoulders and descending to her feet. At other times she is dressed in the costume of the middle ages—the different articles of her clothing being of the richest material and of a sable hue. She is very shy and easily irritated, and, when once annoyed or vexed, she flies away, and never returns during the same generation. When the death of the person whom she mourns is contingent, or to occur by unforeseen accident, she is particularly agitated and troubled in her appearance, and unusually loud and mournful in her lamentations. Some would fain have it that this strange being is actuated by a feeling quite inimical to the interests of the family which she haunts, and that she comes with joy and triumph to announce their misfortunes. This opinion, however, is rejected by most people, who imagine her their most devoted friend, and that she was, at some remote period, a member of the family, and once existed on the earth in life and loveliness. It is not every Irish family can claim the honour of an attendant banshee; they must be respectably descended, and of ancient line, to have any just pretensions to a warning spirit. However, she does not appear to be influenced by the difference of creed or clime, provided there be no other impediment, as several Protestant families of Norman and Anglo-Saxon origin boast of their own banshee; and to this hour several noble and distinguished families in the country feel proud of the surveillance of that mysterious being. Neither is she influenced by the circumstances of rank or fortune, as she is oftener found frequenting the cabin of the peasant than the baronial mansion of the lord of thousands. Even the humble family to which the writer of this tale belongs has long claimed the honourable appendage of a banshee; and it may, perhaps, excite an additional interest in my readers when I inform them that my present story is associated with her last visit to that family.

This was a really interesting book. Looking forward to seeing this. {video source: hollywoodstreams}

NOW ON DVD! A new paranormal documentary film from The Booth Brothers, (Spooked, Children of the Grave, The Possessed, Death Tunnel as seen on SyFy, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures). {video source: spookedtv}

The Temptation of Christ 1854 (wikipedia)

The roots of demonology are nearly impossible to trace.  A brief study of world religions both current and past turns up a variety of malevolent beings that behave in similar ways to how Christians perceive demons.  It is known for example that the grimoires, books of magic, used in Babylon and Sumeria refer to evil spirits that cause disease and other ills.  These texts also contained spells for driving them off and recommendations of ways to ward them off.  While this is the earliest written example of demonology it can also be reasonably inferred that traditions of malevolent spirits that were not of human origin go back even farther.  Beliefs found both among the Native Americans and   in Africa reference evil spirits that interact with human beings up to and including possession.

The forms of demonology most recognizable in the modern world really begin in Judaism.  While the names given for the spirits are different records do exist of rabbi’s performing rites of exorcism.  Of particular note here is the belief in dybbuks and Lilith.  Dybbuks are spirits of the dead who possess human bodies to fulfill specific goals.  These spirits can be either good or evil and ritual methods to remove them do exist.  Lilith herself is one of the most interesting figures in demonology.  She has been seen as: a fertility goddess, the first wife of Adam, the original old hag/succubus, mother of demons, Queen of Hell and wife, at least one of many, of Satan.  Originally, at least in Jewish lore, she was simply seen as a demonic figure known for sitting upon her victims in the night and choking the life out of them.   Later speculation arose that she was the original wife of Adam, who left the garden of Eden after growing tired of Adam’s demands she submit to him.  The story goes on that three angels were sent to fetch her back.  She refused, cursing them and again is believed to have become a demon with a particular taste for human children.  While no version of Lilith’s story appears in the Bible it’s worth noting that the screech owl, or night monster depending on the translation used, referred to in Isaiah 34:14 is often thought to be a reference to Lilith.

Read complete article here. {via The Examiner}

St. Anthony plagued by demons (wikipedia)

Read complete article here. {via The Examiner}

*****WARNING: MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY***** ’Legion’. Trailer for the upcoming horror/thriller movie.When God loses faith in Mankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity’s only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner and the Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany). {source: Stevie Trailers}

Possession

Another controversial topic in the paranormal is possession. This is another subject that has been ignored by science and torn apart by doctors. Is this something that is the product of fantasy or explained medically? Or is it possible for entities to take over the body and mind of a living person? When dealing with possession there are actually many categories, for this article we will concentrate on evil control, that of the demonic.

Demonic possession is when the human body is taken over by demons or even Satan himself. There are 5 levels of possession. I would like to state that I am not a priest nor a demonologist, if you think you may be dealing with demonic possession seek help.

Read complete article here. {via The Examiner}

Interview with Exorcist Fr. Jose Antonio Fortea. This is a multi-part series with many subjects including, phenomena, possession, sin, witchcraft and more. {source: Dollyhot}

Negative?

Over the last several years, the viewing public has been inundated with paranormal television programs such as SciFi’s Ghost Hunters, A&E’s Paranormal State and the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures.  Investigative teams attempt to prove the existence of the spirit world and its coexistence with the living world. Although the media would seemingly have us believe that every other house on the block is inhabited by ethereal beings, a true haunting is more unique than one might think. Of course it is not the intention of individual programs, most notably Ghost Hunters and TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society), to create fear among the viewing public; but, more importantly, the goal of TAPS and other like-minded groups is to educate viewers on the true nature of ghosts. Sometimes, this message gets lost in the heavily saturated media that bombards us with clever editing.

Read complete article here. {via The Examiner}