Author: Lori Lentini

Generation X gamer girl, marketing professional and closet horror writer. Lover of fast moving horror movies, slow moving zombies and historically based paranormal lore.

Nostradamus and Ancient Predictions About Pandemic: Did We have Prophetic Warnings?

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Featured Horror Mystery and Lore

Still rubbing your eyes and thinking you are in some kind of bad B rated horror movie about a viral epidemic that spreads throughout the world?   We tried that whole thing where you take a nap and wake up hoping for an alternative reality; yet here we are.  Global pandemic. Just like some of our favorite apocalyptic movies.  Except we’re living it, and we don’t know when things will ‘go back to normal’.

The writers are Puzzle Box Horror have been spending some time on the couch (not the therapists couch —(yet) just our regular couch with our dogs and favorite horror books or movies). And we’ve been watching some pretty ‘out there’ claims about ancient prophesies about plagues.   So, we thought we’d do a bit of digging to see if oral tradition, history and lore have provided us with a warning about a global pandemic.

Meet Nostradamus the Prophet Most Likely to be Misquoted on Social Media

You can’t really talk about eerie futuristic predictions from prophets, without hearing Nostradamus’ name come up in conversation.  But do you know why this unusual and uncannily accurate contemporary prophet is thought to be one of the more reliable sources for future predictions?

Nostradamus was born in France in 1503, and he became a renowned physician who specialized in treating plague victims in both Italy and France.  He was surrounded by death and the battle for life constantly, and many people believe he suffered both a psychotic break and psychic awakening at the same time as he began to delve into occult practices.   He wrote a book called “The Prophecies” in 1555.

While dealing with the plague, Nostradamus developed some innovative and highly effective therapies, that focused on hygiene (which was revolutionary at the time in medicine) and the use of natural extracts including rosehip, Vitamin C, low fat diets and fresh air and exercise for his patients.  Because of his celebrity status as a successful physician and healer, he was financially supported by wealthy families in Provence.

While Nostradamus was traveling on a medical mission to Italy, his wife and children succumbed to the plague.  The fact that he was unable to heal or save his own family, did significant damage to his celebrity reputation as a renowned healer, and he lost much of his patronages from the upper class in Provence as a result.

 In 1547 he remarried a rich widow named Anne Ponsarde, and they had six children together.  Nostradamus published two medical books “Galen, the Roman Physician” and “The Traite des Fardemens”, which was a recipe book of medicinal concoctions for treating the plague as well as preparations for cosmetics to hide symptoms of illness effectively.

The prophet would spend hours before a bowl of hot water, in which a secret blend of herbs was steeped which he would inhale.  After imbibing the infusion, he would then begin to write his prophesies, many of which have come true throughout history, since the publishing of “The Prophecies” in 1555.

Some suspect that the use of psychedelic compounds was used by Nostradamus to acquire the state of mental levity and clairvoyance, where he could see into the future and predict events and disasters.  We may never know what ‘herbs’ he used, but there are an impressive number of predictions that seem to have come true over the past 465 years.

The Meme About Nostradamus Predicting COVID-19 Pandemic is False

Of course, in a high-stress super surreal “what kind of horror movie has our reality become’ moment in human history, there is going to be a meme that gets everyone going.  We’re not against memes that are funny, but this one is pretty convincing and terror inducing if you are already feeling more than a little unhinged about the current world events.

When you read that meme, you are probably thinking… ‘woah, that’s pretty coincidental considering the current pandemic’.   Well, that’s the thing about fake memes; they are meant to convince you that they are true and freak you out more than little.

Snopes fact checked the meme, and guess what? In all the quatrains in Nostradamus, there is no reference as indicated in the meme.  So, you can scratch that one off the list of lore and legend; and if you think about it, Nostradamus lived in a time of plague, lost family to plague, so predicting a dire plague in the future wouldn’t have been that revolutionary for him.  Plague was kind of part of their daily back in the 1500s.

The Prophecy from a Buddhist Monk That Made Us Lose Sleep

We don’t debunk paranormal, and we are explorers into horror and the unexplained.  So, even though the meme about Nostradamus was a wash, that doesn’t mean that there are not other kinds of prophesies out there that DO strike that creepy note for accuracy, beyond circumstantial evidence.

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“The year 2020 – The year all of China will weep. The omens will be so bad that the New Year will not be celebrated. Then the plague will come. It will come with a fury – the tigers and the wolves will hide in the mountains. The plague will encompass all the land – and will eventually spread to the whole world. Very soon – rice will become so expensive that no one can eat. Then the rivers will sink all the boats. People in that year will only be able to harvest rice in the very early spring. There will be no harvest of late season rice, beans, wheat, and oats because vast clouds of locusts will lay waste to the entire countryside.”

This was written by a Buddhist Monk in the Forbidden City (Gentleman Zigong) in the 20th century, and excerpt from the “Ancient Internal Bible”.  Then the Buddhist Monk furthers:

“I, Gentleman Zigong, will tell you Chinese in 2020 how to survive. Remain very close to your families and your neighbors. The best is to have stored up plenty of gold and food to live and share freely with those you love. Tolerate no thieves among the people. Be uniters and not dividers. If you can do all these things, you will survive.”

Have you heard of any other prophesies that seem to point toward the current COVID19 global pandemic?  Share a link with us in the comments below.

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4 Paranormal Houses That We Wouldn’t Buy (Or Live In) If You Paid Us

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Haunted Places

The supernatural movie theme starts a little like this; a hopeful family moves (for one reason or another) into a rental home or buys a house to start building a future.  Queue the audience at the beginning of the story that something maybe isn’t right with the property.  The rent is a little too cheap.  The house? On the market for a few years but definitely ‘a steal’ in the neighborhood.

One of the reasons why these movies (some of which are founded in true victim account stories) are so devastating, is because they strike that human chord.  We all hope for a great place to live that isn’t going to break our budget.  And moving into a new home is symbolic of great things and a fresh start.

In fact, that positive emotion is so strong, that a clever horror screen writer will start dropping the audience tips that the protagonists are not seeing.  Small things like blood dripping from a faucet, randomly breaking mirrors, or the occasional crucifix that just won’t stay on the wall (no matter how many times the residents put it patiently back up).  And the acceleration of paranormal events begins in a match between malevolent spirits and the residents of the home. Like the ultimate bad roommate death match.

Here are our picks for 5 movies where the homeowner, renter or family definitely should have moved out sooner than they did. 

1. High Hopes – The Amityville House

We are going to start with one of the most infamous haunted houses in American lore and history.  High Hopes was the original name of the prestigious home located in Amityville New York.   The home boasts a roomy floor plan of five bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, scenic lake views of Long Island, and was most recently listed for sale for $850,000 (U.S.) in 2016. The home was finally sold for $1.2 million after an extensive bidding war between interested buyers.

Really? Call us a little skeptical but the history of the home would be hard to forget, no matter how hot the Long Island real estate market is.  A real estate disclosure reports that in total, there have been 7 deaths at High Hopes.  One man who died inside the home of an illness in 1939, and then the tragic murders of the six members of the DeFeo family.

The property has been owned by four different families since the murders, and aside from George and Cathy Lutze, who left the home and all their belongings inside of it claiming possession and haunting, no other others have reported unusual paranormal activities in the home. 

Would you buy High Hopes and live there? Share your comments with us below.

2. The Allen House – Arkansas

When you arrive in Monticello, Arkansas, there is one haunted mansion that catches your eye.  It rises like a historical monolith of Queen Anne and Gothic architecture, with large stately pillars, French gardens and more than a few angry ghosts inside the 8,500 square foot mansion. Welcome to The Allen House in Arkansas.

A fated love story of a young woman who fell in love with a married man. Despite the passion shared by Ladell Allen, the daughter of the rich businessman who commissioned the mansion, and her married high school sweetheart Prentiss Hemingway Savage (an oil executive from Minnesota), Prentiss was unwilling to leave his wife and family.  In 1949, Ladell poisoned herself and died in the hospital.  Her spirit is said to be a dark and angry presence in the home, and her bedroom was left in state after her passing for more than thirty years.

There are believed to be 6 ghosts that live in The Allen House with the new owners, Mark and Rebecca Spencer.  Old love letters from Ladell and Prentiss were unearthed after they purchased the home and are predominantly displayed in frames to preserve the history.

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Paranormal activity for the family runs the gamut of sounds, moving objects and doppelganger activity.  Some of the ghosts like to appear as the Spencer’s son in the home, when the child is at school or off the property.  They ‘try not to take it seriously’ and remain believers but dismissive of the activity, as they continue to live with their ghostly roommates (and conduct annual Halloween tours of the mansion).

Some homeowners simply want extra closet space. Others want a built-in menagerie of paranormal fun 24/7 and don’t lose a wink of sleep.

3.The Cage – St. Osyth, Essex U.K.

The building started as a rooming house of sorts, and in 1582 it held 13 ‘witches’ who were placed on trial in St. Osyth, Essex.   One of the famous witches of the period trials, Ursula Kemp, was found guilty and hung with two other women who spent their days waiting for a moment in court.  Not that legal defense was really a ‘thing’ for women accused of witchcraft in the day.

The home has remained unchanged in terms of dimension and odd angles of construction, while being renovated on the inside.  Research into The Cage revealed that throughout history, homeowners resided in the dwelling a short span of three years or less, before leaving due to paranormal activity.

Residents have reported a malevolent goat demon that walks through the home, random spattering of blood on walls and counters, and regular sightings of spiritual entities.  It is so common in fact, that the present owner (who experienced a demonic attack while she was pregnant) refuses to live in the home and has struggled to find a new buyer because of the reputation the home has earned in the community.

4. Willows Weep – Cayuga, Indiana

If you love watching and learning about paranormal events and hauntings, chances are you have seen this famous home on YouTube. Willow’s Weep is the nickname for an otherwise unremarkable looking old home, if it was not built in the shape of an upside down cross! Did we mention it is also built at a crossroads?  Yikes.

Willow’s Weep was originally constructed in the 1800s, and it faces east toward the crossroads. In paranormal land, that’s like building an altar at a powerful negative energy location.  Deliberately. The home is also surrounded by several Native American ancient burial sites, and the land around the home has its own history of bloodshed, war and loss.

An occult ritual book was found buried beneath the original floor.  Previous owners and renters have reported demonic attacks that feel life threatening, and several teams of paranormal experts have conducted their own studies on Willow’s Weep.  Many of them experienced similar instances of spiritual or physical attack by malevolent entities, orbs and telekinesis or the movement of objects or people in a violent way.

Willow’s Weep is currently owned by paranormal investigator Dave Spinks, who is fundraising to create an indie movie about the history of the home and haunted happenings.  Some American paranormal experts have labeled Willow’s Weep as the most malevolently haunted building in the country.

Should you stay or should you go? If you find yourself in a situation where you have the worst paranormal room mates ever, try some of the steps recommended for cleaning your space.  Life is a little too short to be dealing with creepy entities up in your business.

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Why You Should Never Buy a Dybbuk Box on eBay

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Lifestyle
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This Dybbuk box was for sale on Etsy.

For hardcore paranormal believers, the subject of haunted objects holds a lot of fascination.  Is it possible for a demonic spirit to be encapsulated in an inanimate object? And if so, what happens if you become the owner, and you open it?

We did a little research in January to see how many Dybbuk boxes were actually for sale on eBay.  At the time of writing, there were 367 Dybbuk boxes for sale on eBay, and each of them came with a ‘caveat emptor’ or buyer-beware warning like: “dangerous apparition attached” and “do not open”.

We’ve all heard about people who experience disruptive and even life-threatening encounters with the paranormal by accident; they move into a house, use spiritual messaging like a ouija board or tarot cards, or visit a haunted location and something ‘hitches a ride’ back home with them.  But would you ever willingly purchase a haunted object and bring it into your house?  Let us know in the comments below. 

What is the Judaic History and Culture Surrounding Dybbuk Boxes?

Dybbuk boxes were used in the Hebrew faith for thousands of years, but they were not something that was talked about publicly.  Imagine a situation where a family or home was infected with a benevolent entity; the Rabbi would come to your home, study it and then determine the intervention which would seal the demon in the box. 

However, in the Jewish faith, these Dybbuk boxes were never intended to be passed on to another individual. In fact, if your family had a Dybbuk box, it was like having an entity that had attached itself to your household; a curse that could last generations.  And so, the Dybbuk box and the existence of them were a secret among devote Hebrew families; they hid the box, and they protected it from being opened or damaged.  

The Jewish faith actually downplays demonology, but there are many examples within the historical religious texts that provide instructions on dealing with demonic manifestations.  Demons in Hebrew text are called Sheydim.  The first Sheydim of course, was Lilith. 

In Jewish mythology, a Dybbuk is actually a malicious spirit that is believed to not be demonic, but the disenfranchised soul of a dead person. Dybbuks can possess people to accomplish a goal, such as revenge or in the act of bringing someone to justice for a horrific crime.  This is another reason why the Dybbuk boxes were not always feared in the Hebrew faith, but respected.  

From that perspective, the box represented insulation of the spirit from influence (or preventing it from possessing someone).  But the Dybbuk itself may be a close family member also who passed on; the perspective of the box and entity is much different in the Hebrew faith.  And very different from the horror movies and occult accounts that proliferate the web today, about haunted boxes and Dybbuk demons. The rough translation of the word “Dybbuk” in Hebrew means “to cling”. 

If you are interested in learning more about Judaic demonology and mythology, check out the podcast “Throwing Sheyd” by Miriam Brosseau and Alan Jay Sufrin. 

Are Dybbuk Boxes Truly Sealed?

So, assuming you believe that a benevolent entity is trapped inside a Dybbuk box, how exactly do you prevent the spirit or demon from escaping the box?  We can imagine that the idea of having a Dybbuk box as part of your paranormal collection of lore may be appealing, but probably less so if you think there is a possibility that it can get out, and start causing real problems for you. 

One thing you will notice about Dybbuk boxes for sale (and historical write-ups about them) is that they are always sealed with wax.  But not just any kind of wax.  The ritual for sealing a Dybbuk box involves a Rabbi or a Priest and incantations, followed by the sealing of all possible exits for the entity from the box by white wax.

White candles are known in lore and ancient religions for having a cleansing and purification power, that repels negative energy and provides protection.   All colors on the spectrum are derived from pure white light, which has the power of consecration.  White reflects no light and has virtually no ability to absorb energy (white candles conduct less heat than other colors of wax).  Therefore (if you believe the lore) the white wax acts as an impermeable barrier preventing the entity or spirit from leaving the box. 

Now you know why so many Churches worldwide use white candles in temples and places of worship.  For more than 2,000 years, white candles have been used in all faiths to repel evil, and prevent demonic influence from harming people. 

Can a Dybbuk Box Influence You If It Is Not Opened?

There are many fascinating stories about people who have purchased or inherited what they believe to be an authentic haunted Dybbuk box.  Again, is not the box that is the problem; it is what was sealed inside of it. 

The internet is full of spooky stories about people who purchased a Dybbuk box, only to have it arrive at their home with a crack in the box (due to damage in transit).  Those individuals share some spectacularly creepy paranormal experiences, that were so disturbing, they either resealed the box and sold it to someone else or they buried it far away from their home, to protect themselves (and others) from the benevolent influence inside the box. 

Some signs that people have reported around Dybbuk boxes (which may indicate authenticity and an evil or unquiet spirit inside) are:

  • The smell of cat urine, rotting eggs, or sulfur. 
  • Nightmares of demons, the box or the box breaking open. 
  • Unexplained scratches, burns or welts on the body of the owner or anyone who touches the box. 
  • Unusual bad luck, feeling emotionally drained, or unusual feelings of anger toward those in close relationships with you. 

The most internet-famous case to date is the story of the Dybbuk box that was owned by a man named Kevin Mannis, in 2001.  Mannis purchased the wine cabinet from an estate sale of a woman who was originally from Poland.  The granddaughter of the deceased woman insisted that Kevin keep the box (but never open it), even after Mannis tried to give the box back to her, as it had been in her family for generations. 

While Kevin Mannis owned the Dybbuk box, he stored it briefly in his restoration shop. He received a call from his employee that someone had broken into the basement and was ‘smashing up the place”.  When Mannis arrived, he went into the basement (where the box was stored) and found the lights broken and shattered, and a thick scent of cat urine.  His employee left after the examination of the basement and never returned. 

Kevin wanted to refurbish the wine cabinet as an antique and give it to his mother. After he cleaned it up, his Mom arrived at his shop to go out to lunch, and he gave her the box as a gift.  After she returned home, a family friend called him to say that his mother was found in a chair with an expressionless face, crying but otherwise unresponsive.  At the hospital, she was unable to speak, but they gave her a spelling board to point out letters so she could communicate. 

She typed out two sentences: “no gift” and “hate gift”.  Mannis gave the box to his sister (who was curious about it too) and after a week she returned it to him claiming that her home smelled like jasmine flowers and cat urine.  He gave the box to his girlfriend to sell for him (as he was afraid to touch it again) and the middle-aged couple who purchased it, left it on his front door with a note saying “this has bad darkness”.  

He returned to his mother and found her sitting in a chair, expressionless, crying, and totally unresponsive. She was rushed to the hospital, and it turned out she had had a stroke and lost her ability to speak for a time. During this time, she could only speak using a spell board on which she would point to letters to spell out words. When he asked her how she was doing, she spelled out, “No gift.” When he said he’d given her a gift, she emphasized, “Hate gift.”

He then gave the box to his sister. She kept it for a week and gave it back. He gave it to his brother and his brother’s wife, who kept it for three days and returned it. The brother said it smelled like jasmine flowers, and his wife said it smelled of cat urine.

Kevin gave it to his girlfriend, who soon asked him to sell it for her. He sold it to a middle-aged couple and three days later found the box sitting in front of his shop with a note saying, “This has a bad darkness.”

While Kevin Mannis owned the box, he reported being tormented by a malevolent spirit:

“I find myself walking with a friend, usually someone I know well and trust at some point in the dream, I find myself looking into the eyes of the person that I am with. It is then that I realize that there is something different, something evil looking back at me. At that point in my dream, the person I am with changes into what can only be described as the most gruesome, demonic-looking Hag that I have ever seen. This Hag proceeds then, to beat the living tar out of me.” — Kevin Mannis

The Kevin Mannis Dybbuk box has changed hands and currently belongs in the private collection of haunted objects and paranormal expert, Zak Bragans from the television series “Ghost Adventures”. 

Do you think Dybbuk boxes are real, or a hoax? Have you ever been in a room with one and had a paranormal event that you can’t explain?  Share your story with us, and leave us a comment about your haunted object experience.

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6 Creepy Things That Happened on the Movie Set of “The Exorcist”

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Lifestyle Scary Movies and Series

When William Peter Blatty (1928 – 2017) the writer of “The Exorcist” and subsequent writer and director of the sequel “The Exorcist III” began to visualize the screenplay for the original movie, he wanted to create a paranormal experience that would surpass anything that anyone had seen in the theaters before.  

The book was published in 1971, and it spent fifty-seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It was because of the explosive success of “The Exorcist” book (which sold over 13 million copies in the United States alone after publishing) that the movie was shot in 9 short months, and released in 1973.  The movie “The Exorcist” received 10 Academy Award nominations, and won 15 other film awards internationally.  

After the movie was released on December 26, 1973, audiences flocked to see it.   The imagery in the movie proved to be so shocking for 70’s audiences (who had never seen anything like it on the big screen before) that several individuals filed civil personal injury suits against Warner Bros.  From instances of fainting and vomiting in the theater, to heart attacks and miscarriages, the reports of emotional damage after watching the film were so prolific that one psychiatric journal published a research paper discussing the ‘cinematic neurosis’ triggered specifically by the film.  

To this day, few films have managed to capture the raw sense of evil that “The Exorcist” did.  In fact, both William Peter Blatty (writer/producer) and Director William Friedkin went to great lengths to capture the realism of a true historical exorcism (on which the book was based) that many people suspect something ominous and evil was attracted to the set of the movie.  

Check out these 6 paranormal events that happened on the set of “The Exorcist” and you decide whether evil entities may have been ‘hanging out’.  Do you think that occult movies attract dark presences and influences?  

1. The Original Home for the McNeil Home Was Destroyed by Fire 

The interior sets for filming were built in New York City, however the exterior shots (and the McNeil home) was to be filmed on location in Washington, D.C.  The entire set for the MacNeil home caught fire and burned to the ground, which delayed filming for six additional weeks.  There was one room completely untouched however in the catastrophic blaze; the bedroom of Regan McNeil.  

The source of the fire and the strange and eerie fact that the bedroom had remained intact, was enough to make the writer and director seek out a Jesuit Priest (Thomas M. King) to bless the set, however unsettling and unexplainable mishaps continued to occur during the production of the movie.  

Nothing says “relax, it’s not dangerous here” better than having a Priest stop by to splash Holy Water over the set.  Yikes.  

2. Ellen Burstyn (Chris McNeil) Sustains Permanent Spinal Injury  

In that famous scene where Regan McNeil is mutilating herself with a Crucifix, actress Ellen Burstyn (Chris McNeil) rushes to the bed to stop her daughter.  The demon then shoves Chris McNeil across the room in one violent motion, and her scream is blood curdling and painful.  

That chilling scream that many of us will never forget, was actually authentic.  The stuntmen had a wire rigged to the actress to pull her backwards and abruptly for the filming of the scene. Unfortunately, the mechanics were rigged with full force, and her painful scream was the result of a permanent and painful spinal injury that she sustained during filming.  

Linda Blair (the actress who portrayed Regan McNeil) also sustained a serious back injury, when the set rigging that helped her levitate above her bed broke, sending her crashing to the floor.   

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Photo: Warner Bros.

3. Abusive Directing Methods Used by William Friedkin  

When you watch “The Exorcist” you can literally feel the fear that the actors are portraying in the movie.  That is one of the rare qualities of the film that still makes it stand out among horror and paranormal movies and the original and most terrifying film of all time. Directors are often known to use unusual methods to elicit realistic responses from actors, but on the set of “The Exorcist” William Friedkin went over the top to create that realism.  

The Director would slap people, scream at them and make them cry, and also fire guns beside their faces to create ‘shock’ or trauma, before filming critical scenes.  If every actor in the film seems traumatized it’s because they actually were; and that led actors like Ellen Burstyn to call Friedkin a maniac.  And not in a fun, joking way.  

People who are traumatized are also more vulnerable to demonic suggestion while they are tired, and emotionally fatigued.  Something that was also linked to some of the more bizarre happenings on the set during filming.  

4. Inanimate Objects Moved on the Set  

The character Father Karras was played by actor Jason Miller, who reported many strange paranormal experiences while he was filming the movie. That Jesuit Priest that was called to bless the set hung around off and on during the filming (because of unexplained events) and Miller reported that the Priest gave him an eerie warning: 

“Reveal the devil for the trickster that he is, he will seek retribution against you or he will even try to stop what you are trying to do to unmask him”.  And then, Miller was handed an amulet for protection; a medallion of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Later, in character Father Karras’ dream, a medallion falls in slow motion to the ground, incorporated by the Director and Producer after the exchange with the Jesuit Priest.  

Several members of the crew witnessed seeing inanimate objects move on the set, before their eyes.  Writer and Producer William Blatty reported that the telephone that was used to communicate between the set and the production office would rise off the hook and then crash to the floor. 

William Blatty also claimed that he felt a dark presence around him when he was writing the book.  He also reported instances where he woke to find himself levitating in his home.  

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Director William Friedkin used trauma inducing methods such as gunfire and ‘slapping’ actors to achieve emotional effects. Photo: Warner Bros.

5. Nine Deaths from Crew and Actors Associated with the Film 

During the production of “The Exorcist” Jack MacGowren (an Irish actor) portrayed the role of Burke Dennings, Chris McNeil’s manager / possible romantic interest.  It was Burke Dennings that connected Chris McNeil to Father Karras, as they both worked at Georgetown University.  Burke Dennings is the first victim of possessed child Regan McNeil; his neck is snapped as his head is turned 360° and his body tumbles down the steep flight of stairs after being thrown out the window by a mysterious force.  

Actor Jack MacGowren contracted pneumonia on the set.  When the movie was shot, the bedroom of character Regan McNeil was refrigerated to freezer proportions.  In fact, the crew was required to wear parkas!  This helped create the paranormal cold effects and vapor clouds when actors were talking (before CGI).  MacGowren died just after his scenes wrapped up, but before the full production was complete.  Eight other members of the production and their close family members died during, or shortly after the release of the film.  

6. Lightning Strikes Ancient Crucifix in Rome Screening  

When “The Exorcist” was released, it was screened in one particular theatre in Rome (near the Vatican).   The theater was located between two historic churches. One the day the movie was released in Rome, there were unseasonal torrential rains and a thunderstorm (which added we’re sure to the scary effect for Italian movie goers).  

During the storm, a 400-year-old cross was struck by lightning and fell to the ground, in the middle of the piazza (or square) just outside the move theater.  How is that for a clear message from the superpowers that be?  Maybe they didn’t like the fact that “The Exorcist” was released the day after Christmas; intentionally, to spark international religious furor.  

Billy Graham (televangelist) spoke frequently about the film publicly and claimed that ‘the very celluloid of the film itself was cursed’ with powerful subliminal and demonic imagery.  He went on to further explain to his followers that he believed a demon lived within the movie reel, captured during the filmmaking process, and that its power could influence anyone who watched the movie.  

What do you think?  Is it possible for occult films to attract malevolent forces that can do harm?  Do films of this genre open a door to the paranormal, and has anything eerie happened to you when you’ve watched “The Exorcist” or another movie about a demonic possession?  Share your comments with us.  

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