Real Demons Archives | Real Horror Stories

“The Rite” starring Sir Anthony Hopkins was released in 2007 and could be easily mistaken for yet another movie attempting to cash in on the “Exorcist” frenzy that has existed since the 1970s. What you may not know is that the movie was actually based on real events.

There aren’t many priests who are trained as an exorcist, making Father Gary Thomas one of the unique few. Thomas ministers the Sacred Heat Parish in Saratoga, California and after finishing his 12-year term as a pastor of his previous parish. Thomas was preparing for the sabbatical and exorcism wasn’t on the agenda, but it was introduced towards the end of his term, he travelled to Rome in 2005 to undertake the training. He reports the exorcisim training as good, but Thomas felt he would benefit more from hands-on experience. Thomas was taken under the wing of Father Camine De Fliippis, one of the nine exorcists operating in Rome.

There is a high demand for exorcism within the U.S. and Thomas states he receives a new case every couple of days. He recalls one case that involved a married woman called “Lisa” who was in her 20s. The woman was brought to Thomas’ office by her family members as they grew more and more concerned about her unexplainable violent outbursts. Thomas recalls feeling a huge presence in the room, and when he began to pray he recognized that her face had started to become distorted. “Lisa” then started to speak in a language that Thomas did not understand.

Thomas recalls her spitting and hissing while having the look of a serpentine in her eyes, a look that he automatically recognized as demonic possession. As he laid his crucifix on Lisa, she let out a huge scream. Thomas then laid his stole on her, which represents Thomas’ authority within the Catholic Church, and recalls her slipping out of her seat to escape it.

Despite witnessing demonic possession, Thomas does put a lot of his cases down to mental health issues. In this regard, months of both prayers and medical examinations are carried out in order to clarify whether the person is truly possessed, or suffering from mental disorder. If an exorcism is required, it is carried out with the most basic of tools, holy water, a stole, a crucifix and the rite of exorcism.

The Real Horror Story behind “The Rite”

Despite sounding like a plot lifted from a comic book in the vein of “Preacher” or “Hellblazer,” Ralph Sarchie is an ex-NYPD police officer who began demonology in his spare time. His spiritual service, which is completely free of charge, is looked upon by his family as a calling. Sarchie fell victim to a serious illness when he was just 10 months old, only to come through the other side. His mother saw this as divine intervention and believes her son was left alive for a reason. Sarchie first glimpse of the world of demonology followed after he read a book in 1990 entitled “Satan’s Harvest,” a book that covered the case of demonic possessions as reported by journalists in the Boston Herald.

When Sarchie was still an NYPD officer, he would conduct his demonology practices in his spare time. A book published in 2001 entitled “Beware the Night” by Sarchie and Lisa Lillier Cool details cases that Sarchie investigated. One such case was called “The Halloween Horror,” which told the story of Dominick and Gabby Villanova who were having problems with a demon. Gabby reported seeing a woman appear in a cloud of white smoke, who only she could see. It wasn’t look before the demon bean to communicate via Gabby and told the story of a woman who was murdered and as a result, her fiancé was falsely accused of her murder. Gabby reported seeing the ghost of her father during the following days, as does her five-year-old son.

As well as the possession, other reports included noises occurring in the basement, books flying off shelves as well as mysterious messages being written on the mirror. A more disturbing motive of the demon was its attempts to rape Dominick and Gabby’s daughter, Luciana. Sarchie and his partner Joe attend and confirm that they are sharing the environment with one of the most dangerous demons known, and used the power of Jesus Christ to banish it.

Despite how far-fetched the story seems, Sarchie explains that the cloud appeared as demons like to give themselves away. He also explains that the reason that only Gabby could see the demon was because of the demon’s intent to cause confusion and panic. And while there are inconsistencies with the story told by the demon when it possessed Gabby, Sarchie explains this is because demons often mix fact with fiction to lure in their victims.

Of all the explanations given, it is very rare for a more rational explanation to be given. As far as Sarchie is concerned, all his cases have been genuine, despite other rational that could include a person’s mental illness or even a hoax.

Whether you believe Sarchie’s cases to be the genuine real horror stories, or just a figment of his imagination, he has garnered enough interest for his life as demonologist to be portrayed on film. “Deliver Us From Evil” is directed by Scott Derrickson, stars Olivia Munn, and focuses on Sarchie as he combats demonic possessions around the city.