Technoglitch
Core Member
Welcome to "Exorcism: Live!" airing at 9 p.m. ET Friday on Destination America, a Discovery Communications-owned cable channel. The two-hour telecast tasks a clergyman, a psychic and the team from the network's "Ghost Asylum" to go into the spooky suburban St. Louis home that helped inspire "The Exorcist" book and movie. Ghost hunters insist that the house is filled with a dark, sinister energy, and "Exorcism: Live!" is determined to cleanse it.
"People have called it the biggest supernatural mystery in American history - so many tales that have come out of that house and still exist around it," Tovay said. "So we almost had do something."
"The Exorcist," William Blatty's 1971 horror novel, was based on the real-life case of a Maryland teenager known as Roland Doe. In 1949, Doe became violently ill, screaming in languages he was never taught, and doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. Eventually, religious leaders decided Doe was possessed by the devil. Through exorcism rituals, a Catholic priest freed Doe of his demons. At the time, The Washington Post called it "perhaps one of the most remarkable experiences of its kind in recent religious history.
The most thrilling aspect for Tovay is the fact that this is live. No one can accuse them of manipulating anything, she said - a criticism often leveled at paranormal shows.
"We can't fake it on live TV. We can't fake evidence or pump in sound effects. The drama is unfolding right in front of you," Tovay said.
But what about the people (OK, lots of people) who believe this is all completely made-up? Bishop Long, the clergy member who will accompany the group, is used to that. He just doesn't have time to worry about it anymore.
"I'm not here to prove that demons exist. I am here to help families who know they do," Long said. He's the founder of the Kentucky-based Paranormal Clergy Institute, which assists homeowners when they think their house has a demonic infestation. Not just talking about when things go "bump in the night" - this is when people experience loud sounds in the walls, violent scratches and religious objects being desecrated. Members of the clergy investigate if it's really demonic spirits or simply odd noises. Long said he hopes the special will give hope to people suffering with infested houses, letting them know that they're not alone.
A Live Exorcism Will Be Performed on TV Friday
"People have called it the biggest supernatural mystery in American history - so many tales that have come out of that house and still exist around it," Tovay said. "So we almost had do something."
"The Exorcist," William Blatty's 1971 horror novel, was based on the real-life case of a Maryland teenager known as Roland Doe. In 1949, Doe became violently ill, screaming in languages he was never taught, and doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. Eventually, religious leaders decided Doe was possessed by the devil. Through exorcism rituals, a Catholic priest freed Doe of his demons. At the time, The Washington Post called it "perhaps one of the most remarkable experiences of its kind in recent religious history.
The most thrilling aspect for Tovay is the fact that this is live. No one can accuse them of manipulating anything, she said - a criticism often leveled at paranormal shows.
"We can't fake it on live TV. We can't fake evidence or pump in sound effects. The drama is unfolding right in front of you," Tovay said.
But what about the people (OK, lots of people) who believe this is all completely made-up? Bishop Long, the clergy member who will accompany the group, is used to that. He just doesn't have time to worry about it anymore.
"I'm not here to prove that demons exist. I am here to help families who know they do," Long said. He's the founder of the Kentucky-based Paranormal Clergy Institute, which assists homeowners when they think their house has a demonic infestation. Not just talking about when things go "bump in the night" - this is when people experience loud sounds in the walls, violent scratches and religious objects being desecrated. Members of the clergy investigate if it's really demonic spirits or simply odd noises. Long said he hopes the special will give hope to people suffering with infested houses, letting them know that they're not alone.
A Live Exorcism Will Be Performed on TV Friday
