General
This phenomenon in which an expert or spiritual leader removes a spirit from the body of a possessed person is a common buzzword found in nearly all news articles pertaining to possession in Western media.
Exorcism
This famous 2013 film depicts spirit possession as a purely malevolent force incited by a witch from hell and is exorcized by experts in demonology. It indicates that when one is possessed their agency is not fully displaced but merely subverted by the spirit’s will. It includes few references to a specific religion, but seems inclined towards an Abrahamic view of the afterlife.
The Conjuring
A medium from this borough of New York City, Theresa Caputo worked as a medium on her long-running show where she talked to the dead and brought closure from 2011-2019.
Long Island
This musical instrument family is often associated with possession and trance around the world, which some scientists in the 1970s attributed to the “repetitive rhythmic stimuli” that can impact brainwave pulsations. While the connection has been debated since, the instruments are often depicted in Western media when showing possession and trance
Percussion
This Nintendo Switch game which is part of one fo the best selling video-game franchises of all times allows a certain Italian plumber to use a ghostly hat called “Cappy” that can take control of other characters’ bodies and use their powers to help save his princess from the grips of their turtle-like enemy.
Super Mario Odyssey
This religion was the focus of a recent national panic in which it was blamed for a rash of spirit possessions in the US. The focus of media outlets during the public outcry was on the perceived immorality of possession and its direct cause–devil worship.
Satanism
This 2022 Marvel film depicts possession as a last resort tool for the titular protagonist to accomplish his goals and thwart the spread of evil in the multiverse. This particular case of possession involved a corpse and the actual body of the protagonist was left physically in a trance while his mind inhabited another body.
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
In the second season of this hit horror show, set in an abandoned insane asylum, draws on themes of inhuman strength as imparted by various possessed individuals to exemplify the terror of spirit possession. It also embarks on subplots to explore the eroticism enjoyed by beings no longer encumbered by social norms and “reduced” to base desires.
American Horror Story: Asylum
Though the concept of sexual experiences with spirits and mediumship through sexual encounters is widely documented, this American pop star described her sexual experience with a young female spirit in a 2012 interview with Conan O’Brian. Her encounters with spirits did not “Die Young,” and she now has a show where she explores mediumship and the paranormal
Ke$ha
This term, used first in Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name, refers to a “gift” of psychic abilities and mediumship that allow its users to communicate and see the spirit world, and allows one of the characters Danny Torence to learn of the horrors that will occur at the Overlook Hotel before they happen, and has lead to a movie adaptation and sequels that further explore this
The Shining (or “Shine)
In a 2020 article by the Associated Press, incidents of possession and exorcisms were noted to be on the rise after occurrences of this social phenomenon wherein groups or individuals express their discontent with some level of authority. Interestingly, these increased rates of possessions were most extreme at or following violent versions of this phenomenon.
Protests
This beloved film series dating to the late 1900’s portrays spirit possession on a spectrum from comedic to disconcerting to dangerous to deadly. Often the subjects of possession are not aware after the fact that they were possessed indicating a total supplanting of their consciousness during the possession similar to the trances in Haitian Vodou. The tagline for the titular trio of supernatural hunters is “who you gonna call.”
Ghostbusters
This trend-setting American crime drama is set in the titular small town in Washington state. It begins with a string of murders and follows a detective’s journey through an increasingly bizarre plot of death, violence, drugs, and spirit possession. Spirit possession in this show is a phenomenon wherein mysterious otherworldly being inhabit the bodies of real people, supplanting their identities to further their deadly goals.
Twin Peaks
This song, originally written by Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green, was popularized by the band Santana in 1970, and describes a man who is overcome by a woman who practices sorcery and uses it to make the man obsessed with her. He also describes how she is “trying to make a devil out of me.”
Black Magic Woman
This Japanese manga series, which was later adapted to TV, follows Rin and his twin brother Yukio who discover they are both the sons of Satan, and train to become exorcists in order to destroy their father.
Blue Exorcist
This term is used to describe information that is used to sway or change the ideas of the viewer based on biases and misinformation. Frequently it is used in political campaigns but in this case, it is usually due to religious bias.
Propaganda
This 1955 documentary featured the Hauka Movement and portrayed different rituals and possessions that the members of this movement took place in. This documentary was viewed as controversial by British colonial forces for offending them and by West Africans for perpetuating racism.
The Mad Masters
This hit TV show follows demon hunter-brothers Sam and Dead Winchester as they frequently perform exorcisms and face demons head on, creating a 2010 resurgence in the spirit realm.
Supernatural
This New Jersey singer credits some of his success to a spirit medium that he memorialized in his song “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy),” and claims that she accurately predicted his fame on the boardwalk, and would regularly provide him with psychic readings.
Bruce Springsteen
This 2020 bestselling novella by author P. Djèlí Clark situates spirit possession in 1920s Georgia, and deals with problems of race in a post-slavery world–but this time with the Ku Klux Klan being possessed by demons they have summoned.
Ring Shout
This number represents the number of adults within the US that believe that angels and demons exist and are active in the world.
68%
This 1973 film, widely considered the most famous and influential of its kind, popularized the Catholic understanding of spirit possession in the United States. It’s plot concerns a young girl who is possessed by the demon Pazuzu and enters a violent trance state, and can only be saved by the work of Catholic priests.
The Exorcist
In the third season of this popular 2010's show about an adolescent who obtains the ability to transform into a twisted, anthropomorphized woodland creature, an antagonistic being seeks to destroy Scott and his friends. This being channels natural spirits and is capable of possessing humans themselves.
Teen Wolf
This hit song by Sublime was released in 1996 and was a major success among US music consumers. It mentions this religion, also the name of the song, which stems from an Afro-Carribean branch of catholicism and is often thought to dabble in such activities as clairvoyance and spirit possession.
Santeria
This popular board game has players explore a mysterious, seemingly haunted mansion. The characters delve ever deeper into the spooky house before eventually a Haunt begins. One common trope for the Haunt is to place one player, often possessed by some spirit or demon, in opposition to the rest of the group.
Betrayal at House on the Hill