The camera shakes. The audio clips because someone is screaming too loud. Usually, it’s a grainy cell phone video from a bedroom in a suburb or a dimly lit basement in a rural village. You've seen them on TikTok or buried in the dark corners of YouTube. But here’s the thing: most of what you see when you search for a real exorcism on video is either a total fake, a misunderstood medical crisis, or a highly choreographed ritual that looks more like theater than theology.
It’s messy. It’s uncomfortable.
People want to believe in the supernatural. We’re wired for it. When we see a video of someone contorting or speaking in a voice that doesn't sound like theirs, our brains go straight to The Exorcist. But the reality behind these recordings is actually way more complex—and often more tragic—than a Hollywood jump scare. If you’re looking for the truth about these videos, you have to look past the special effects and the shaky cam.
The Gap Between Viral Clips and Church Protocols
If you talk to a formal exorcist—like someone appointed by a Catholic diocese—they’ll tell you they almost never film. Why? Because it’s a private religious rite. It’s considered a matter of pastoral care, not a freak show for the internet.
The Catholic Church actually has a very strict set of rules called the De Exorcismis et Supplicationibus Quibusdam. It was updated in 1999. Before a priest even thinks about performing an exorcism, the "possessed" person has to go through a gauntlet of medical and psychological exams. We’re talking MRIs, blood work, and long sessions with psychiatrists. They are looking for things like temporal lobe epilepsy, schizophrenia, or dissociative identity disorder.
So, when you see a real exorcism on video that was uploaded by a random "paranormal investigator," it’s almost certainly not a sanctioned ritual. It’s usually a "deliverance" session from a fringe group or an independent ministry. These groups don't have the same vetting process. They see a demon in every shadow, which makes for great video but creates a huge risk for the person in the chair.
Why the footage looks so convincing
It’s about the "signs." Historically, the Church looks for four specific markers:
- Speaking in a language the person couldn't possibly know (xenoglossy).
- Displaying strength far beyond their physical build.
- Knowing things they shouldn't (secrets, distant events).
- An intense aversion to sacred objects or names.
In videos, you see these. Or you think you see them. But a person in a manic state or a psychotic break can exert incredible physical force. Adrenaline is a hell of a drug. And "speaking in tongues" often sounds like a foreign language to a viewer who isn't a linguist, but to an expert, it’s usually just glossolalia—random phonetic sounds that follow the patterns of the person's native tongue.
The Most Famous Cases Captured on Film
You can't talk about this without mentioning Anneliese Michel. She’s the German woman whose story inspired The Exorcism of Emily Rose. There isn't a public video of her rituals, but there are 67 audio tapes. They are haunting. You hear her growling, barking like a dog, and screaming for hours.
She died of malnutrition and dehydration.
The court found the priests and her parents guilty of negligent homicide. This is the dark side of the real exorcism on video trend. Sometimes, the "demon" is actually a human being in desperate need of a hospital bed, not a crucifix.
Then you have the more modern stuff. Remember the "Latoya Ammons" case in Indiana back in 2011? Even the police and social workers signed statements saying they saw weird things, like a child walking up a wall. But where’s the video? In a world where everyone has a smartphone, the most "convincing" evidence usually remains anecdotal. The videos that do exist of that case are grainy and don't show the gravity-defying stuff. They just show a family in deep distress.
The Psychology of the Performance
There is a concept in psychology called "social role-playing." It’s not that the person is lying. They genuinely believe they are possessed. Because they’ve seen the movies, their brain knows how a possessed person is "supposed" to act. They growl. They arch their backs. They spit.
It’s a feedback loop. The exorcist yells, the person reacts, the crowd gasps, and the brain locks into the role.
Honestly, it's kinda like a trance state. You see this a lot in pentecostal deliverance videos. The environment—the loud music, the rhythmic chanting, the intense heat of a crowded room—primes the brain for a dissociative experience. When you watch a real exorcism on video from these settings, you’re often watching a collective psychological event. It’s real in the sense that the people are experiencing it, but is it "real" in the sense of a literal hell-spawn occupying a human body? That depends entirely on your faith, not the pixels on the screen.
How to Spot a Fake Video
Most of what hits the front page of Reddit or goes viral on X is fake. Period. Here is how you can tell.
First, look at the lighting. If the lighting is "perfectly" spooky, it’s staged. Real rituals are usually done in boring places like living rooms or parish offices with standard overhead lights. Second, check the "possessed" person’s eyes. In many viral hoaxes, they’re wearing contacts. You can see the edges if the resolution is high enough.
Third, and this is the big one: the camera operator. In a truly terrifying, dangerous situation, a person’s instinct is to help or run. If the camera is perfectly steady and follows the action like a cinematographer is behind it, you’re watching a movie or a "found footage" marketing stunt.
The Medical Reality
A lot of what we see in a real exorcism on video can be explained by Autoimmune Encephalitis. This is a condition where the body's immune system attacks the brain. It causes sudden personality changes, hallucinations, and violent body movements. Susannah Cahalan wrote a famous book called Brain on Fire about this. She was almost misdiagnosed with a mental illness—and in another century, she would have been a prime candidate for an exorcism.
When you see someone in a video looking "possessed," they might actually be having a medical emergency that requires steroids and plasma exchange, not holy water.
🔗 Read more: Why Your Cat Meows All The Time and What They Are Actually Trying to Say
The Ethics of Recording
Is it even ethical to film these things?
Most theologians say no. If a person is truly suffering—whether from a demon or a disease—putting them on the internet in their most vulnerable, degraded state is pretty cruel. It strips them of their dignity. Yet, the demand for real exorcism on video stays high because we are obsessed with the "unexplained."
We want proof that there is something more than just meat and bones.
What You Should Actually Do
If you find yourself deep in a rabbit hole watching these videos, take a breath. It’s easy to get sucked into the fear. But remember that the most "dramatic" videos are almost always the least "authentic" from a traditional religious perspective.
If you or someone you know is actually going through something that feels "supernatural," the path forward isn't grabbing a camera and calling a ghost hunter. It's about a multi-disciplinary approach.
Actionable Insights for Navigating the Topic:
- Verify the Source: Before sharing a video, check if it’s from a reputable news outlet or a known hoax channel. Most "leaked" Vatican footage is just clips from low-budget horror movies.
- Look for the "Medical First" Approach: If you’re researching real-life cases, look for those that involve doctors. The most credible accounts are those where medical professionals were baffled, not those where they were never called.
- Understand the Law: In many countries, performing an exorcism on someone who needs medical help is a crime. Be aware that some of these videos document physical abuse disguised as ritual.
- Study the Cultural Context: Possession looks different in different cultures. In some places, it’s "ancestor spirits"; in others, it’s "jinn" or "demons." The fact that the symptoms often match the person's cultural expectations is a huge clue into the psychological nature of the phenomenon.
The reality of a real exorcism on video is rarely about pea soup and spinning heads. It’s usually a confusing, sad, and deeply intense intersection of faith, mental health, and the human brain’s incredible power to manifest its deepest fears. Stay skeptical, stay curious, but most importantly, stay grounded in the human element of these stories.