Exorcism Podcast Awakens Fans to ‘Reality of Evil’ and Reignites Faith
By Movieguide® Contributor
A new podcast, THE EXORCIST FILES, shares the real-life stories of an exorcist’s battles with demons, and it is topping the charts.
“In the last several years, there has been an alarming increase in the number of reported demonic possessions and for some of the most disturbing and vicious cases of possession, one priest was often summoned,” THE EXORCIST FILES’ website reads. “With almost two decades in ministry, renowned exorcist Father Carlos Martins has encountered evil in nearly every way imaginable. From Ouija boards and curses to witches and demonic pacts, Father Martins has battled the ancient serpent in many forms. THE EXORCIST FILES are his stories.”
The podcast has been downloaded over 7 million times. Its creators recently launched a Kickstarter to fundraise for Season 2, hoping to raise $40,000 — they hit their mark within four hours, and have since raised more than four times their original goal.
One of THE EXORCIST FILE’s creators, Ryan Bathea, told CBN that he “actually didn’t want to” do a podcast like this; instead, he wanted to make one about miracles.
“I got introduced to Father Carlos Martins, the exorcist on our show, and I said, ‘Hey, tell me a story,’ and you know, when you meet an exorcist, you got to say, ‘Hey, tell me a story,’ and he did,” Bethea explained. “And I went, ‘oh man, we all need to hear these stories’ — and that is how the show was born.”
In addition to thrilling listeners with Father Martins’ stories, THE EXORCIST FILES also encourages people to reconnect with their faith.
“There are thousands of reviews on Apple specifically, and you can see people saying, ‘Hey, I grew up Catholic, and I wandered away but wow, this has awakened me to the reality of evil. I can’t afford not to have God in my life,’” Bethea said. “And then others were like, ‘I appreciate this, too. I’m still not sold on God, but if this is at all possible that there’s demons, I want to be with God.’”
In another interview with CBN, Bethea shared that he hopes listeners will start thinking about good and evil more deeply.
“I want people to consider the question and say, ‘If this is true, what would this mean for my life?’” he explained. “I’m absolutely convinced that there’s a reality here, and so I just want to wake people up to that.”
READ MORE: PODCAST ABOUT EXORCISMS WINS PEOPLE TO CHRIST: ‘BRINGING HOPE’
