While belief in religion is at an all-time low in the US, nearly 60 percent of Americans still believe in Hell and the devil.

In the midst of this shifting religious landscape, exorcisms, the ritual of purging someone from demonic possession, have been on the rise — a boom that spans not only the United States but beyond.

Andrew Chesnut, a chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, says: “No doubt there is a global exorcism boom, not just in the US but also in Latin America.”

The driving force behind this surge, according to Chesnut, is pentecostalism—a branch of Christianity emphasizing the power of the Holy Spirit, which has rapidly become the most expansive brand of Christianity worldwide since its inception in Los Angeles in 1905.

Pentecostals were pioneers in openly embracing exorcisms in the 70s-80s, taking these rituals out of the shadows and even holding special exorcisms en masse on Friday nights. Feeling the pressure from this burgeoning movement, the Catholic Church responded by mainstreaming Catholic exorcisms, by training more priests to perform them, thus trying to capitalise on their demand.

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