By the 20th century, the centuries-old Roman Catholic exorcism ritual for combat
ting demonic possession was all but dead, eviscerated by the ascent of modern sc
ience and rationalism. But Ray Russell's 1962 novel, The Case Against Satan, set
the stage for a proliferation of exorcisms on page, screen, and even bizarrely,
in real life. Just a few weeks ago, Susan Garth was "a very good girl, a clean-
talking sweet little girl" of high school age.
But that was before she starte
d having "fits" - a sudden aversion to churches and a newfound fondness for vulg
arity. If not madness, then the answer must be demonic possession, for which the
re is only one response: exorcism.
