Ralph Sarchie | |
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| Born | 14 June 1962 (age 60) New York City |
| Occupation | Demonologist, writer, police officer |
Ralph Sarchie (14 June 1962, New York City) [1] is a retired NYPD sergeant and traditionalist Catholic demonologist. [2] He has written a book, Beware the Night, which details many of his paranormal investigations; his accounts were later the basis of the film Deliver Us from Evil . [3] Sarchie, in 2016, was featured in the film Hostage to the Devil, which detailed the life of Malachi Martin. [4]
Sarchie served eighteen years as a NYPD sergeant in the South Bronx precinct, and was a member of the Street Crime Unit working undercover stopping in-progress crimes. Sarchie describes himself as a "committed Christian"; he is described as claiming to have a relic of the True Cross. [5] Sarchie and his partner Mark Stabinski carry with them wooden Christian crosses and holy water when called to tackle "demonic infestation around the city."[ citation needed ] He assists in Christian exorcisms. [6] His career as a Catholic Christian demonologist has included regularly meeting with and accompanying Ed and Lorraine Warren on their cases. [7]
In 2001, St. Martin's Press published Sarchie's book, Beware the Night (also titled Deliver Us from Evil), co-written by Lisa Collier Cool, about his experience as a NYPD police officer and demonologist.
Beware the Night synopsis:
"A seventeen-year NYPD veteran, Ralph Sarchie works out of the 46th Precinct in New York's south Bronx. But it is his other job that he calls "the Work": investigating cases of demonic possession and assisting in the exorcisms of humanity's most ancient--and most dangerous--foes. Now he discloses for the first time his investigation into incredible true crimes an inhuman evil that were never explained, solved, or understood except by Sarchie and his partner. Schooled in the rituals of exorcism, and an eyewitness to the reality of demonic possession, Ralph Sarchie has documented a riveting chronicle of the inexplicable that gives a new shape to the shadows in the dark.
In 'Beware the Night,' he takes readers into the very hierarchy of a hell on earth to expose the grisly rituals of a Palo Mayombe priest; a young girl whose innocence is violated by an incubus; a home invaded by the malevolent spirit of a supposedly murdered nineteenth-century bride; the dark side of a couple who were, literally, the neighbors from hell; and more. Ralph Sarchie's NYPD revelations are a powerful and disturbing documented link between the true-crime realities of life and the blood-chilling ice-grip of a supernatural terror." [8]
On July 2, 2014, Screen Gems/Sony Pictures released a full-length motion picture, Deliver Us from Evil , inspired by Sarchie's accounts. The film followed Sarchie (Eric Bana) into the paranormal investigations he immersed himself in, all the while taking care of his family and working the midnight-to-8:00 A.M. shift as a cop. However, not many of the events recounted in the book actually remain in the film, as most have been changed and re-imagined by the scriptwriters/producers of the script/film. The film drew mixed reviews and was a success at the box office. The film grossed $30.5 million domestically in the United States and $87.9 million worldwide. [9]
Sarchie hosted the Destination America series The Demon Files which started airing from November 1, 2015.
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, and television series.
Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and religions, including Buddhism, Christianity, Haitian Vodou, Hinduism, Islam, Wicca, and Southeast Asian, African, and Native American traditions. Depending on the cultural context in which it is found, possession may be considered voluntary or involuntary and may be considered to have beneficial or detrimental effects on the host.
Christian demonology is the study of demons from a Christian point of view. It is primarily based on the Bible, the interpretation of these scriptures, the writings of early Christianity philosophers, hermits and the associated traditions and legends incorporated from other beliefs.
Spiritual warfare is the Christian concept of fighting against the work of preternatural evil forces. It is based on the biblical belief in evil spirits, or demons, that are said to intervene in human affairs in various ways. Although spiritual warfare is a prominent feature of neo-charismatic churches, various other Christian denominations and groups have also adopted practices rooted in the concepts of spiritual warfare, with Christian demonology often playing a key role in these practices and beliefs, or had older traditions of such a concept unrelated to the neo-charismatic movement, such as the exorcistic prayers of the Catholic Church and the various Eastern Orthodox churches.
An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many cultures.
Gabriele Amorth was an Italian Catholic priest and exorcist of the Diocese of Rome who claimed to have performed tens of thousands of exorcisms throughout his life. Amorth, along with five other priests, founded the International Association of Exorcists.
The Smurl Haunting refers to claims made by Jack and Janet Smurl of West Pittston, Pennsylvania, U.S., who alleged that a demon inhabited their home between 1974 and 1989. The Smurls' claims gained wide press attention and were investigated by demonologists who encouraged the family's supernatural beliefs, and clergy, psychologists, and scientific skeptics who offered more parsimonious explanations. The Smurls' version of their story was the subject of a 1986 paperback titled The Haunted and a 1991 made-for-TV movie of the same name released by 20th Century Fox.
Anna Elisabeth "Anneliese" Michel was a German woman who underwent 67 Catholic exorcism rites during the year before her death. She died of malnutrition, for which her parents and priest were convicted of negligent homicide. She was diagnosed with epileptic psychosis and had a history of psychiatric treatment that proved ineffective.
Edward Warren Miney and Lorraine Rita Warren were American paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent cases of alleged hauntings. Edward was a self-taught and self-professed demonologist, author, and lecturer. Lorraine professed to be clairvoyant and a light trance medium who worked closely with her husband.
Scott Derrickson is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the films The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), Sinister (2012), Deliver Us from Evil (2014), Doctor Strange (2016) and The Black Phone (2021).
Exorcism is the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons, jinns, or other malevolent spiritual entities from a person, or an area, that is believed to be possessed. Depending on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist, this may be done by causing the entity to swear an oath, performing an elaborate ritual, or simply by commanding it to depart in the name of a higher power. The practice is ancient and part of the belief system of many cultures and religions.
The trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, also known as the "Devil Made Me Do It" case, is the first known court case in the United States in which the defense sought to prove innocence based upon the claim of demonic possession and denial of personal responsibility for the crime. On November 24, 1981, in Brookfield, Connecticut, Arne Cheyenne Johnson was convicted of first-degree manslaughter for the killing of his landlord, Alan Bono.
In the late 1940s, in the United States, priests of the Roman Catholic Church performed a series of exorcisms on an anonymous boy, documented under the pseudonym "Roland Doe" or "Robbie Mannheim". The 14-year-old boy was the alleged victim of demonic possession, and the events were recorded by the attending priest, Raymond J. Bishop. Subsequent supernatural claims surrounding the events were used as elements in William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel The Exorcist. In December 2021, The Skeptical Inquirer and The Guardian reported the purported true identity of Roland Doe/Robbie Mannheim as Ronald Edwin Hunkeler.
In Christianity, exorcism involves the practice of casting out one or more demons from a person whom they are believed to have possessed. The person performing the exorcism, known as an exorcist, is often a member of the Christian Church, or an individual thought to be graced with special powers or skills. The exorcist may use prayers and religious material, such as set formulas, gestures, symbols, icons, or amulets. The exorcist often invokes God, Jesus, angels and archangels, and various saints to aid with the exorcism. Christian exorcists most commonly cast out demons in Jesus' name.
The Catholic Church authorizes the use of exorcism for those who are believed to be the victims of demonic possession. In Roman Catholicism, exorcism is a sacramental but not a sacrament, unlike baptism or confession. Unlike a sacrament, exorcism's "integrity and efficacy do not depend ... on the rigid use of an unchanging formula or on the ordered sequence of prescribed actions. Its efficacy depends on two elements: authorization from valid and licit Church authorities, and the faith of the exorcist." The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism."
Deliver Us from Evil is a 2014 American supernatural horror film directed by Scott Derrickson and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The film claims to be based on a 2001 non-fiction book entitled Beware the Night by Ralph Sarchie and Lisa Collier Cool, and its marketing campaign highlighted that it was "inspired by actual accounts", however the plot is an original piece written by director Derrickson. The film stars Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez, Sean Harris, Olivia Munn, and Joel McHale in the main roles and was released on July 2, 2014. The film grossed $87.9 million against a $30 million budget.
The Exorcist is an American media franchise that originated with William Peter Blatty's 1971 horror novel of the same name and most prominently featured in a 1973 film adaptation of the novel, and many subsequent prequels and sequels. All of these installments focus on fictional accounts of people possessed by Pazuzu, the main antagonist of the series, and the efforts of religious authorities to counter this possession.
Annabelle is an allegedly haunted Raggedy Ann doll, housed in the occult museum of the paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Annabelle was moved there after supposed hauntings in 1970. A character based on the doll is one of the antagonists that appear in the Conjuring Universe.
The Ammons haunting case, also known as the 200 Demons House or Demon House, is an alleged haunting and demonic possession which occurred in Gary, Indiana, in the United States in 2011. Latoya Ammons, her mother, Rosa Campbell, and her three children claimed paranormal activity occurred in the residence. The story was publicized in January 2014 and received national attention.
Prey for the Devil is a 2022 American supernatural horror film directed by Daniel Stamm and stars Jacqueline Byers, Colin Salmon, Christian Navarro, Lisa Palfrey, Nicholas Ralph, Virginia Madsen, and Ben Cross.
This summer's crime-horror movie, Deliver Us From Evil, was inspired by the true paranormal stories shared by real-life NYPD Sergeant Ralph Sarchie in Beware The Night. The frightening book, which was written in tandem with Lisa Collier Cool, was released in 2001. At the time, Sarchie had worked on the force for 16 years, but it wasn't the crimes committed by people he writes about, it's the accounts of the paranormal. Sarchie is a demonologist, with a spiritual gift of his own, and he has performed exorcisms and led investigations into the demonic during his off-hours, a position he referred to as "the Work."
The truth is that I like to help people," he explains in the book. "As a committed Christian, I have a different mission: to bust the Devil and his demons." He claims to carry "a splinter of the True Cross.
He joined the Police Department in 1984 and was assigned to Operation Pressure Point, an effort to clean up Alphabet City in Manhattan. At home, he enjoyed reading ghost stories as much as the next guy, until he discovered the nonfiction accounts of hauntings and the work of Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators who caseload inspired "The Amityville Horror." Mr. Sarchie began meeting the Warrens at their Connecticut home every Monday, and soon he was accompanying them to meet people who were believed by their loved ones to be possessed by demons.
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