The ancient rite of casting evil spirits from the possessed is on the rise in the United States. Historically, demonic possessions have been used to describe mental or physical illnesses and even strings of bad luck, but the scientific community has debunked many of the outdated convictions.

With the U.S. being home to 20 percent of the world’s exorcists, VICE investigates why the phenomenon of exorcism is on the rise. We speak to Father Lampert, a member of the International Association of Exorcists and Michael Shermer, a former Evangelical Christian and founder of Skeptic magazine, to see why the modern exorcism is thriving in the West.

WATCH NEXT:
Carried in a Coffin at Spain's Near Death Funeral: http://bit.ly/2cKeu7M

Click here to subscribe to VICE: http://bit.ly/SubscribetoVICE

Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/VICEVideos
Videos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.com
More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo
Like VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/vice
Follow VICE on Twitter:   / vice  
Read our Tumblr:   / vicemag  
Follow us on Instagram:   / vice  
Check out our Pinterest:   / vicemag  
Download VICE on iOS: http://apple.co/28Vgmqz
Download VICE on Android: http://bit.ly/28S8Et0