Rites of Darkness

True Accounts of Exorcism

What happens when faith, fear, and authority collide?
Rites of Darkness: True Accounts of Exorcism by Adrian Cave is a chilling, meticulously researched exploration of the world’s most infamous exorcisms—cases that shocked nations, inspired films, and in some instances, ended in tragedy.
Drawing on court records, medical evaluations, church archives, and eyewitness testimony, this book examines exorcism not as folklore or horror, but as historical reality. From medieval Europe to the modern courtroom, each chapter unpacks the social, religious, and psychological forces that shaped these disturbing events. The result is a sobering portrait of belief under pressure, where certainty can become dangerous and doubt arrives too late.
This is not a book that seeks to prove the existence of the demonic, nor to dismiss the sincerity of faith. Instead, it asks essential questions:
When does spiritual intervention become abuse?
Who decides where belief ends and illness begins?
And why do exorcism cases continue to surface in an age of science and law?
Written with journalistic restraint and respect for the individuals involved, Rites of Darkness avoids sensationalism while confronting uncomfortable truths. Some accounts are harrowing; all are real. Readers interested in true crime, religious history, psychology, and the darker edges of human belief will find this book both compelling and unsettling.
This is a work of true history—disturbing, documented, and impossible to ignore.