Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by JD Sword
Alchemy: more than just myth?
Doctor Strange is arguably the most well-known sorcerer in Marvel comics, having had major roles in the top three grossing entries of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You might recognize some of Strange’s magical cohorts, like Wong, Clea, and Brother Voodoo. But how about real-life scientists Isaac Newton and chemist Robert Boyle?
'The Devil on Trial' identifies a possible explanation for demonic possession?
Prior to Netflix’s 2023 documentary, The Devil on Trial, there was the 2021 film The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. In that movie, Arne Johnson stabbed his landlord, Alan Bono, to death after a brief altercation. Johnson’s defense was that he’d been possessed by the Devil following the exorcism of his girlfriend’s 12-year-old brother, David Glatzel. In this “true” story, supposed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren became involved.
The ‘Hanover Witch Hunt’ or ‘Should fortune telling be a crime?’
Laws protecting the public from quack medicine or exploitation by so-called mediums, psychics, and seers are rare. There are, however, extant laws in several states, for example Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, that criminalize the practice of fortune telling for profit.
'Satan Wants You' teaches us new things about the Satanic panic
Satanic cults have long been a staple in horror films, from Rosemary’s Baby and The Devil Rides Out, to more recent ones like House of the Devil and Malum, where the protagonist often has to unravel the sinister machinations of the cult and save some innocent soul.
Michelle Misremembers: How a Psychiatrist and His Patient Created the Blueprint for Satanic Ritual Abuse
It’s not entirely wrong to say that the Satanic Panic of the 1980s and 1990s started with the publication of a “shocking true story” called Michelle Remembers. The book, purporting to be a memoir of therapy sessions between the titular Michelle Smith and her psychiatrist-turned-husband Dr. Lawrence Pazder, was the first “satanic ritual abuse survivor” story and arguably became the template for many others.
King Kill 33: Was the Assassination of JFK an Alchemical Conspiracy?
One of the most enduring conspiracy theories is that the assassination of President John F. Kennedy was not the work of lone gunman Lee Harvey Oswald and that intelligence agencies such as the FBI and the CIA worked together to cover up the truth. Despite several congressional investigations—not to mention decades worth of independent ones—the only smoking gun that’s been found thus far has been Oswald’s.
Seychelles Presidential Hopeful Accused of Witchcraft
Painting your political opponents as the embodiment of all evil is a tried-and-true rhetorical strategy, though I suspect few genuinely believe it. That’s not to say some don’t; U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert has both called her colleagues “evil” and “demons.” However, this kind of mudslinging pales in comparison to what Patrick Herminie, the opposition party leader of the Seychelles, has had to face in recent weeks.
Once More, There Is No Global Satanic Cult
I’ve written about the Order of Nine Angles (O9A) before, a group of devil-worshipping Neo-Nazi extremists who’ve been linked to several murders and has attempted to carry out various domestic terror attacks in countries such as the United States, Britain, Germany, Canada, and Russia. The group has been around since the 1970s, dedicated to the idea of violently overthrowing Western civilization and replacing it with a blend of fascist politics, ethnic cleansing, and devil worship.
'The Pope's Exorcist' twists history
If you’ve seen the film based on William Peter Blatty’s The Exorcist, then Sony’s The Pope’s Exorcist has little more to offer, other than some of the most ridiculous rewriting of history since the Lost Cause of Confederacy. The scares aren’t there, the demonic antics are cliché, and the entire story exists only to drive home the point that everything bad that happens is diabolical, and the Catholic Church is the ultimate good.
Anton LaVey, Pseudoscience, and CSICOP
Most people who know who Anton LaVey is probably wouldn’t immediately associate him with scientific skepticism. After all, as the founder of the Church of Satan and the man who codified Satanism as a religion, LaVey was always very frank in his belief in the power of magic; not stage magic of the Harry Houdini variety but magic defined as “The change in situations or events in accordance with one’s will, which would, using normally accepted methods, be unchangeable” (LaVey 1969).
Senators Absolve Accused Witches—With One Exception | Skeptical Inquirer
Before the infamous Salem Witch Trials, accusations of witchcraft emerged in the New England colony of Connecticut. On May 26, 1647, Alse Young of Windsor was the first person within the thirteen colonies to be executed for the crime of witchcraft. Over fifteen years, eleven other people followed her to the gallows, with the number of accused reaching as high as thirty-seven according to John M. Taylor in his The Witchcraft Delusion in Colonial Connecticut.
That time ‘Batman: The Animated Series” busted a psychic fraud
The DC superhero Batman debuted in Detective Comics# 27, way back in 1939, and is often referred to by enemies and allies alike as “the world’s greatest detective.” One of the best aspects of the Caped Crusader in the legendary Batman: The Animated Series, which ran from 1992 until 1995, was the exercising of his mind to solve mysteries.
‘Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’ and the unobtainable Triforce
Video games have always been fertile ground for rumors. Like with other rumors and conspiracy theories, the rise of the internet made it not only easier for misinformation about game content to spread, but for hoaxers to deliberately spread misinformation.
Velma's greatest sin is abandoning the skeptical message
Scooby-Doo and the gang first debuted on September 13, 1969, as part of the Saturday morning cartoon lineup for CBS. The original series, Scooby-Doo Where Are You! (curiously not asked as a question) aired for two seasons before cancellation in 1970, but the characters have endured for over 50 years in various spin-offs.
'My Encounter with Evil' asks questions without looking for answers
Netflix evidently decided to dress up as the Travel Channel this year for Halloween, because its latest docuseries, My Encounter with Evil, is more like an encounter with Ghost Adventures, featuring allegedly true events paired alongside dramatic (i.e. ridiculous) reenactments complete with spooky ambient music, heavy use of dark shadows, and cheesy special effects. The end result is anything but convincing.
‘Devil in Ohio’: inspired by what true events?
One of Netflix’s newest limited series, The Devil in Ohio, tells the mostly fictitious story of a young girl, Mae Dodd, on the run from a devil-worshiping cult in Amon County, Ohio, who’s taken in by psychiatrist Suzanne Mathis. No good deed goes unpunished, as Mathis tries to unravel the mysteries of the cult, “putting her own family-and life-in danger.” The Devil in Ohio is based on the novel of the same name by author and series showrunner, Daria Polatin.
‘Stranger Things’: Eddie Munson recalls the West Memphis Three
When season four of Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things debuted on May 27, fans immediately fell in love with new character Eddie Munson, the intense leader of the Hawkins High School’s Dungeons & Dragons group, the Hellfire Club. Eddie takes all of the ’80s metalhead cliches and dials them all — and the Metallica — up to 11. He’s a nerd, a drug dealer, and a social outcast feared for his appearance and taste in music as much as his for erratic behavior.
‘The Serpent and the Rainbow’: based on a true zombie story?
Cursed Films II, a documentary series airing on the streaming service Shudder, recently concluded its second season exploring the many myths and mysteries surrounding famous movie franchises. I was somewhat surprised to see the lesser-known Wes Craven movie, The Serpent and the Rainbow, make the cut for season 2. Released in 1988, The Serpent and the Rainbow is a chilling adaption of a 1985 book of the same name, published by Harvard ethnobotanist Wade Davis.
‘The Genealogical Adam and Eve’: showing evolution and Creation are compatible?
It’s been 164 years since Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace jointly announced their theory of descent with modification, or what we understand today as evolution by natural selection.
Necronomicon: ancient grimoire or modern hoax?
Zak Bagans is not the most honest or credible ghost hunter in the business, and that’s saying something. From claiming an allegedly haunted mirror in his not-so Haunted Museum once belonged to Bela Lugosi to plagiarizing large tracts of his Ghost Hunting for Dummies, Bagans has a history of misrepresenting the facts.
'Demon in the White House' is all spooky, no substance
No, the title in the headline is not a commentary on contemporary American politics, or of the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Rather, it refers to a new “Shock Doc” from Discovery+, which premiered on November 26. Based on the novel The Residence, by Andrew Pyper, the Demon in the White House “uncloaks the historic origins of the horror of two grieving First Ladies.
Demoniac: Who Is Roland Doe, the Boy Who Inspired The Exorcist?
If recent films such as The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It are any indication, there’s no shortage of fascination with movies about demons and demonic possession. Perhaps looking to follow up on the success of their Insidious film franchise, last year Blumhouse Studio announced it would be teaming up with Morgan Creek Entertainment to produce a reboot of William Friedkin’s 1973 classic, The Exorcist.
Not Deer, or a Deer?
The Appalachian region of the United States is allegedly home to several well-known cryptids including Mothman, the Appalachian Chupacabra, the Pennsylvanian White Bigfoot, and many others.
Was David Berkowitz, the "Son of Sam," part of a Satanic cult?
Television Looking at Netflix’s “The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness” Netflix’s true crime docuseries, The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness, explores journalist Maury Terry’s claims, detailed in his 1983 book The Ultimate Evil, that David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam” killer, did not act alone in committing his crimes, but as a member of a devil-worshiping cult Terry calls “the Children.” Terry’s book was released at the height of what has come to be known as the Satanic Panic, a time...
'Fall River' identifies another victim of the Satanic Panic
Before QAnon spread online conspiracy theories about satanic pedophile elites drinking children’s blood, credulous TV talk show hosts and journalists were causing mass hysteria with stories about child abuse, murder, and animal sacrifice during a period of time often called the “Satanic Panic.” One of these sensational cases is the subject of the latest true crime docuseries from Blumhouse Productions, Fall River.
‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ — Ed and Lorraine Warren’s role in the real case
According to IMDB, the latest in New Line Cinema’s long-running Conjuring horror movie series, The Devil Made Me Do It, “starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes [self-proclaimed demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren] beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.” The film is based on the real-life 1981 trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, which is popularly referred to as the...
Did Katharine Hepburn ‘Escape’ from the Old Dark House?
There’s no shortage of ghost stories when it comes to Hollywood. Whether it’s the Knickerbocker or Roosevelt Hotels or the infamous Chateau Marmont, Tinseltown has its fair share of allegedly haunted locales to titillate the curious.
Science • AIPT
Movies ‘Satan Wants You’ teaches us new things about the Satanic panic The book that kicked it all off, 'Michelle Remembers,' is even worse than we thought. By JD SwordJanuary 15, 2024
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with JD
Contact JD, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack