The Exorcist Files - S2- Case #17- "The Gift, Pt 2"

Episode Date: December 17, 2025

Simon decides to try and part ways with Ouija board. And we all know how that goes. Thank you to our sponsors REMI- Skip the dentist and get a nightguard! “Go to shopremi.com/EXFILES and use code EXFILES  at checkout for 55% off a new night guard plus a FREE foam gift that whitens your teeth and cleans your nightguard..Join the Vault and get Ask Me Anything, Ad Free Episodes and Support the Show!- Exorcistfiles.supercast.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Has someone been in my room? No, we've been gone all day. Are you missing something? Uh, no, no, it's fine. It can't be. That's impossible. I threw you away. Tell me what you want.

Welcome back to The Exorcist Files, a fantastical foray into the fiendish facades of our furious foe. Whoa, that was a lot of alliteration. I'm your co-host, Ryan Bethay, and today we bring you part two of The Gift. Or as we call it, around the studio, the gift that keeps on giving, even when you really wish it would stop. We went with the shorter title for brevity's sake. As a reminder, this is a guest case provided by a dear friend of the show and a friend of Father Martin's personally, a wonderful priest we have named Father John. Given the sensitive nature of this case and Father John's

desire to remain anonymous, Father John has opted not to speak in person, but to have someone read his prepared account. Where we last left you, a young boy named Simon was plunged into grief after tragically losing his grandmother, leaving him and his mother without their beloved third companion. Before she departed, however, she gave Simon a gift. A gift that our regular listeners know should never be in your Amazon shopping cart, a Ouija board. It is a rare day when one longs for the sweaters and socks that grandmas give rather than the occultic portals to the unseen realm. Simon, missing his grandmother, used the board in an attempt to reconnect with her. To his surprise, the board responded, and he made contact with the spirit,

claiming to be his grandmother. It certainly knew things only grandma would know, and yet his elation turned to terror as grandma became rather feisty, rude, and ultimately started encouraging him to isolate and distance himself from his mother and friends. Things turned truly creepy, though, when Simon decided to try and end the game, he threw it away, but upon returning home from school, despite having thrown it in a neighbor's trash can, there was the board, right back in its usual place in the bedroom. This might sound very familiar to some of our listeners. So, put those planchettes in the trash, ditch your spirit boards, and listen in for part two of the gift. Here's our very own, Father Carlos Martins. Our regular listeners may have already noted

some parallels between this case and the famous story of Roland Dole, upon whom the film The Exorcist is based. In Roland's case, his Aunt Harriet gave him a Ouija board and taught him to use it. After her death, the demonical occurrences began. The common thread, a Ouija board gifted by a relative. To many, the idea that a plastic ring and a game board pose any sort of danger seems ridiculous. But friends, I assure you, it is no game. Two years ago in season one, I said something and I think it's worth repeating. Playing with a Ouija board is just like opening your front door to a complete stranger. You may have every good intention, but when you open that door, you have just given up any control and safeguard you had in the situation. And once your uninvited guest steps inside your

house, you have just welcomed him to his new house. Now good luck trying to kick him out of his own home. Now let's return to Simon. Simon was dumbfounded. He had no idea how the board had returned. He asked the board how it was able to come back, and he received a perturbing answer. The planchette spelt out, I'm not leaving. Thoroughly creeped out, he broke the board apart and stomped on the planchette, breaking it into four pieces. He placed all the pieces in their box and then put the box in the trash bag

and finally dumped the bag in the dumpster at the corner store a few blocks from his house. The next morning, he got up and went to school. When he returned, he went upstairs to his room like he always did. There under his bed was the Ouija board in its box. He removed the lid and, sure enough, it was the same board with Grandma's note written across the top. But it was whole and intact with no sign that it had ever been torn apart. It was miraculously reassembled and whole. Fool me once, shame on the Ouija board.

Fool me twice? Well, shame on me for playing with the Ouija board. This might be the most outlandish part of the story, and it is bizarre. Could it have been the mother? Perhaps. But then you'd have to ask, why wouldn't she say anything? And at that point, wouldn't she just be gaslighting her son, which seems highly unlikely and inconsistent with her character? I also wonder, Simon's silence is a bit baffling. Wouldn't he have told his mom at some point? Or is it simply so unbelievable a story that Simon was worried no one would trust the account? Thankfully, I wasn't there, so I don't know. But whatever happened to Simon, whether you believe it or not, it spooked him enough to finally tell someone. You broke it up? Yes, until like eight pieces, man. It was totally messed up. And then, bam, it's right there, back under my bed, like nothing happened.

And there's no possible way your mom could have put it back and just not said anything. How could she? It's hard chipboard. And she would have mentioned something. Man, I told you that stuff was scary. Okay, so if it wasn't your grandma, who were you talking to? Who was it? I mean, she called me monkey.

That's her name for me. If not her, who could it be? Bro, maybe it was a demon. A demon. Yeah, like in the movies. I saw one where this demon was in a house and it could knock stuff over and open doors and stuff. It loved messing with people. They had to call a priest to get rid of it.

Hey, maybe that's what I need. A priest. But where would I find one? Bro, a church. Go to a church and ask for help. Okay. See you after math class? Uh, yeah, yeah, see you then.

Derek had given Simon the best advice. Simon decided that a church's help was exactly what he needed. So he skipped his last class and went to the nearest church. she could find up the road, determined to get assistance. I'm not a fan of horror movies. I try to dwell on what is good, true, and beautiful. But there is an interesting quality about horror as a genre that hits at a primordial level.

It is all about survival. The film The Exorcist has aged poorly in many respects. Some of the special effects look ridiculous today. But I know many who are deeply affected by the movies. It made them aware of the reality of spiritual evil, something that every culture on earth acknowledges. That is why the movie is so scary. It strikes a primordial human weakness. Thank God Simon had a friend who pointed him towards help.

We've discussed The Exorcist film at Link There. Based on the best-selling book by William Bladdy, William Friedkin's The Exorcist is considered one of the greatest horror movies of all times. time. Enormously successful, the film, in fact, has grossed over the years nearly $440 million of the domestic and international box office. Adjusted for today's dollars, it's the equivalent of billions. While the film is renowned for the horror it depicts on screen, it is almost just as well known for the horror that accompanied the film off screen. Multiple injuries to the cast, a bizarre fire that burned down the set except for the famous bedroom where Regan manifests, and even an alleged serial killer connection with a cast member, have cemented the film as a bizarre fire.

a cultural horror icon. Interestingly, I've met several people over the years of producing this show who credit that film with their conversion to Christianity. The film has spawned numerous sequels and reboots, but I'll just say while I appreciate the cinematic masterpiece, the book is actually my favorite part of the IP. It's chilling and shows the demonic gaslighting at its creepiest. Simon knocked on the door of the first church he found. He explained to the minister what had happened and asked him how to end his relationship with the Ouija board. The minister response was utterly unhelpful. He claimed that what had happened was all imagined, all in Simon's head. Weji boards are nothing, he said, and they don't magically find their

way back home after being thrown away. Besides, it is impossible that demons were at play because, quote-unquote, Jesus took care of that. Simon knew the answer he was given was no answer. There was no way he was wrong about the events that occurred. So he kept walked walking up the street, knocking on one church after another, until he had knocked on four. Each gave him essentially the same answer. What you're saying is impossible, you are mistaken. Thankfully, even after that, Simon did not give up. The next and last church on the street was Father John's. And that's where he knocked next. Now, as the show's resident Protestant, or as I like to say, quote, professional prodcaster, see what I did there? I do want to speak up a minute for the

prod squad on this pod. It has been my experience that a lot of churches I've interacted with in my spiritual journey, they certainly haven't had a robust deliverance ministry. And for any serious cases, there has been immense respect for the Catholic Church's teaching on deliverance. However, I will say that I know of many healthy, spirit-filled Bible-believing churches that do take deliverance very seriously and would not turn away someone genuinely asking for help. I've always struggled with these stories wondering what pastor turns away people who think they have a spiritual problem. But to be fair, we have gotten hundreds of emails from people all over the world who say that they have shared their issue with their pastor and no one believes them or they're just referred to a therapist. And sometimes

it's even their Catholic priest who doesn't believe them. From where I said, it seems very difficult to read the New Testament scriptures in Jesus' ministry without recognizing that spiritual warfare is a reality all Christians will come up against. Amen. Father Martin's here. I want to do a quick plug for one of the most powerful tools I've seen for breaking free and growing closer to Christ. Exodus 90.

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God bless you. Father John's secretary answered the door when Simon knocked and walked him into his office. He saw this young boy standing in front of him looking like he had been run ragged. Howdy? What can I do for you? I need a priest. Well, you found one. Father John, nice to meet you. Simon. Well, Simon, how can I help you?

You know how when you get back from a trip and the first person you tell a story to gets the best version of it with all the minute details and emotion? And then when the 10th person asks, you essentially say, oh, it was a great trip. For the first time, Simon had an audience who was willing to hear him out, so he unloaded. Yeah, my grandma died two months ago, but before she did, she gave me something called a Ouija board. At first, I thought it was my grandma talking to me, because it was saying things only she knew, but then it started saying weird things. Mean things. I tried to get rid of it. I threw it away, and then it came back.

Like, it was right back in my room. So then, I broke it apart. and threw it out in the trash can at the corner store. But it came back again. Okay, all right, buddy. Take a breath. You're good here, man. Your grandma bought you a Ouija board,

and you definitely made contact with a spirit. So you know about him. I do. Ouija boards are not something you want to mess around with. I've dealt with Ouija boards before. They were a major portal to evil. And the board being torn up and reappearing, well, that's par for the old.

Of course. I believe you, kid. You do? Everyone else thought I was crazy. You're not crazy, Simon. Ouija boards are no joke. Evil spirits are real, and I can tell you with certainty that it was not your grandma speaking through it.

It was a terrible mistake for her to give you that board. So what do I do? Well, first, I have to celebrate Mass, and then I'll come bless your house. Then we can get rid of that board. You sure you can stop all of this? Jesus can. He can fix anything, Simon. And I'm his priest, and I'm going to invoke the power he gave me. By the time as Simon had arrived at the church, it was in the late afternoon.

Father John had no idea Simon had ditched school. He just assumed he had come after school. Father John didn't know his mother had no idea where he was, and that the school had reported him missing. So you can imagine her reaction, when a Catholic priest shows up with her son after hours of radio silence long after the streetlights have turned on.

Hi there. Simon, where have you been? Mom. It's dark in the school. Who are you? What's going on? Hi. I'm Father John.

Nice to meet you. Yes, I'm Clara. Hi, Clara. Simon came into my church today and asked if I could help out with a problem. Okay, it's okay. Mom. I need his help.

Clara, what do you know about Ouija boards? The game? Well, I'm afraid it's not just a game. May I come in? Yes. Simon proceeded to tell his mother everything, from grandmother instructing him to use the board

to contact her once she had died, to the strange things the board did and was attempting to have him do, to it coming back home after he threw it out twice, and even repairing itself after he broke it up. To Clara's credit, she listened and tried to honor the emotional vulnerability her son was showing. She appeared to believe Simon was not making everything up. That's a lot.

Do you mind me asking, are you religious? Do you ascribe to any faith? My mother was a Catholic, and so am I. We stopped attending church years ago, but I did baptize Simon. Honestly, I'd say I'm more spiritual than religious. I find beauty and a truth and everything, you know. But I try to be a good mom and a good person. That's what's the most important, right?

Well, whether you believe it or not, if what your son says is happening is true, and I believe him when he says it is, then he has a demon attached to him from that Ouija board. A demon? Really? So that's a thing? Very much so. and if it's okay with you,

I'd like to bless your home and destroy that board. Is that why you threw the board away, Simon? Yes. Mom, please. Listen to him. Okay. Okay. If it'll help you feel better. This is all just very weird. Father John began to bless their home and move through each room sprinkling holy water in every corner, door, and window.

He could tell Clara thought it was all a bit strange. I mean, who wouldn't? If your son told you the board game he ripped up and threw away magically reappeared, and then he showed up with a priest at the door, you'd probably be scratching your head as well. When they arrived at Simon's room, Father John stopped at the entrance and seemed to sense something. He knew this is where the game was being played and something just felt off. There are times when you can't quite put it into words, but you just know evil is around. You feel it, like a large bug crawling up your leg.

It's there, and it lets you know it's there. Father John had spent an hour trying to convince Simon's mother that evil is real, that demons exist, and Ouija boards are not harmless. And just then, he set foot into Simon's room and started praying. It was a huge hiss. Father jumped back startled and rebuked it, busting into the prayer of St. Michael the Archangel. When he looked up, he saw Clara smiling at him.

St. Michael did... Father, do those prayers work against the air conditioning? That was just our unit turning on. Oh. A little humility is never bad for a priest. Father John finished the blessing, and nothing out of the ordinary transpired as he did so. So is that it? Yes, that's it.

But if you don't mind, I'd like to take the board with me to the church and burn it there. But, Father, do you think the board will try to hurt you? Don't worry about me. I'm going to take care of this for you. And look, Simon, thank you for being brave and asking for help. I also want you to know that most people have no idea how dangerous this is. And I'm sure your grandma did not know. Yeah.

Father John got in the car and headed home. He called the fellow priest that he knew and had him meet him in the back lot of his church at the far end of the parking lot. That lot was hidden and was a perfect. place for a makeshift fire pit. He built up a good pile of kindling and sticks, doused everything with lighter fluid, and lit it up. Then he fed the pieces of the broken Ouija board into the flames. There was just one problem. The pieces wouldn't burn. None of them. He watched the flames engulf each one of them, and they stayed whole and intact, almost taunting him. We shared in a previous case on

the show where a similar thing happened. Sometimes Ouija boards seemed to be remarkably flame retard. Father John and his colleague just stared in disbelief, not knowing what to do. That's when they decided to call Monsignor Scott, an old priest, who was a mentor, and had seen a lot in his five decades of ministry. How much time you got? Might be both. For years, until he became aged and frail, Monsignor Scott was the diocesan exorcist. But he was still the guy you called on when you had. to skin a certain type of cat and were unsure how. He was a wealth of information and had seen it all. Father John figured that if there was someone who would know what to do, it would be him.

And I can attest everyone needs a good, crusty Monsignor that he can call on for anything. Excuse me? Really? I'm sorry, Monsignor. Did you say bless the Ouija board? Father John was a bit surprised. It would have never have occurred to him to bless a Ouija board, but somehow it seemed logical. So he and the other priest put the pieces back together and then sprinkled the holy water on the board, claiming it for Christ. He wasn't exactly sure what to say,

but essentially said something to the effect of, I break any and every power of evil over this board and claim it for Christ. He then threw the pieces into the fire. And just like that, poof. Everything was in ashes in seconds. Burned completely. Listeners will remember that in part two of Spiritual Roulette, a case file from season one,

after the two victims prayed in the field and asked God to deliver them, only then did the board burn away. While every story is different, the common theme is clear. If the board has any connection to you, any hold, you have to cut it off completely, just like a bad X. And of course, it's not just Ouija boards. Many listeners report that code names and risk keep reappearing on game night tables, but that's just due to the game being really fun and not having any spiritual issues. The next morning, Father John called the family to let them know the board was gone. Clara was kind and thanked him for helping Simon,

but when he offered to connect him with a youth group and help both of them reconnect with church, she showed no interest. He especially wanted to see Simon again, because despite the board being gone, it was still the issue of an evil spirit possibly being attached to him. Again, he didn't intend to, but Simon opened the door to evil. And that door may not be closed. And just because the board was gone does not mean the connection with the spirit behind the board is gone.

For months, Father John tried to get him and Clara to meet with him. They always politely refused. And eventually, he lost touch with the family. The period following an exorcism is a crucial one. Many exorcists who have contributed to the show have stressed the importance. of this quote post-op period. When the enemy loses ground, he does not passively sit by and watches his former treasure prosperes under God. He schemes and he plans his return. He wants the victim to not trust that God has truly set them free and his attempts to come back are well-documented.

In fact, in Father Zeta's case from season two, the ties that bind, Maria, a young girl who received deliverance ministry and was completely liberated, unfortunately fell back into sin and became repossessed, and the story tells of a far more difficult battle the second time around. Scripture refers to this dynamic specifically. In Matthew 1243 through 45, Jesus speaks of an unclean spirit being driven out only to return with seven more spirits, resulting in the second condition being worse than the former. That is why it is so crucial for someone who has been liberated to stay close to God, to get in community, and completely shut the doorways that proved an entry point for the enemy to begin with. About a year later, five years.

Father John pulled into the parking lot of his local YMCA where he worked out. As he opened the door, he noticed an old fishing tackle box sitting next to his Jeep on the ground. He figured someone must have left it there by accident and not wanting to move it in case the person came back, he ignored it. Father John went in, did his workout, came out, and the box was gone. He drove home, and when he opened the back of his Jeep, there was the tackle box. someone must have put it inside thinking he had left it on the ground by accident. So he called the YMCA and asked whether anyone reported a missing tackle box. The guy said yes and arranged for the person to come pick it up at Father John's church.

The next day Father John was in his office when there came a knock on the door. Come in. I'm here for my tackle box. Hey, Simon! It was Simon. He was older and had grown considerably taller, but he looked awful. He was pale and had circles under his eyes. He couldn't even look up.

There was an emptiness in his gaze that was palpable. You remember me, right? Father John, I blessed your home. The whole Ouija board thing? Oh, yeah, thank you. So, how have you been? How's your mom? Uh, she's doing good.

Thanks for bringing this to me. Here, come sit down. Talk to me. No, no, I can't. Gotta go. Bye. Hey, wait. He grabbed the box and ran out. That was the last time Father John saw him. About six months later, Father John decided to drive by their old house.

He saw a woman out front in the yard, but it wasn't Clara. He walked up and asked if Clara and Simon still lived there. but was told they had moved about two months earlier. To this day, he has never heard from them or about them. As a priest, it's not uncommon to lose touch with folks. You move parishes, people drift away, life happens. But there are cases, stories that stick with you. You wonder if there is more that you could have done.

But you also know that God is moving behind the scenes. Think about this, friends. What are the odds of the tackle box being Simons. Obviously, God was giving Simon another opportunity to connect with someone that could help him. But as a priest, you can only offer help. If it is rejected, all you can do is pray. This is not Father John's only Ouija board story. I know that many think it's a game, but he would assure you it is incredibly dangerous. So let me end on this. If that's you, right now, if you have a Ouija board, burn it, get rid of it. Play Texas Hold'em instead.

We are very grateful to Father John for sharing his story with us, and we hope he has inspired all of the grandparents listening to this show to really think twice about which board games go into the Christmas tree this year. Now, before we move the planchette to the goodbye section of the board, I wanted to get Father Martin's theological take on this case. There is a great deal to unpack in this case. About midway through the 20th century, what can only be described as a massive identity crisis hit the Christian churches, and the Catholic Church was no exception. In a word, many stopped believing in the supernatural dimension of the Christian faith.

For example, many seminaries taught that Jesus was not the Son of God, did not perform any miracles, and did not rise from the dead. Essentially, a belief emerged that Jesus was simply, a great moral teacher, who taught people how to share their belongings and care for their neighbor. For many, sharing and caring became the heart and extent of the Christian message. In his book, An Exorcist tells his story. Father Gabriel Amorth writes about his frustration that even as late as the 1980s, the Ministry of Deliverance and Exorcism was not taken seriously by most bishops in the Catholic hierarchy.

Many bishops did not even believe in the existence of the devil, and they thought that claims of demonic harassment were simply instances of psychological illness. During those awful years, many Catholic priests took those suffering from demonic affliction to get help from Pentecostal and charismatic prayer groups who believed in demons and the power of Christ to expel them

because their own bishops did not. Many within the Catholic Church are scandalized to hear this, as well they should be. One thing is certain, though, Christ gave the authority to cast out demons to all the baptized. Luke chapter 10. Thus, the power to expel demons comes from one's baptismal configuration to Christ, not from me or any other exorcist, and not even from the church. In other words, Jesus Christ is the true exorcist. That being said, there is absolutely an inherent authority over demons that resides solely in the sacramental priesthood.

That is, the priesthood connected by an unbroken succession back to the apostles. It is an authority that flows from the unique configuration to Christ that a priest undergoes at his ordination. and that configuration is present only in the Catholic and Orthodox churches, which together form the two lungs of the one true church established by Christ. And the results produced by the priesthood vis-a-vis exorcism are proof of that. Father John's case is far from an anomaly. I wish it were. Things like Ouija boards, spirit boards, mediums, psychics, etc. are not harmless.

I've spent countless hours praying and asking God to set people free from the absolute hell that has been unleashed through them. I have no doubt Simon's mother and grandmother loved him deeply. Although it was a spiritually disastrous thing to do, I do not think Simon's grandmother meant to harm him when she got him the Ouija board. And neither did his mother when she thought that such a gift was cute. yet those decisions subjected him to serious evil. Friends, the devil doesn't play fairly. He saw this young boy raised to be spiritually ignorant, who was heartbroken over the loss of a loved one,

and, like any predator, prayed on his innocence and lack of awareness. Think about how evil this is. The adversary pretended to be his dead grandmother. That is the enemy. we face off against one who is cunning and crafty and who has no morals. It is very important that we educate children about spiritual realities. If we don't, they may discover them on their own to great arm. I think we can all agree that Simon's chance encounter with Father John over the tackle box was God giving him another chance to get right with him, which Simon unfortunately blew.

Neither I nor Father John have any idea what happened to him after that. We can only hope that he found freedom. And thus concludes the story of the gift and father's beautiful and eloquent parting words to us on this case. However, there is one final venial sin to commit, and that is to leave you with another terrible joke. What famous actress would be perfect for a Ouija board movie? Kate Planchette. You're welcome. And with that, we'll see you for your next game night, folks.

just remember to order a board game with a return policy. To get our anointed merchandise, visit Exorcistfiles.tv, and of course all those wonderful, absurd, no really specific criticisms, send them on over to Exorcist Files at gmail.com. The role of Simon was played by Tyler Moga, the role of Grandma by Ronnie Richards, the role of Clara by Melissa Frank, the role of Father John by Tim Davis,

and the role of Derek by Finn Christensen. Music and scoring by Jim Cavell and Tom Straitly. Mixing, mastering, recording, and engineering by Dan Blesinger and Michelle Martinez. Script written by Ryan Bethay, Father Carlos Martins, and Rachel Collins. Executive producers are Ryan Bethay and Father Carlos Martins.