Some books from the 1970s are difficult to locate.Since that was some half-century ago I suppose that’s not at all unusual.One of those that I had been anxious to read since working on Nightmares with the Bible was Diabolical Possession and Exorcism, by John J. Nicola.The main reason for my desire was that many people involved in the narrative about demons in the modern world are difficult to document, at least on the internet.For academics, or even journalists, with budgets and release or research time, there’s the possibility of travel and interviews and archive searching.I have none of those things, and I was curious about Nicola’s book since he wrote a forward to The Amityville Horror, vouching for its authenticity, and he was also technical advisor for The Exorcist.
I didn’t locate a copy of his book until after Nightmares was well into production, but research, even as I conduct it, is never-ending.The book is kind of a memoir and kind of a “you should listen to your priest” lecture.What’s fascinating about it is Nicola has no difficulty accepting both the paranormal and the standard Catholic teaching in matters of faith.He does come across as somewhat credulous, and somewhat academic in this book.His chapter on his role in The Exorcist is quite informative.One of my main questions regarding both the man and his book was what his particular expertise is/was (even finding out if he’s still alive, via the web, is difficult; he is on the 2017 honor roll of giving for a Catholic charity).The book provides a partial answer, but it also raises many questions.
This book is rare enough to have given rise to its own kind of mythology.I would classify that in the same category as the various stories about The Exorcist production being plagued with curses and strange phenomena.They’re all part of a culture of creating a belief structure that allows the supernatural back into an overly materialist worldview.Kind of like Einstein’s “spooky action at a distance,” it causes pleasant shivers because it doesn’t really explain anything.The book itself is though-provoking, but like the books of Gabriele Amorth, expends pages on the wonders of the Virgin Mary and building up a Catholic outlook on the spiritual world as the basis for combatting evil.Nicola, correctly in my opinion, points to the (then impending) influence of The Exorcist movie.This is a topic that I take up in Nightmares, for those interested in knowing more.
