Acid Horizon Purging the Devil: Exorcism, Possession & Political Panic with Grafton Tanner
Nov 30, 2025
Join Grafton Tanner, an insightful author and cultural historian, as he dives into the uncanny connections between exorcism, possession, and contemporary political panic. Tanner explores how neoliberal collapse and social media revive satanic fears across the political spectrum. He discusses the historical roots of demonology, the interplay between possession narratives and property relations, and the emotional allure of conspiracy theories. This gripping conversation also touches on the ramifications of purification rituals and modern exorcisms as tools of social control.
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Annalise Michel's Tragic Exorcism
- Grafton Tanner opens the book with Annalise Michel's story of prolonged exorcisms and her death at 23.
- The case forced legal and cultural questions about belief, medicine, and responsibility in modern exorcism.
Three Ways To Explain Possession
- Possession explanations split into misdiagnosed medical conditions or literal demonic reality, with a third theatrical/performance reading.
- Tanner highlights performance theory: exorcism can be a believed theatrical script that shapes participants' behaviors.
Possession As Control Of Property
- Possession narratives often reflect property and control relations, especially over children and marginalized people.
- Tanner links possession fear to losing authority, likening it to slaveowner panic and parental control over youths' behavior.
