The ancient rite of casting evil spirits from the possessed is on the rise in the United States. Historically, demonic possessions have been used to describe mental or physical illnesses and even strings of bad luck, but the scientific community has debunked many of the outdated convictions.

With the U.S. being home to 20 percent of the world’s exorcists, VICE investigates why the phenomenon of exorcism is on the rise. We speak to Father Lampert, a member of the International Association of Exorcists and Michael Shermer, former devotee of the Catholic Church and founder of Skeptic magazine, to see why the modern exorcism is thriving in the West.