Steven A. LaChance

I purchased this book because I've been a huge fan of The Exorcist book and movie for years. When I first took a look at it, I was a little disappointed because it seemed like it might be cheesy (the author has done the talk show circuit) but the book proved me wrong. It's really well researched, the author is a competent writer and the ending is downright scary! I was raised Catholic, even went to a Catholic high school, but I now consider myself agnostic. The book raised a lot of questions show more for me. show less

Possible Triggers: Supposedly true horror; Animal Killings
It began in May 2001. From the book:"Having been cramped in a small apartment with his children for a while, LaChance was eager to stretch out. His lease was up anyway and fearing homelessness he looked at every classified ad for a possible lead. So, when an opportunity arose to look at a real house for rent in Union, Missouri he jumped at the chance. Not only was it big, but it also had a yard and quiet neighborhood. Or so he show more thought. Moving day came on a Friday and nothing of note happened inside the house, however, a local pulled up to the curb and said something odd: “Hope you get along okay here.” LaChance consults paranormal investigators, psychics, and priests, but the demonic attacks, screams, growls, putrid odors, invisible shoves, bites, and other physical violations only grow worse. The entities clearly demonstrate their wrath and power: killing family pets, sexually assaulting individuals, even causing two people to be institutionalized." Shortly after moving in he began to watch how his neighbors reacted to the house. He noticed that people would NEVER walk in front of the house...instead they went out of their way to cross the street...even in bad weather where walking in from of the house side would have offered a shorter route. The author and his three children soon found out that they weren't dealing with "Casper the Friendly Ghost".... this, entity was evil incarnated...what his son had labeled the "Basement Monster" ...a thing possibly from the bowels of Hell whose only form seemed to be oily black fog and mist. They had watched in horror as it would drift through the house as if searching for them. They had heard as it screamed either in pain or rage or a hellish combination of both; plenty of time as had other people in the neighborhood including all the dogs in a four-block radius. The author and his children finally saw its face for the first and last time, as they fled the house leaving most of their belongings behind, mere weeks after moving in. Is it true or is it a work of fiction? I don't know and I'm certainly not willing to put it a test. It doesn't really matter rather you read this as fiction or as the truth in which it's told, but please treat the authors feelings with delicacy. This is the story of people who glimpsed Hell and lived to talk about it. I have wondered why they didn't burn the thing and salt the Earth it stood on. I believe there is a sequel to this book. show less

Confrontation With Evil by Steven LaChance

Millions of readers of a certain age harbor vivid memories of The Exorcist, a groundbreaking movie that cast permanent shadows in millions of minds (1973) . The film placed the blame for the horrific possession on the actions of an imprudent teenage girl who invited a demon into her life by daring to use an Ouija board.

Confrontation with Evil documents LaChance's quest for the truth, for what really happened and why. Instead of taking an academic show more approach, the author chooses to write in a personal style. Readers will feel that he is near, addressing them in intimate conversation. Using the diary of one
of the priests involved with the exorcism, LaChance walks readers, step-by-step, through the actual events, explaining the typical phases of possession along the way.

Unlike the movie, the author does not place the blame for the possession on the victim, a young, unnamed boy. Instead, he looks deeper, focusing on the people around the boy, thus uncovering disturbing, heartbreaking
alternate possibilities. The text strips away the Hollywood hype that includes spinning heads and such. Even so, the events of the real story are far more horrendous because they really happened.

The author does not stop with the events of the possession. Decades after the actual events, shadows still haunt the places where the exorcisms took place. LaChance guides readers through visits to each haunted location, some which have been preserved and held in secret for many years.

In order to supply readers with the basic information needed to understand this historic event, LaChance discusses and explains the significance of occult elements that include the power of numerical and geometric components. He also defines the tenets of classic demonology and includes elucidating quotes from adepts such as Eliphas Levi and Aleister Crowley.

LaChance does not profess one absolute answer, but instead offers various views and allows the reader come to come to their own conclusions.

Readers still haunted by The Exorcist should give this book a read.

Rougeski Reads show less

I don't know if the things this author alleges happened or not. We're not offered much in the way of proof, although there's a lot of hearsay and a certain amount of vague religious hysteria. The story I came away with was that of an unpleasant man with a pleasant writing voice who wants attention for something that he says happened to him.

Honestly, I just don't believe that any of this happened. Perhaps if the writing had been better, or if this guy had been a bit more likable and had not show more come off from the beginning as such a complete arrogant jerk, I'd feel differently about it. As it is, I can understand, reading this, why his first wife left him with three kids that he apparently wanted more than she did but had no clue how to care for. (I do feel sorry for the kids.) I was glad to finish the book to get away from this guy. He spent more time whining about his wife leaving him than he did giving a clear picture of his purported haunting.

I have seldom finished a book and still been so glad to send it out on Paperbackswap. show less