Book Review: The Case Against Satan by Ray Russell

Susan Garth is a sweet little girl of high school age who suddenly develops an aversion to churches and a newfound fondness for vulgarity (as well as attacking the parish priest). If madness can’t explain her behaviour, the answer must be demonic possession.
“Capture the dragon, the ancient serpent who is Satan, and send him in chains into the Abyss, that he may no longer seduce the nations.”
If you go into this one looking for a terrifying demonic possession story, then you’re gonna have a bad time. Or you’ll just be really disappointed. BUT if you go in with an open mind, you’ll find a really thought-provoking story about one priest’s struggle with his faith.

Set in 1962, The Case Against Satan came before The Exorcist, before Rosemary’s Baby, and you can definitely see how subsequent books have been inspired by this tale. It was probably ahead of its time in terms of looking at demonic possession through a lens of “is this a possession or could it be explained by science or psychology?” It brings up lots of interesting points.

I’ve also found I really enjoy reading books that explore the Catholic church and have priests as main characters, probably due to my own upbringing and experiences, but I find them quite relatable. So this one ticked a lot of boxes in that regard!

Also, a little fun observation! I am wondering if King has read this before, as a few character names he used in his own early novels showed up (Barlow and Halloran!) But perhaps I am just reading into things too much...

Overall I would recommend this if discussion surrounding exorcisms and the potential causes is something you find interesting. Also given its subsequent influence on the horror genre, I feel like this one deserves a little more attention. There are a few creepy parts, but it won’t keep you up at night! 4 stars.

Johann
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