In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Joseph Laycock, a scholar of religion, moral panic, and new religious movements, to explore how fear and belief take shape in modern culture.

We talk about the feedback loop between horror and “real life,” and why certain supernatural narratives feel plausible in America. We discuss stories of demons, Satanism, and conspiracy theories, and how they spread through media, institutions, and everyday life. From The Exorcist to Satanic panic, from the Warrens to cults, this conversation examines belief as a force that organizes meaning, offers comfort, obscures harm, and sometimes escalates into real-world consequences.

You can find Dr. Laycock's book here:

The Exorcist Effect: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-exorcist-effect-joseph-p-laycock/1143790831

Speak of the Devil: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/speak-of-the-devil-joseph-p-laycock/1134799944

The Penguin Book of Cults: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-penguin-book-of-cults-joseph-p-laycock/1146799962

Find more information at www.patternsandrituals.com

Patterns & Rituals is written and produced by your host, Cameron Holly Dexter. Follow her @cameronhollydexter

Sound Design and Editing by Robert Dyck. Follow him here @robertdyck

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