Remember that time Unsolved Mysteries filmed and aired a real-life exorcism? Join me, and let’s get weird with Robert Stack!

I don’t think I’m alone here when I claim there was nothing scarier on Prime-time TV than the glorious sounds and visuals of Unsolved Mysteries. Tuesday nights were always reserved for Robert Stack with me and my grandmother and it was around the age of 7 when I had first laid my peelers on the majestic stance of the Stack and felt such excitement along with being scared shitless. Upon each week’s new episode of thrills, murder, and the paranormal after a fresh viewing, I would feel a sense of paranoia thinking escaped murderers were lurking in my backyard bushes. But, that was the magic of Unsolved Mysteries, and watching it again with adult eyes thanks to the likes of FilmRise and other streaming apps, only validates it’s just as creepy now as it was over 30 years ago.

Each featured case was substantially creepy on its own, however, one, in particular, stood out to me in memory apart from the 1987 Kurt Sova segment that literally gave me nightmares for a week; And that was the time Unsolved Mysteries scratched the infamous re-enactments regarding a supposedly possessed 29-year-old woman only known to the world as “Kathie”. Running almost like a mini-documentary, the crew filmed an actual exorcism performed on the woman, who claims to have been taunted by demons since her teenage years.

Kathie- “MYAHHHH!! I HATE YOUR PRAYERSSS!!”

Exorcist- “Shut up, Devil!”

I can totally laugh at the absurdity of it now but back then when it aired that shit was wildly weird and slightly terrifying.

The episode that first aired on June 11th, 1999, had Unsolved Mysteries pairing up with HOPE, (Hartford Office of Paranormal Exploration), who were initially contacted by Kathie herself. After years of both medical and psychological treatments failing her, her last hope (ironically) for relief was the seven-member group of HOPE. With over 100 prior cases of exorcisms performed under the team that includes a social worker, a psychic, a registered nurse, and the director of Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, the group visited Kathie’s home and conducted an interview with the woman before a decision was made that would warrant an exorcism. During the group consultation with Kathie, she seemed to slip into one of her possessive spells and began to curl and cringe her hands along with jolting her head violently. After the very strange interview, the group seemed to believe Kathie’s story and felt an exorcism was the right way to go. And Unsolved Mysteries was there to film the very controversial ritual. 

Bless this damn program. Pun intended. 

According to the official Unsolved Mysteries fandom page, Kathie provided an update after filming that she did not require any further exorcisms and was able to find a job for the first time in several years.

I can only hope she’s a waitress somewhere, serving someone some pea soup right about now.