The History of Demons, Part Two: From Scripture to the Silver Screen | Halloween Special

How did the spirits of the ancient world become the demons of modern nightmares?

In the conclusion of our From The Void Halloween special, we pick up after our exploration of the Book of Enoch and turn to the New Testament, early Christianity, and the centuries of interpretation that followed.

From “unclean spirits” and the story of Legion to debates about pagan gods, fallen angels, and Lucifer, we examine how different texts and traditions became woven into a familiar supernatural story. We also explore Revelation’s symbolic, apocalyptic imagery—and why reading it in its historical and literary context matters.

Then we follow demons beyond scripture, through demonology, witch trials, literature, and modern horror. How much of what we picture today comes from ancient religious texts, and how much comes from the stories told afterward?

In part two:

• Demons, possession, and exorcism in the New Testament.
• Legion, Beelzebul, and the language of “unclean spirits.”
• Early Christian interpretations of pagan gods and demonic powers.
• How Satan, Lucifer, fallen angels, and demons became connected in later traditions.
• Revelation’s imagery and the importance of understanding apocalyptic literature.
• Demonology and witch trials.
• The influence of Dante, Milton, and the Faust tradition.
• Modern horror—and Pazuzu’s journey from ancient protective figure to cinematic terror.

The beings we call demons have never had one universally agreed-upon history. Their story is also a story about how human beings explain suffering, imagine evil, and give shape to the unknown.

Research resources and historical writings

• Justin Martyr — Second Apology, especially chapter 5. An early Christian account connecting transgressing angels and demons. This is a primary historical source rather than modern academic analysis.
• https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0127.htm
• Augustine — The City of God, Book IX. An influential Christian discussion of demons and their supposed role as intermediaries. This is a primary historical source.
• https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf102.iv.IX.html
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art — “Pazuzu: Beyond Good and Evil.” Historical context for comparing the ancient Pazuzu with his modern horror counterpart.
• https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2014/assyria-to-iberia/blog/posts/pazuzu

Biblical texts explored

• Mark 5:1–20: The story of Legion.
• Matthew 12:22–32: Beelzebul and accusations concerning Jesus’ exorcisms.
• Isaiah 14: A passage central to later interpretations of Lucifer.
• Jude: References relevant to Enochic traditions and transgressing angels.
• Revelation 12: The dragon, heavenly conflict, and apocalyptic symbolism.

Literary works discussed

• Dante Alighieri — Inferno.
• John Milton — Paradise Lost.
• The Faust tradition.

These literary works are explored for their influence on popular imagination, distinct from ancient scripture and historical evidence.

New to this series? Start with part one for Mesopotamian spirits, Greek and Persian traditions, the Watchers, and the Book of Enoch.

If you enjoyed our Halloween special, follow From The Void, leave a rating or review, and share both episodes with someone curious about the history behind the things that scare us.

The History of Demons, Part One: Ancient Spirits and the Watchers | Halloween Special

Before there was The Exorcist, there was Pazuzu. Before demons became synonymous with fallen angels, ancient cultures told very different stories about the unseen beings surrounding them.

In part one of our From The Void Halloween special, we trace the history of demons from ancient Mesopotamia through Greek and Persian traditions and into the religious world of ancient Judaism.

Along the way, we encounter protective demons, dangerous spirits, mysterious giants, and angels who cross a forbidden boundary. We also explore the Book of Enoch—a text that helped shape influential ideas about evil spirits, yet was excluded from most Christian biblical canons while remaining scripture in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo tradition.

This isn’t an attempt to settle whether demons exist. It’s an exploration of how people’s understanding of their origins, nature, and purpose has changed across thousands of years.

In part one:

• Mesopotamian spirits and the dangers of applying modern definitions to ancient beliefs.
• Lamashtu, Pazuzu, and the use of frightening beings for protection.
• The Greek daimōn and the changing language of the supernatural.
• Zoroastrian traditions and the complexities of tracing religious influence.
• Genesis 6, the “sons of God,” and the Nephilim.
• The Book of Enoch’s Watchers, giants, and explanation for evil spirits.
• Why Enoch remained scripture in Ethiopian Christianity while most other Christian traditions did not include it in their Bibles.

Research resources

• ORACC — Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses. Scholarly reference material on Mesopotamian religion and supernatural beings.
• https://oracc.museum.upenn.edu/amgg/
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art — “Pazuzu: Beyond Good and Evil.” Pazuzu’s protective role and his relationship to Lamashtu.
• https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2014/assyria-to-iberia/blog/posts/pazuzu
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art — “Amulet with a Lamashtu Demon.” Material evidence of ancient protective practices.
• https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326961
• Encyclopaedia Iranica — “DĒW.” A scholarly reference on demons in Iranian and Zoroastrian traditions.
• https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dew/
• Israel Antiquities Authority — The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library. A manuscript archive relevant to Second Temple Judaism and Enochic traditions.
• https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/

Primary texts explored

• Genesis 6:1–4: The “sons of God” and the Nephilim.
• 1 Enoch, especially chapters 6–16: The Watchers, the giants, and the spirits that emerge after their destruction.

Ancient religious texts are discussed as evidence of historical beliefs, alongside modern scholarship and archaeological material.

Coming in part two: We follow these traditions into the New Testament and explore how later theology, literature, and horror helped create the demons we recognize today.

Follow From The Void so you don’t miss the conclusion of our Halloween special.

A brutal murder. A Scotland Yard detective. And a story that would grow more unsettling with every retelling.

In the conclusion of our two-part investigation, we return to the killing of Charles Walton beneath England’s Meon Hill. More than eighty years after his death, the murder remains unsolved—but the mystery has become inseparable from tales of witchcraft, rural superstition, and the supernatural.

How did a violent crime become known as the “witchcraft murder”? What do the surviving accounts tell us, and how much of the story took shape in the years that followed?

As we sort through the investigation and the legends surrounding it, we come back to the question at the heart of the case: Who killed Charles Walton?

🎧 Missed Part One? Start here: The Witchcraft Murder of Charles Walton — Part One

🎃 Our Halloween journey continues! Subscribe to From the Void for more strange encounters, unsettling mysteries, and stories from the darker corners of history.

🌐 Visit the show: www.fromthevoidpod.com

• The Case That Foiled Fabian: Murder and Witchcraft in Rural England — Simon Read, The History Press
• The Meon Hill Murder, 1945: Unsolved Crime in Witch Country — M. J. Trow
• “Murder in Long Compton” — Our Warwickshire; background on local folklore and an earlier witchcraft-related killing
• “Killing of Charles Walton” — case overview and additional references

The witchcraft connection remains part of the case’s folklore and speculation; a ritual motive has not been established.

Content note: This episode discusses murder and disturbing crime-scene details.

The Witchcraft Murder of Charles Walton — Part One

On Valentine’s Day, 1945, 74-year-old farmworker Charles Walton left his cottage in the English village of Lower Quinton for a day’s work beneath Meon Hill. He never returned home.

His brutal murder would draw Scotland Yard into a mystery that became entangled with whispers of witchcraft, ancient superstitions, and the unsettling folklore of the English countryside.

In part one of this two-part From the Void investigation, we enter the world Charles Walton knew, retrace the circumstances surrounding his death, and explore how an unsolved killing became one of Britain’s most chilling mysteries. Where does the evidence end—and the legend begin?

🎃 Our Halloween journey is just getting started. More eerie encounters, unsettling mysteries, and Halloween episodes are coming throughout the spooky season. Subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next.

Visit our website: www.fromthevoidpod.com

Sources & Further Reading

• The Case That Foiled Fabian: Murder and Witchcraft in Rural England — Simon Read, The History Press
• The Meon Hill Murder, 1945: Unsolved Crime in Witch Country — M. J. Trow, Pen & Sword
• “Killing of Charles Walton” — case overview and additional references

The witchcraft connection remains a theory within the case’s enduring folklore, rather than an established motive.

Content note: Discussion of murder and disturbing crime-scene details.

UFOs Over Wisconsin — Part 2

A police officer’s encounter on a quiet Wisconsin road was only part of the story.

In the conclusion of our two-part series, we return to Officer George Wheeler and the strange reports surrounding Elmwood. From accounts of malfunctioning vehicles and electronics to another reported sighting by Wheeler, we follow a trail of encounters that left witnesses searching for answers—and small communities confronting something they couldn’t explain.

What can these accounts tell us? Where does the evidence end and speculation begin? And why do these stories continue to haunt Wisconsin decades later?

In this episode:

• The continuation of George Wheeler’s story.
• Additional UFO reports from the surrounding region.
• Reported vehicle and electronic malfunctions.
• The unanswered questions surrounding Wisconsin’s UFO encounters.

New to the series? Listen to UFOs Over Wisconsin — Part 1 before stepping back into the void.

Thank you for your patience during our move and the setup of the new studio. More Halloween mysteries are on the way.

Enjoying From the Void? Follow the show, leave a rating or review, and share this episode with someone who’s drawn to the unexplained.

Strange skies. Real witnesses. Unanswered questions.

To check out past episodes and follow us on social media go to: www.fromthevoidpod.com

In the spring of 1975, a quiet corner of Wisconsin became the setting for a UFO encounter that would eventually grow into something much stranger.

In Part One of UFOs Over Wisconsin, we travel to Elmwood, Wisconsin, and meet George Wheeler—a local police officer who reportedly considered himself a skeptic when it came to UFOs.

That changed one April night.

While on patrol, Wheeler encountered an enormous orange object in the sky—something unlike any conventional aircraft he knew. What began as a single unexplained sighting would leave Wheeler watching the skies, camera and binoculars close at hand, wondering if whatever he had witnessed might return.

But Wheeler wasn't the only one seeing strange things over Wisconsin.

In this first installment, we explore the setting surrounding the Elmwood encounters, the reports beginning to emerge from the region, and the first chapter of a case that would eventually become one of Wisconsin's strangest UFO stories.

And George Wheeler's most extraordinary encounter was still to come.

In Part Two: More sightings. Strange effects on vehicles and electronics. A second encounter involving Wheeler. And the events that would transform a local UFO report into an enduring Wisconsin mystery.

From the Void explores the strange, unexplained, and unknown—from UFOs and unsolved mysteries to paranormal encounters and the stories that exist somewhere between fact, folklore, and the void.

Check out all things FTV: https://fromthevoidpod.com

The Bermuda Triangle may be the world's most famous region of unexplained disappearances—but few people realize North America has its own.

Stretching across the waters of Lake Michigan lies an area where ships have vanished without a trace, aircraft have disappeared from the sky, strange lights have been reported for generations, and even experienced captains have simply… disappeared.

In this episode of From the Void, we journey into the chilling legend of the Michigan Triangle. We'll explore the mysterious disappearance of Northwest Airlines Flight 2501, the baffling story of Captain George Donner, ships that sailed into history and never returned, and the growing collection of unexplained sightings that continue to fuel speculation today.

Is there something unusual about this stretch of water? Are these tragedies simply the result of Lake Michigan's notoriously unpredictable weather? Or could there be another explanation waiting beneath the surface?

Join us as we separate documented history from folklore and investigate one of America's most overlooked mysteries.

• The history and geography of the Michigan Triangle
• The disappearance of Northwest Airlines Flight 2501
• The mystery of Captain George Donner
• Ships lost without explanation
• Strange lights and unexplained sightings
• Scientific explanations versus paranormal theories
• Why the legend continues to grow decades later

If you enjoy our deep dives into history's strangest mysteries, be sure to follow the show so you never miss an episode.

If you'd like even more eerie content, check out From the Void: Beyond the Veil, our subscriber-exclusive series featuring at least four new creepy stories every month. Some are inspired by true events. Others are entirely fictional. We leave it up to you to decide which is which.

Until next time...

Keep asking questions.

Keep looking into the darkness.

Because sometimes...

...the truth is waiting there.

Website: www.fromthevoidpod.com

Season 10 of From the Void is almost here.

This season, we'll continue doing what we love most—taking deep dives into some of the strangest mysteries, unexplained events, historical oddities, and paranormal encounters you've ever heard. Along the way, we'll be joined by leading researchers, experts, historians, and firsthand experiencers as we separate fact from fiction... or at least try to.

But while you wait for the new season to begin, we've launched something completely new.

Our brand-new subscriber-exclusive series delivers at least four brand-new spooky stories every month.

Some of these tales are inspired by real events, forgotten legends, and unexplained cases. Others are entirely fictional. We won't tell you which is which.

Instead, we invite you to listen closely, examine the clues, and decide for yourself where reality ends and imagination begins.

Whether it's an abandoned highway, a lonely lighthouse, a forgotten town, or a voice on the other end of the line... every story is designed to leave you wondering long after it's over.

If you'd like to support the show and unlock From the Void Presents: Beyond the Veil, you can subscribe for just $5 per month through our RedCircle subscription page. Your subscription helps make Season 10 possible while giving you exclusive access to a growing library of subscriber-only stories released every month.

The darkness never sleeps...

We'll see you in Season 10.

Subscribe here for Beyond The Veil: https://app.redcircle.com/shows/bc3dd4a5-b31d-4ce9-8268-33606e18a1fa/exclusive-content