Holy Ghost - Snap Classic

Spooked - KQED and Snap Studios

A haunting exploration of faith, healing, and the inexplicable, featuring two powerful true stories: a woman's spiritual crisis in childhood and a man's near-death experience in a hospital, both involving supernatural elements and the limits of belief.

Key takeaways

• Belief in the supernatural often emerges in moments of crisis and desperation.
• Healing may not be physical but emotional or psychological, defying medical explanation.
• The act of surrendering control can open space for unexpected change.

Transcript preview

Some people say, if you believe something strong enough, it will come to pass. Maybe. Maybe. But what if the problem is, you don't know what to believe? Well, I was 8 years old. My brother refused to go to get a better. He was a better. He lay moaning on top of our sheet, sweat pouring from his brown body. My parents had long told us that the doctors were up the devil. He lay moaning on top of our sheets, sweat pouring from his brown body. My parents had long told us that the doctors were up the devil. Instead they called the pastor, the pastor came. My mother led him to our shared room, the open door revealing my brother contorted in pain. And then from a small leather folder, the pastor removed a while of olive oil and a clean white square of linen. He pressed several drops of the oil onto the cloth. Then he pushed it hard. unto my brother's abdomen, my brother screamed. Then the pastor and my parents, knelt down to pray. They prayed to Lord Jesus to heal my brother. Heal him, Lord Jesus. Heal your servant's child. We claim your bounty, Almighty God, in Jesus name. In Jesus, name. In Jesus, name. I knew they were doing it wrong. My grandmother had long told me that the more sick you are, the more power you need. My grandmother could even use her own spit, her saliva to turn away a blister or a headache. But for bigger things, she struck matches, set fire, lit, dandelion powder, burned, high-gen the conquer root. His of time Nettle, each made their own smoke and each smoke had power. Born of fire. For things that mattered, things that had to be, my grandmother said never mess around. And that's why her fingers were lying with the crosshaches. She would take my grandfather's razor strap and slice her own skin, her own blood if she had to. That's real power, baby. That's what she told me. So I was angry as a pastor pressed into my baby brother with olive oil from a glass jar. There was no power there. No smoke. No fire. There was no power there. No smoke. No fire. No blood. Spook starts now. Now then, our first story comes from three very special women, a daughter, a mother and a grandmother. We begin with a daughter, Sarah Finnerty, spooked. It was October, I was 14 and I just started high school. And then I don't know what happened. My mom and grandma remember. I think it was full. It wasn't cold enough for coats, heavy coats. Oh boy, it was a while ago and I don't even like thinking about it. She didn't get out of the bed and she was a big girl bigger than me much big and I'm I don't get up you remember how you know you don't remember you was you know you not remember that time I'm surprised I don't remember that I'm surprised I don't remember it I'm surprised I don't remember it I don't remember it that's like a hole in my memory Boy, I went in all the time and sometimes she would relent a little bit and talk and sit up. But most of the time it was, could you just let me rest? What are you going to scream, pull her out of bed, dress her? You know, she's as big as I am. She had a long leg, she's beautiful. And I said to her, look, you know, strong, you can walk, I don't feel my leg, she said. I've been young with a needle. She didn't feel something strange. She was alive. She didn't feel the pinch on a leg. It's ridiculous. I think it was at that time that Sarah you even used aluminum foil to block out light. And I said, oh my God, this is like Bobby Fisher pulling out his fillings, you know, not wanting any, I don't know what I was thinking, but she was very, very despondent. You wasn't sick, Sarah. You wasn't sick. You were like a bull. I'm a 93 years old. You were sick. You were sick. You were like a bull. I'm 93 years old. I have very strong mind. I remember everything you was possess. Okay? My grandmother thought the only thing that could explain my state was that I was possessed by a demon or someone had put a curse on me. We're from a very small town in Italy and we emigrated when I was a child and they had primitive in a lot of cases. So anything was possible to help save one of your own. And she came up with interesting solutions. The first thing my grandma did to try to make me feel better was to get a priest to come to our house. I called the priest, was a priest to come to our house. I called the priest, was a priest from Italy. missionary missionary scallopliniano dahlitalia de l'etale, even if I did not hear the main seqa. He came over here and he went to every room and then I bring him upstairs in Sarah's room and Sarah's room. I remember is a priest standing in my bedroom door and throwing holy water around my room. My grandmother probably arranged it so the priest came while my mother was at work so she wouldn't have to tell my mom. She denied what she was doing. You know, when I discovered stuff she would flat out deny it. it was undeniable. She'd worm her way around it saying it's not a big deal I'm not paying for it it's just a little thing my friend told me to do it you know she's depressed we have to do something But nothing changed after the priest. So my grandma contacted people in Italy who she could help. They were witches. Of course, somebody put a curse at you. Sir, a reality person. Sir. They were witches. The devil was, I think so. I absolutely demanded