Celebrate Ash Wednesday with "The Last Exorcism Part II"

CBS Films is celebrating Ash Wednesday the Eli Roth way with five fascinating facts about exorcisms from Dr. Ysamur M. Flores-Peña, in anticipation for its upcoming horror thriller sequel ‘The Last Exorcism Part II." The anticipated suspense thriller, which was directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly, who co-wrote the script with Damien Chazelle, is set to be released in New York theaters on March 1.

The fascinating facts about exorcism, as compiled by Dr. Flores-Peña, an Associate Professor at UCLA, include:

• 42% of Americans believe in possession by the devil.
• There are dozens of references of Jesus exorcising demons in the Gospels.
• Exorcisms can be done on inanimate objects or places as well as on people. These need not be “real exorcisms” but can be “simple exorcisms;” this is usually thought of as baptizing the infant or “blessing” the house or place.
• By conservative estimates, there are at least five or six hundred evangelical exorcism ministries in operation today, and quite possibly two or three times this many.
• The Catholic Church has at least 10 official exorcists in the US.

"The Last Exorcism Part II" trailer"The Last Exorcism Part II" trailer

Continuing where its predecessor left off, ‘The Last Exorcism Part II’ follows Nell Sweetzer (played by Ashley Bell), as she’s found alone and terrified in the woods. When she returns to the safety of civilization, Nell realizes that she can’t remember entire portions of the previous months, but knows she’s the only surviving member of her family. As Nell begins the difficult process of starting a new life, the evil force that once possessed her is back with more horrific plans, which means her last exorcism was just the beginning.For more information on ‘The Last Exorcism Part II,’ visit the film’s official website, Facebook and Twitter pages.