Customer Reviews

Satan's Harvest

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I live in fort kent maine and i've actually been to Satan's Harvest. The field is now haunted and i have pictures to prove it. whether it is maurice or not i dunno but there is something up there. My aunt is actually married to maurices brother and she has witnessed some of this stuff happening as well. very good story and VERY creepy place

I don't really believe in possesion and stuff but I can tell you he didn't fake what he did. He married my fathers sister Nancy.
I have seen home video of the changes taking place during an Exorcism, watch his face boil and more. And when it was over he went back to normal like nothing happened.
But this man was sick in more then being "possesed". He was a sex offender and a wife beater. My Aunt Nancy was scared to death of him. And when she finally left him it nearly cost her, her life! She went back to the house he went after her. He was in the house when she came home from shopping and shot her with a shotgun. Blew her arm off. He then dragged her into the house and out the gun to her head and told her he was going to kill her. Instead turned the gun on himself and blew his head off. She thanked God that Frenchy did it. Tell me know what you believe? Either way you look at it he was a sick man.

If you are calling the people that knew this man personally "skeptics", you are right. We are very skeptical about whether or not he was actually "possessed". Most believe it was just an act. I grew up with this man. He was my mother's brother. My uncle.
He grew up poor in a family of 14 brothers and sisters, with him being the oldest. Naturally, more work was expected of him, being the oldest and a male working on the farm. He was expected to lead the younger kids, and when one of them messed up, he was responsible for it. That's just the way it was on the farm 60 years ago.
From my earliest memories, he was an evil man. I am not going to disrespect anyone by giving detailed events I witnessed with my own eyes and what was told to me by his family or include any names. But I will say, my family visited with his families(he was married a few times) as far back as I can remember. I've see him be very violent to his wives and children, he molested children and one admitted it to my face, I've seen him beat and kill animals, etc.
Now, there was a sweet side to him also. He never overstepped his boundaries with me. My mother was not afraid of him and let him know he'd better think twice about raising his hand or voice to her or her kids. I do have some memories of laughing and joking with him. But after this whole so called "possession" episode, I have lost complete respect for him as my uncle.
I started to read this book, but couldn't make it past a few chapters. The way he trashed my grandfather's name and image by the vicious lies he wrote about him and portrayed himself as an innocent victim made me sick to my stomach. I regret buying it to give a profit of its sale to the people associated with its writing.
If you do end up reading it, please read it with a grain of salt and don't believe 85% of what's in it. Have no pity for him, but have pity for his wives, children and grandchildren that had to endure years of abuse because of him. His "possession" came at a convenient time when he was facing home and legal issues and it gave an excuse for his actions. That's all I have to say about it. If you want to know more or discuss it, you can write to me directly at slvrngld@netzero.net.

When the events of 1985 took place in Warren, Massachusetts, recounted in Satan's Harvest, I had already moved to the Midwest from Massachusetts earlier in the year. When I moved back to Massachusetts a few years ago I took up residence in a town close to Warren. It was then I heard about the Theriault family when a friend brought me to see the Theriault's Warren farmhouse.

I recently decided to read Satan's Harvest to satisfy my curiosity, and because it dealt with local lore. It was interesting to see the names of places that were familiar to me from my youth. Also, my background in theology predisposes me to an interest in the world of unseen things. I believe in angels, and I believe in the Devil. I also believe that the demonic powers can take over living beings, rational and dumb.

Following my reading of the book, I spoke with area residents who remember vaguely the 1985 media reports that captivated the local imagination. Those with whom I spoke recalled not having any particular feelings one way or another about the claims of demonic possession that were being made, in spite of the intense media coverage. My sense is that because the investigation was largely covered in the Boston Herald, a tabloid newspaper well known for its journalistic sensationalism, the news accounts in the Warren case were more easily dismissed locally.

My personal feeling as to whether or not there was true demonic possession in the Warren case is formed from the writers' own recounting of the involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in this matter. The writers point out, somewhat conspicuously, that the Roman Catholic Church prudently moves very cautiously when it comes to evaluating claims of demonic possession. Cases of alleged demonic possession brought the Church are examined carefully using prayer, fasting, and the contributions of the sacred sciences (moral and dogmatic theology) and of medical science and the social sciences (psychology, etc.). If, in the Warren case, the Church would not confirm there was sufficient cause to believe there was a true demonic possession, it means the Church could not make such a finding based on its ancient criteria. I am quite satisfied the findings of the Roman Catholic Church based on its experience in these matters dating from apostolic times.

Using Bishop McKenna (a renegade priest who had earlier separated himself from the unity of the Roman Catholic Church and appointed himself bishop) to perform the ancient rite of exorcism suggests to me that those who wanted this rite had to resort to him because (a) he was convenient, (b) he knew the ritual, and (c) they could not persuade the Roman Catholic Church, a legitimate authority in such matters, that there was sufficient evidence of a true demonic possession, thereby justifying ritual exorcism.

Is it possible that the McKenna exorcism calmed Mr. Theriault to a point where he could live a less traumatic life? Yes, of course. It is well known that the use of ritual can help assuage mentally disturbed-even psychotically disturbed-individuals. Because the writers say that some of Mr. Theriault's symptoms did continue to manifest themselves after the McKenna exorcism, albeit to a lesser degree, I am inclined to regard the events of 1985 as having more to do with psychological disorder than with demonic possession. Whatever may have been the cause of the pain in the lives of the Theriault family, I pray that they have found some measure of peace.

Without meaning to trivialize or disrespect any real suffering the Theriault family endured, for whatever reason, it is my opinion that this book makes for, at best, a good campfire story.

Okay, I grew up right down the road from Frenchy and I worked for him during the summer picking tomatoes. This guy was not possessed. He was very disturbed and clearly had some issues not to mention that he was a sex offender.

I rode the bus with his daughter and it was clear that, even in a town like Warren, she was being neglected.

This book is complete rubbish. As a matter of fact, I would be willing to bet that when the book mentions that Frenchy heard voices outside of his house, it was my friends and I yelling into the house that we were satan coming for him. I'm not proud of that.. believe me.. but it's true. This book is making excuses for a sick man.

Now, I enjoyed working for him and he was always fair... but... he was a sex offender. The world and his family is better off without him.

This is a horrific story.

Even more horrific are the so- called "reviews" of this story I have read on the net. Condescending, "better than thou" debunkers who know better of events and situations they were never exposed to. One pair of reviewers even disrespected a pair of police officers mentioned in the book, snidely calling them "mensa candidates."

I personally know an investigator who spent a week with Maurice. A credible, unassuming man. His stories elaborate on what the book covers.

There was no elaborate hoax here. Poor Maurice met a tragic end.

Whether one believes in demonic possession or not, one thing is certain. Civility has been erased in our modern culture. If any skeptical reviewer has the need to smeer and slander, such a person is obviously AFRAID that such events may happen. They are cowards, hiding behind a fascade of "superior intellect."

Jeff Messenger, author of "The Shroud of Torrington."

Okay, I agree that you have to bring a healthy dose of skepticism to this sort of book, but if you can suspend your disbelief it makes for an entertaining read. It's well-written, particularly the parts that are clearly fiction (how do you recreate the dialogue from a murder/suicide???). The book was made into a TV movie entitled "The Possession of Michael D." later rereleased as "Legacy of Evil." It's still shown every year around Halloween. It must have been a hoot for the reporters who wrote it.

my name is maurice joseph theriault...this book is based off of my grandfather and there is mostly facts in it and a lot of things left out that are messed up...this book will open your mind to the possibility of super natural experiences and myself have been looking for answers.read it its crazy

Oh, please. There's nothing in this story that isn't better explained as a combination of mental and physical disease on Frenchy's part, and hysteria on the part of everyone else.

Lasalandra and Merenda should get some kind of award for Most Credulous Reporters of the 20th Century.

A HAIR RAISEING STORY ABOUT A MAN SUFFERING WITH A DEMONIC PRESENCE TAKING CONTROL OF HIS LIFE.. MAURICE AND NANCY LIVED IN THE OUT SKIRTS OF A QUIET COUNTRY TOWN A PLACE WHERE YOU WOULD NEVER THINK SUCH AN EVIL OCCURENCE COULD TAKE PLACE.. I CAN'T GIVE TO MUCH AWAY CAUSE THIS STORY IS JUST TO UNBELIEVEABLE TO TELL, YOUR GOING TO HAVE TO READ IT FOR YOURSELF.. I COULDN'T DO IT JUSTICE BY TELLING YOU..BUT I CAN TELL YOU THAT MAURICE ENDURED MORE THAN A HUMAN SHOULD EVER GO THROUGH.. WELL TO END MY REVIEW I CAN TELL YOU SOMETHING THATS NOT IN THE BOOK BUT AFTER THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN MAURICE'S POSSESION BLEW UP IN FULL FORCE AND DROVE HIM TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE.. ITS VERY TRUE AND VERY SAD.. I DID NOT KNOW THEM BUT I STILL MOURNED.. I DO KNOW ED AND LORRAINE WARREN WHO TRIED TO HELP MAURICE AND NANCY AND THEY SHARED THE LOSS NANCY.. BY READING THE BOOK YOU COULD REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT TRUE POSSESION IS ALL ABOUT...