Letting in the Supernatural': The Top Trending Toy This Season That Has Exorcists and Faith Leaders Terrified

Believe it or not, but the Ouija Board — a game that some believe opens the door to the spirit world — is one of the top trending toys that is "making a comeback this season," according to Google.

And it's a development that has some faith leaders warning of potentially disastrous repercussions.

Attributing the recent resurgent rise in popularity of the Ouija Board to the October release of a movie called "Ouija," Google reported on its commerce blog that online searches for the board game are up 300 percent since the film reached the big screen.

An Irish priest who serves as an exorcist spoke on condition of anonymity recently, telling Ireland's Independent that this development is anything but positive.

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"It's easy to open up evil spirits but it's very hard to get rid of them," he said. "People, especially young people and teenagers who are likely to experiment with Ouija boards on a whim, can be very naive in thinking that they are only contacting the departed souls of loved-ones when they attempt to communicate with the dead using the boards."

He warned that using the board could open the door to demonic and evil spirits that pretend they are deceased loved ones, infecting the lives of individuals who use the game.

Others are in agreement, including Church of England vicar, the Rev. Irwin-Clark, who told the Daily Mail that avoiding the Ouija Board and other similar paranormal items is paramount.

"It’s like opening a shutter in one’s soul and letting in the supernatural. There are spiritual realities out there and they can be very negative," he said. "I would hugely recommend people not to have anything to do with the occult. People find they are having strange dreams, strange things happening to them, even poltergeist activity."

Another faith leader, the late Rev. Tom Willis, is quoted by the Daily Mail as saying in 2012 that he personally saw the board game cause a great deal of harm to those who used it.

"A lot more people are dabbling in the occult and having seances, and that is causing a lot of problems," he said. "In the Sixties, the Ouija board caused so many problems — people ending up in mental hospitals because of what they have experienced."

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Of course, many believe that the board is simply a harmless game with no supernatural connection at all, dismissing the previous sentiments as silly or unfounded. That said, warnings abound.

Renewed interest in the game follows the release of "Ouija," a film with an official description that reads: "A group of friends must confront their most terrifying fears when they awaken the dark powers of an ancient spirit board."

Read more about the Ouija Board's complicated history here.

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Front page image via Shutterstock.com