A group of Catholics go to a mental institution to perform exorcism in the murderer George Viznik. Father Lareaux, Deacon John Townsend, Father Frank Pageand the teacher Maya Larkin, who was possessed and exorcised in the past, unsuccessfully try to exorcise the man and Father Lareaux is deeply affected and falls into a coma. Maya brings the Viznik's coded writings and after deciphering it, she concludes that the writer Peter Kelson might be the Antichrist to be incarnated by Satan. She seeks him out but the atheist Peter, who has been raised by his uncle Father James, does not believe in her. But when strange things happen to him, Peter meets Maya and they investigate together the chance to save his soul. 魔由心生。 玛雅（薇诺娜·瑞德 Winona Ryder 饰）是一个曾经遭到过魔鬼附身的女孩，甚至其中的恐怖与痛苦，幸运的是，在最绝望的时候，她遇见了神父拉瑞奥克斯（约翰·赫特 John Hurt 饰），后者将她从恐惧的深渊中解救了出来。重新回归正常生活的玛雅成为了一名虔诚的信徒，她加入了一个驱魔组织，坚信魔鬼终有一天会再度降临人世，施展它野心勃勃的阴谋。 皮特（本·卓别林 Ben Chaplin 饰）是一位小有名气的专栏作家，有着一段不堪回首的悲惨往事。特殊的童年经历让他放弃了信仰，并且拒绝相信怪力乱神之说。讽刺的是，魔鬼恰恰选择了不信邪的皮特作为附身的对象，皮特很快就陷入了恐惧之中。
