Divine Horror

Essays on the Cinematic Battle Between the Sacred and the Diabolical

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Edited by Cynthia J. Miller and A. Bowdoin Van Riper

Type

Studies

Subject

Genre > Horror

Keywords

horror, religion

Publishing date

2017

Publisher

McFarland & Co

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 256 pages
7 x 10 inches (18 x 25.5 cm)

ISBN

978-1-4766-6992-2

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Book Presentation:
From Rosemary’s Baby (1968) to The Witch (2015), horror films use religious entities to both inspire and combat fear and to call into question or affirm the moral order. Churches provide sanctuary, clergy cast out evil, religious icons become weapons, holy ground becomes battleground—but all of these may be turned from their original purpose.

This collection of new essays explores fifty years of genre horror in which manifestations of the sacred or profane play a material role. The contributors explore portrayals of the war between good and evil and their archetypes in such classics as The Omen (1976), The Exorcist (1973) and Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), as well as in popular franchises like Hellraiser and Hellboy and cult films such as God Told Me To (1976), Thirst (2009) and Frailty (2001).

About the authors:
Cynthia J. Miller, a cultural anthropologist focusing on popular culture and visual media, teaches in the Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts at Emerson College in Boston. She is the editor or coeditor of twenty scholarly volumes, many exploring the horror genre.
A. Bowdoin Van Riper is a historian specializing in depictions of science and technology in popular culture. He is the reference librarian at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, and is the author or editor of a wide range of volumes, ranging from science to science fiction to horror.

Press Reviews:
"An overall detailed analysis of the genre of divine horror… Highly informative… Divine Horror explores the many dynamics and dimensions of divine horror in modern day cinema and will be of interest to both upper-level high school as well as college-level students."—Journal of American Culture

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co