TheoFantastique » Exorcism of Emily Rose http://www.theofantastique.com A meeting place for myth, imagination, and mystery in pop culture. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:06:42 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Satan is Busy at the Box Office http://www.theofantastique.com/2010/09/01/satan-is-busy-at-the-box-office/ http://www.theofantastique.com/2010/09/01/satan-is-busy-at-the-box-office/#comments Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:36:01 +0000 admin http://www.theofantastique.com/?p=2968 A consideration of recent items in popular culture reveals that Satan is a popular figure. Eli Roth’s The Last Exorcism is at the top of the box office at the time of the writing of this post, and seems to be well received by many horror film websites and blogs. In turn, the release of The Last Exorcism, and its similarities to The Exorcism of Emily Rose, has led to a reevaluation of the latter at Cinefantastique Online. Devil, based upon a story by M. Night Shyamalan, which tells the story of a small group of people trapped in an elevator one of whom is allegedly the character named in the title of the film, opens in October. And a new documentary will be released, The Haunted Boy: The Secret Diary of The Exorcist, which purports to research the case upon which The Exorcist was based, although a look at the film’s trailer indicates that it is not a strict documentary, but rather is a hybrid composed of part documentary, part paranormal/ghost hunter program.

With all of this Satanic cinema spectacle we might pause and ask why the Devil is so prevalent. As W. Scott Poole has noted in his book Satan in America: The Devil We Know (Rowman & Littlefield, 2009), “the devil played a significant, and at moments determinative, role in the shaping of the American religious and popular imagination.” Even in a post-Christendom, late modern cultural context, the current focus on Satan in horror appears to substantiate Poole’s claim for not only America’s past, but also into the present. Given all of the threats around us, whether economic collapse, rogue nuclear nations, or environmental degradation, perhaps some see a Satanic hand at work, while others benefit from a mythic construct of the figure of Satan as an embodiment of whatever evil they fear.

Film trailers and related videos for this post topic, and others, can be found at the TheoFantastique YouTube Channel. And, of course, copies of The Exorcist and The Exorcism of Emily Rose can be purchased through the TheoFantastique Store.

Related posts:

“Scott Poole: Satan in America”

“Satanic Cinema”

“Carrol L. Fry-Cinema of the Occult: New Age, Satanism, Wicca and Spiritualism in Film”

“Paul Meehan: Cinema of the Psychic Realm”

Joseph Laycock: The Exorcist, Secularization and Folk Piety”

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]]> http://www.theofantastique.com/2010/09/01/satan-is-busy-at-the-box-office/feed/ 2 Christianity and Horror http://www.theofantastique.com/2007/02/04/christianity-and-horror/ http://www.theofantastique.com/2007/02/04/christianity-and-horror/#comments Mon, 05 Feb 2007 00:21:00 +0000 admin http://theofantastique.wordpress.com/2007/02/04/christianity-and-horror/ I did some poking around on the Internet over the weekend and discovered that TheoFantastique has already attracted the interest of several bloggers and has been added to blog rolls. I am surprised and humbled by this. I hope my comments and explorations here are worthy of the interest.

As I looked around the Internet for those exploring similar issues I discovered a couple of thoughtful posts on Christianity and horror. The first comes from the blog Elizaphanian where Rev. Sam comments on the topic with reference to an interview with Scott Derrickson, the director of the film The Exorcism of Emily Rose:

In my opinion, the horror genre is a perfect genre for Christians to be involved with. I think the more compelling question is, Why do so many Christians find it odd that a Christian would be working in this genre? To me, this genre deals more overtly with the supernatural than any other genre, it tackles issues of good and evil more than any other genre, it distinguishes and articulates the essence of good and evil better than any other genre, and my feeling is that a lot of Christians are wary of this genre simply because it’s unpleasant. The genre is not about making you feel good, it is about making you face your fears. And in my experience, that’s something that a lot of Christians don’t want to do, unfortunately.

Steve Hayes also comments on this specific issue on his blog, and includes his comments on horror and Christianity in general from time to time as well.

My mate Matt Stone has also taken the lead in promoting my new blog on his own wonderful blog Journeys In Between. He is a fellow fan in regards to these issues so expect some cross-fertilization and exploration of ideas between our blogs.

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