Why Are There Religious Themes in Horror Movies: Religion, Haunted Mansions and Churches
Why Are There Religious Themes in Horror Movies?
Common Threads
One thing I noticed about my own film reviews is that most of them are horror movies and many of them share similar themes regarding Religion; many of these movies have influence from Christian (mostly Catholic) Religions.
"One Missed Call": St. Luke's Hospital;
"B.T.K.":Dennis Rader was Church President;
"Doubt": the whole movie was based on a priest, a nun, and a private Catholic School;
"Hydra": based on Greek Mythology;
"The Alphabet Killer":the town was called "Churchville", the missing medallion from one of the victims was of St. Philomena-ironically, the "Protector of Children", and lastly, St. Michael's Church (there are several other references but I felt that this was enough for this review).
In "Knowing",Caleb questions the existence of heaven, John Koestler's (Nick Cage) father is a pastor, and Koestler ends up being a modern day Prophet. At one point, Koestler-an atheist-kneels down humbly before the higher presence, which I believe were Angels.
"The Haunting In Connecticut" revolves around a sick boy, Matt, having cancer. His treatments are at "St. Michael's Hospital" and one of Matt's closest friends from his treatments, is a pastor.
Now I find it odd that these elements are intertwined throughout. Who would think that horror movies could be so relative to religion? I never gave it much thought until I began reviewing notes that I took while watching the films.
I feel that many of the reasons we fight wars, or even fight people in general, is due to a combination of fear and misunderstanding, which leads to hate. I think that as civil human beings, if we chose to, we could be more compassionate to others through understanding their customs and belief systems, and stopping the negative stereotypes that fuel anger, hate and racism.
If each and everyone of us "Paid It Forward" just a little bit everyday, then imagine the possibilities for our entire race. We should be free to share our faiths, opinions, and ideals without fear of aggression, repercussion, being singled out, or hated.
I ask of all my readers, when you think about this, please say a prayer-no matter who your "God" is, for world peace and triumphant brotherhood between billions of people around the world. Hate may be an innate thing, but acting out on that hate is an action; a behavior that can be modified. When we refuse to act out this hate, we can then begin to change the way we view our enemies. God Bless us all!
Classic Movies
Movie Reviews By J.S. Matthew
- "Doomsday" Review
Well, as I have mentioned on my other hub, "Dark Secrets", I am not much into English films. This one was OK, and so I gave it 3 stars. Among the cast are Rhona Mitra, Bob Hoskins, Adrian Lester, and... - "Quarantine"
"Quarantine" I gave this movie 1 1/2 stars. I found the movie very cheesy and the acting was horrible. I will admit that it was a fast paced movie...but it wasn't fast enough to end! There were 2 heroes; a... - "Dark Secrets"
Although a little slow to start, this English drama, staring Gary Daniels;Stephen Elliott;Ben Shockley;Kate Thuriwell, is very "Proper". I'm not an avid fan of English drama, but I did get into this movie as... - "Doubt" Movie Review
This is a very difficult movie to review. I was raised Catholic and I was very sad to learn about the scandals of sexual abuse in the 1960's through the 1970's. One thing that I will say is that Meryl Streep... - "B.T.K." Review
OK, so I wasn't old enough to remember the beginning (BTK started in 1974-I was born in 1978) but I remember when they caught him, and I remember every one's astonishment when they found out who BTK really... - "The Day the Earth Stood Still"
Finally, a 5 Star Movie! This was a great movie starring Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, and Jaden Smith, at their best. Basically, this movie follows a similar plot as "Signs" and "Independence Day".... - "Knowing" Movie Review
I enjoyed this one a lot, and I must say that Nicolas Cage is on my top 10 actors list. The movie opens in 1959, Lexington, Massachusetts. I am native to Massachusetts, so I found this to be "familiar". ... - "Hydra" Movie Review
I gave "Hydra" 3 stars. Although the plot was good, the monster-snake (or whatever it was supposed to be), was very cheesy (Yes I use that word a lot!). This movie reminded me of a mix of "Indiana Jones" and... - J.S.Matthew's Movie Reviews...
What can I say...I LOVE watching movies!!! I watch all kinds of films in all genres. Sometimes I am in the mood for comedy or maybe a little excitement from a horror or action film. I was recently laid off... - "Walled In" Review
I really enjoyed this one! Mischa Barton is the star of the film as she plays Sam Walczak, a building demolition specialist. Sam is called to survey a building which, come to find out, has a horrible past.... - "The Haunting in Connecticut" Review
I couldn't wait for this movie to come out! There was a lot of hype and I got it the first day it was released on DVD. I gave it 4 1/2 Stars (Yes,I am a tough critic!) Basically, there is a teenage boy named...
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