Regardless of your personal beliefs, it cannot be argued that religion is often a popular theme that runs throughout the horror genre. Examples of the use of God as a source in horror are numerous but arguably the most famous is the film, The Exorcist. In this film, a young girl is possessed by the devil and a priest attempts to save her life by forcing the devil out. In “Green tea” a devout minister is driven to suicide by a supernatural creature, the demonic monkey, that forces him to feel guilt and evil within himself.
So why is it that religion seems to so often be at the root of many different works of horror fiction and films? I believe it is because if raised a religion that believes in an afterlife that has an unpleasant alternative should you not live your life in a good way, you are told of the “horrors” of hell and the work of Satan form a very young age. And unlike vampires and werewolves, Satan is a malevolent being that is an important part of what many people consider to be their most important beliefs, religion. Because of this, Satan is actually thought to exist by many and because of this it makes a demonic figure in a horror story that is a form of Satan or a messenger of him all the more scary.
Religiously based horror films generally have two different kinds of plots. The first kind of religious horror story is actually where the influence and faith in God is taken to a fanatical level and an overly zealous believer becomes the antagonist, such as in Stephen King’ novel, Carrie. This particular plot would not be considered horror by Carroll because his definition of a horror genre work must include some form of monster that is abnormal, unusual of does not exist in our everyday world. In this type of story a religious fanatic is the antagonist or “monster” of the work is a living person basically driven to evil action by insanity and their religious beliefs. It is not defined as a member of the horror genre for the same reason that serial killer stories are not.
The other basic kind of religious horror story is where there is some form of the devil, agents and/or messengers of the devil, etc that plague the protagonists in the work. My question is, would this type of story such as The Exorcist truly be considered a work of horror by Carroll’s definition is one’s faith includes Satan and demonic creatures as a part of existence? If so, does it mean that all works of mythology that contain abnormal monsters in our world but are works depicting the beliefs of a group of people also included as a work of horror? I would not consider Homer’s The Iliad a work of horror even though it contains mythological beings, such as a Cyclops. At what point do you draw the line between a work of religion and a work of horror?
2 comments:
I think that stories such as The Exorcist are most certainly considered art-horror even by Carroll's standards. The fact that the existence of demons remains unproven by science makes this true. Just because someone or even a large group of people believe something, if it is a matter of faith alone (as is the case with demons, angels, and God) it cannot be proven by science. I do see your point, however, that such beings are believed to exist by many more people than traditional monsters, but strict science would state that since no empirical evidence exists to prove that they are real, then, at least for now, they count as creatures which science says do not exist. As for the mythology, I think that myths, legends, and ancient epics like the Illiad are different genres from horror due to the fact that they include a world where the monsters are accepted as ordinary (like in a fantasy story). Heroes are not shocked at the existance of snake-haired women, multiple-headed dragons, or even unnatural combinations of lion and man because these creatures are said to exist by the science of the fiction.
Yeah, but I think your reason that mythology doesn't count in horror raises a problem for The Exorcist. In the world of The Exorcist, or in the world of the catholic church, demons, though rare, do exist. The priest thinks it's unlikely that Reagan is possessed, but knows that it definitely is not out of the realm of possibility. The other priest that comes in takes in completely in stride, having done many exorcisms. Demons seem to be out of what the mother accepts as reality, but not so for the other characters. How many characters have to be convinced for it to count as horror?
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