Ask anyone to explain a link between religion and horror movies and you'll undoubtedly hear a large number of replies citing the use of crosses to ward off vampires. But, the genre is so heavily laced with religious sub-plots and analogies, it goes much deeper than Van Helsing brandishing a representation of where Jesus was crucified in the face of Count Dracula.

While it may seem counterintuitive, there probably isn't a film genre (excluding movies produced by Kirk Cameron, anyway) that more consistently or explicitly references Christian ideas and iconography than the horror genre.

About halfway through my first watch of Mike Flanagan's Netflix miniseries Midnight Mass, I wished I had known going in that it was a reimagining of the classic vampire tale. Expecting something more in the family of Flanagan's other work - ghostly supernatural thrillers with spiritual undertones - I was not quite prepared for what I got: a direct and highly literal dose of body horror, complete with questionable prosthetics.

(REVIEW) "Midnight Mass," a Netflix horror miniseries from creator Mike Flanagan, brings viewers to a small island town visited by a mysterious and charismatic priest and his accompanying "angel." The show explores the enchanting power of miracles and asks Christians to be careful where they direct

The Wicker Man has been hailed as an icon of horror cinema for decades now, often cited in lists of best and most influential horror movies, alongside the likes of The Shining and .

Director: William Friedkin Screenwriter: William Peter Blatty Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, Lee J. Cobb, William O'Malley, Kitty Winn Nearly five decades on, The Exorcist continues to be one of the most talked about horror movies of all time; even to the point that its many surrounding curiosities and controversies are practically common knowledge to even non-horror fans.

Movies like 'The Conjuring' and 'Ouija' act as mouthpieces for Christianity, and have deeper intentions than just surface-level scares.

LOS ANGELES (RNS)-- Kicking off a film festival ironically searching for faith in movies meant to inspire shrieks of terror, horror-film guru Wes Craven talked not only about his classic "A Nightmare on Elm Street," but his own conservative Christian upbringing.

People are sent to Hell in broad daylight in this vicious drama from "Train to Busan" director Yeon Sang-ho, one that grapples with the dangers of weaponized beliefs. Watching people grapple with the inexplicable will always be a solid building block for a TV show.

TV/Streaming But in one of the show's many exciting intellectual ideas, this highly bingeable series is not about the terror of the monsters, but what would happen next-how so many people would lose their minds and sense of self, especially if such a literal force of wrath were rationalized as vengeance for our sins.

Tumbbad. 2018. Directed by Rahi Anil Barve & Adesh Prasad. Screenplay by Barve, Prasad, Mitesh Shah, & Anand Gandhi. Inspired by the works of Narayan Dharap. Starring Sohum Shah, Jyoti Malshe, Anita Date, Ronjini Chakraborty, & Deepak Damle. Colour Yellow Productions / Sohum Shah Films / Film i Väst / Filmgate Films Not Rated.

Religion and mythology run through the stone-cold veins of teaser, which was unveiled on 21 August. The trailer begins with a narrator's voice, who is recounting the story of the genesis of the universe and the birth of 16 crore gods and goddesses.

The 2018 film Tumbbad is among the best and most visually spectacular Indian films. At the same time - what is less known - it is also one of the best Indian movies ever on caste.​

Mumbai, Oct 12 (VOICE) As the mythological horror film 'Tumbbad' celebrates its fourth anniversary on Wednesday, actor-producer Sohum Shah, who starred in the lead role in the film, shared that the film will always remain one of his proudest accomplishments.

postle, director Gareth Evans' first feature-length effort since his pair of The Raid action films achieved instant underground infamy, is that rarest of treats: a horror movie that starts out as one thing, and finishes having mutated into another.

Boy, Gareth Evans sure knows how to mangle some bodies. and director brings his talents to the horror genre with Apostle , the new Netflix film that stars Dan Stevens as Thomas, a man who travels to a remote island and faces down a super spooky cult that's taken his beloved sister hostage.

Welcome to the definitive explanation of . What follows are the vital details of The Wailing analyzed, calculated, disentangled, decoded, and written-up for your evaluation. What happened? Why it happened? We have answers. And if you're looking for what to watch next, then check out our list of movies like The Wailing .

"Can anybody make sense of what's happening here?" asks Jong-goo, innocently, and for many viewers of The Wailing, the answer is a resounding no. Many of the attempted explanations of Na Hong-jin's The Wailing (2016) make the same mistake: they attempt to impose linearity on a plot that leaves...

by Ed Travis Open your Korean horror/mystery with a Bible passage about the nail holes in Jesus' hands and feet and just see how hooked you can get your audience. South Korean filmmaker Na Hong-Jin kicks off The Wailing with a bold confidence born of past filmmaking success with The Chaser and The Yellow Sea.

Sacred extrication in horror texts is an omnipresent generic convention whose ubiquity and linear trajectory can be traced from the earliest expressionist varieties to more contemporary exemplifications wherein the quintessence of devout holy faculty can expel inherently spiritual apparitions of evil.

Saint Maud , feature film debut for writer-director Rose Glass , follows a young woman named Katie (Morfydd Clark ) who prefers to go by the name Maud. She works as a private nurse and is motivated in all things by her deeply religious faith. She's also remarkably isolated.

Written and directed by Rose Glass, 'Saint Maud' is a psychological horror film set in an unnamed seaside town in England. The narrative follows Katie, a young woman who prefers to call herself Maud and works as a private nurse for terminally-ill clients. Through her profession, she meets Amanda Kohl, who is suffering from stage four cancer.

Note: A special message to all Scriptophobic readers. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, writing Holy Horror unfortunately had to be put on the back burner while my employment situations changed. This column will continue, and hopefully will come out in a more normal schedule in the next month or so.

Tonight is the night our faith becomes real, reads the tagline for The Invitation, the psychological horror thriller that chronicles the dinner party from hell. The Invitation was directed by Karyn Kusama, who is best known for her 2000 breakout feature Girlfight as well as the 2009 cult horror comedy Jennifer's Body.

Horror is a genre of constant reinvention. From Dante's Inferno, originally a shilling shocker and now the inspiration for anime, to Jordan Peele's masterful mythmaking revolutionizing horror, the genre has evolved far beyond jump scares and creepy walks. Though found footage is one of the most explosive subgenres of horror, it is largely stagnant.