The horror genre has had ties with religion, going back to its roots in Gothic literature. The vampires in Dracula were warded off by religious icons
and holy water and possession is often the work of the devil. Religion is often
the saving force; the priest exorcises the devil and crucifixes repel the
advances of the blood sucking vampires. However, what happens when religion
can’t save the day?
In an increasingly secular
society, horror films have changed their representations of religion, either
becoming suspicious of it, or scrambling to portray religion as the saviour in
horrific situations. Two contemporary horror film franchises, one American, one
Spanish show both sides of this. James Wan’s The Conjuring and Balaguero & Plaza’s [REC]. Although these films are wholly different in style and
subject matter, this contrast enlightening when looking at how horror can
interact with religion.
[REC] is a found footage
film, shot by a journalist documenting a night in the life of a Barcelona fire
station. They are called out to an apartment block, which is very quickly put
under quarantine upon their arrival. Over the course of the film we discover
that a deadly infection is spreading around the apartment block, seemingly originating
in one of the residents’ dog. From this, the audience assumes rabies, which is
a common explanation for zombie movies, and in this case, the horrific and
animalistic nature of these ‘zombies’ does not dispute this. On the surface, [REC] appears to be a zombie apocalypse
film and it pretty much is, until the end segment of the film.
As the film reaches its climax the
filmmakers enter the penthouse to find a room filled with religious iconography
alongside newspaper clippings reporting a girl possessed. This immediately switches
this film from your typical zombie apocalypse film, alluding to something more
sinister. On watching this part for the first time, I just thought that they
were trying to give a religious explanation for the infection, it was just a
misinterpretation, however on viewing [REC]2
it explicitly connects the infection with demonic possession.
I don’t know about anyone else, but for some
reason the film became 100% creepier as soon as they entered the penthouse and
saw what looked like a conspiracy theorists obsession, paired with the log of a
Vatican agent on old tapes playing in the background. This mystery is
completely unexpected and turns the whole film on its head.
But why bring religion into what,
on the surface appears to be a mere zombie outbreak movie? The answer can be
found in Spain’s political past. Spain was under the control of dictator Francisco
Franco from 1936 to 1975. Franco took power after the Nationalist victory in
the Spanish Civil war, his rule emphasised conservative values, including
putting a great deal of importance on Catholicism, which was the national
religion during his rule. Films during his reign were heavily censored, sex,
politics and religion were all no-go areas in films made in Spain during this
period. After his death in 1975, there was a great change in Spain, with the
country becoming more liberal (Scarlett, 113). However, Elizabeth Scarlett in
Religion and Spanish Film states that although Spain somewhat abandoned Catholicism,
“the motifs of Catholicism were never abandoned” and states that Catholicism is
ingrained in the works of Spanish directors (171).
Therefore, [REC]’s religious imagery does not simply contain this to evoke an
ominous feeling in the viewer, it is because of the lingering national
Catholicism of Spain. However, in this case Catholicism is not presented as the
saviour, in fact, it is the very cause of what occurs in the apartment block.
The source of the infection is the
girl in the newspaper cuttings who is apparently possessed by demons, the agent
kidnaps her and attempts to find a cure for the apparent biological demonic
possession, however, this only makes the enzyme mutate and become highly
infectious. Andy Willis suggests that for Spain with its religious history,
“such references would potentially have great significance for certain members
of the audience who might be willing to believe in a potential Vatican inspired
conspiracy rather than excepting a supernatural rationale for the virus” (58). Does
this belief, therefore lie in the potential distrust that people may feel for
religion, as they had been repressed by it for years?
There is only a hint of the
religious involvement in the first film, we are presented with mere
speculation, however, the sequel builds upon the conspiracy providing more
information about the Vatican involvement in the infection, shedding light on
the seemingly demonic origins.
We hear the infected people speak
in a demonic voice, repelled by items of religious significance, which immediately
takes the film into the realm of the demonic and consequently heavily religious.
Something that can have a voice and act in such an animalistic manner is wholly
disturbing, and although the mystery is being revealed, the eeriness is still
there.
Although The Conjuring may seem quite far removed in tone and style to [REC], the theme of demonic possession
is at the centre of both narratives. On its release in 2013, The Conjuring was a huge hit, grossing
$319.5 million worldwide, $137.4 million of that from the US. What is it about
this film makes it so endearing to audiences?
I have always loved a good
supernatural horror film, and this is an excellently made one. Yes, it is
scary, but for me a well thought out narrative is always what I look for in a
horror film. I was also rather drawn to
the characters of Ed and Lorraine, played wonderfully by Patrick Wilson and
Vera Farmiga. Although the characters of Ed and Lorraine are based on real people
I still view the film as a work of fiction, because I don’t believe in mediums,
or ghosts for that matter, as much as I would like to.
For others the story may seem
completely plausible, if you believe in ghosts, God and the devil. The film is
so heavily saturated with religious imagery and the script, written by the
Hayes brothers (who are very Christian) are not afraid to admit that The Conjuring is a film heavily
influenced by Christian values, if not a light piece of Christian propaganda. In
an interview Chad Hayes stated that “we want people after experiencing our
movie to question, where are they? Where am I in my own faith? Where am I in my
belief? The Lord has authority overall, and so here we are”.
Being party to this information has
changed the way I view the film. I must admit I am rather put out by the fact I
was drawn into a film filled with this kind of preaching. There is one point
where Ed looks worryingly at the father of the haunted family after he says
none of the kids are baptised, essentially implying they have set themselves up
for possession because they are not part of the church; providing a strange
narrative based on the notion that the US is losing its faith.
The basic premise of The Conjuring films is that religion can
save the day. I did notice this a lot more on watching the second one, but on
re-watching the first one it is so stark. The almost saint-like depiction of
Lorraine is perhaps the most apparent, more so in the second film in which she
is the almost spiritual guider to the young girl who is being possessed by the
demon, she acts as a kind of motherly saviour and martyr, who has suffered
greatly due to her God-given gift.
The US is lead by religion, it is
seen in every element of their culture, from the puritans to the present day.
Politics is saturated by religion and is used to justify so many things for
example, the continued control over women’s bodies. Now, with the ever-changing
world religion is slowly being rejected by many, mainly the youth of the
country, the emphasis on religion is going down. The Conjuring appears to be a
comment on this, whilst also desperately attempting to re-ignite the countries
faith. But did it work? The success of the film does make me wonder, but were
the film goers flocking to the cinema due to the religious nature of the film,
or just for the scares?
With two films centered around demonic
possession there are interesting notes to make about their countries relation
to religion. One that has rejected Catholicism and is therefore suspicious and
not afraid to critique it, and the other desperately clinging to religion,
attempting to scare the audiences into thinking that God can save you from
demons. With all that in mind, religion does evoke such a sense of fear in
horror viewers, whether they are faithful or not. I for one, would love to see
more mainstream horror films in the vein of [REC],
openly critiquing religion, rather than so many narratives where religion is
the saviour, when in fact, it causes most of the world’s problems right now.
By Siobhan Eardley.
Works Referenced:
Goodwyn, Hannah. “Screenwriters Chad and Carey Hayes on The Conjuring and God”. CBN.com.
The Conjuring. Dir James Wan (2013).
The Conjuring 2. Dir James Wan (2016).
[REC]. Dir. Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza (2007).
[REC]2.
Dir. Jaume Balagueró & Paco Plaza (2009).
Scarlett, Elizabeth. Religion and Spanish Film. Michigan. UP of Michigan Press: 2014, JSTOR. Web.
Wills, Andy. Transnational Film Remakes. Edinburgh. Edinburgh UP: 2017. JSTOR. Web.
Siobhan of the Dead 