Synopses & Reviews
Sacred Terror examines the religious elements lurking in horror films. It answers a simple but profound question: When there are so many other scary things around, why is religion so often used to tell a scary story? In this lucid, provocative book, Douglas Cowan argues that horror films are opportune vehicles for externalizing the fears that lie inside our religious selves: of evil; of the flesh; of sacred places; of a change in the sacred order; of the supernatural gone out of control; of death, dying badly, or not remaining dead; of fanaticism; and of the power-and the powerlessness-of religion.
Review
Cowan proves that the genre of horror film belongs firmly in the interest of religious studies.
-S. Brent Plate, Associate Professor of Religion and the Visual Arts, Texas Christian University, and author of Religion and Film: Cinema and the Re-creation of the World
Synopsis
Explores the intersection of religion and fear in major horror movies.
Synopsis
...both entertaining and important! -John Lyden
About the Author
Douglas E. Cowan (Ph.D. University of Calgary) is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Social Development Studies, Renison College, University of Waterloo. The author or editor of nine books, his most recent publications include: Cults and New Religions: A Brief History (with David G. Bromley, 2007), Cyberhenge: Modern Pagans on the Internet (2005), and Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet (with Lorne L. Dawson; 2004).