Religious horror is a subgenre of horror film whose common themes are based on religion and focus heavily on supernatural beings, often with demons as the main antagonists that bring a sense of threat. [1] [2] Such films commonly use religious elements, including the crucifix or cross, holy water, the Bible, the rosary, the sign of the cross, the church, and prayer, which are forms of religious symbols and rituals used to depict the use of faith to defeat evil. [3] Despite its main focus on religion, it can also contain graphic violence. [4] [5]
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The roots of the horror genre descend directly from ancient religious traditions focusing on death, the afterlife, evil, the demonic, and the principle of the thing embodied in the person. [6]
Most religiously themed horror films feature struggling characters who are experiencing supernatural occurrences and disturbances that often become tragic, forcing them to turn to their faith and religion to combat them. Examples of classic films include Amityville II: The Possession , Stigmata , The Calling, The Omen , The Exorcist , Children of the Corn, Carrie, The Church, and Hellbound: Hellraiser II . The genre also includes modern films like The Rite , The Crucifixion , Apostle , The Nun , Prey for the Devil , The Unholy , The Vatican Tapes , The Possession , Ouija: Origin of Evil , and The Conjuring films. Religious horror video games, such as Faith: The Unholy Trinity , "The Binding of Isaac", and "Outlast" have also seen success in recent years.