My latest contribution to Cinefantastique Online was recently posted. Below is an excerpt:
In the post-Christendom context, this situation changes dramatically. I was reminded of this recently while watching 30 DAYS OF NIGHT. As the race of vampires continues its onslaught on the Alaskan town, they use an injured woman as bait to lure any humans out of hiding. When the ruse fails, the vampires turn on the woman instead. Realizing her impending fate, she falls to her knees and exclaims “Oh, God!” In response to her plea the lead vampire, Marlowe, mockingly looks up into the sky for any hint of divine rescue, only to look back at the woman and remark in matter of fact fashion, “No god.” In 30 DAYS OF NIGHT not only do we find an absence of the church, clergy, and Christian symbols, but the monstrous creatures deny the existence of God, or at least deny that a God is present who will provide any kind of deliverance to humanity from the forces of evil. The point to take away from much of contemporary horror is that, while it may be influenced by biblical and Judeo-Christian elements, the way in which these elements are treated is very different.
The entire article can be read here.
Just to correct an error in your article – I am British, not Australian. I live in France and my article on religious-based horror and fantasy films was first published in the UK newspaper the Guardian.
I’m assuming the article was syndicated to the Sydney Morning Herald, a publication for which I have never knowingly written.
Anne, thank you for the correction. I was pointed toward your article in The Sydney Herald and came to believe this was the original source. Hence my source reference and comments on the cultural context. Thank you for your article and for leaving your comments here.