"We Are Legion": Primal Dreams and Screams in the Satanic Screen

Satan figures prominently in the Christian tradition as the ultimate Other, the enemy of our species, and he has been a central villain first in literature and now in horror films. Why viewers enjoy films that scare them is a conundrum of long standing. An explanation might come from the work of a n...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of religion and film
Main Author: Fry, Carol L. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: 2015
In: The journal of religion and film
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Christianity / Evil / Devil / Satanism / Film / Evolutionary biology
RelBib Classification:AD Sociology of religion; religious policy
AE Psychology of religion
CB Christian life; spirituality
ZG Media studies; Digital media; Communication studies
Further subjects:B Evolution Darwin Satan adaptation
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:Satan figures prominently in the Christian tradition as the ultimate Other, the enemy of our species, and he has been a central villain first in literature and now in horror films. Why viewers enjoy films that scare them is a conundrum of long standing. An explanation might come from the work of a new generation of Darwinists who have expanded on the master's findings to develop the field of evolutionary biology. Scholars in these fields believe that adaptation to the environment and survival of the fittest created not only physical forms for species but also behaviors that were adaptive for our primal ancestors and are now part of our genetic makeup as whispers within that nudge our actions and beliefs. Our response to film and literature is an important form of that behavior, and evolutionary biology would suggest that the whisperings would lead us to respond with pleasure to primal narratives inherited from adaptive experiences of our Paleolithic and Neolithic forebears. Evolutionary biology suggests that fear of the Other would have been part of adaptation, and the Satan from the Christian tradition is one of the most pervasive. These narratives imbedded in the Satanic film have led to their continuing power for film audiences.
ISSN:1092-1311
Contains:Enthalten in: The journal of religion and film