Welcome back Scream Scholars, sorry for the extended break. Though considering the times, I’m sure you understand. For today’s class, we will be looking at Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen (2008) by Douglas E. Cowan. I was reminded of this volume by Cowan’s introduction to Scared Sacred: Idolatry, Religion and Worship in the Horror Film (2020). This second volume is a collection of essays from House of Leaves. Cowan’s role in the latter is minor but from these two titles, his interest should be more than clear. I’ll be talking about Scared Sacred at a later date, so stayed tuned for that.
What is there to say about Sacred Terror? I think it is only fair to preface any discussion on the book with a brief mention of its importance to me. Before I ever heard of film studies or knew that there was a wealth of growing research on the genre, I stumbled across Cowan’s book on Amazon and bought it using a giftcard I got for Christmas. I hadn’t know anything about the scholarly study of the genre, I just loved Pinhead and the book had a helluva cover. So thanks to that cover, Douglas E. Cowan introduced me to what would be one of my greatest passions. Seeing as it was a decade or more prior, a re-read seemed in order.
Unfortunately, I have found my relationship to the material to have changed by shades. I had a vague recollection of an issue dealing with mummies, otherwise I was going in without any preconceptions. As it turned out, my biggest complaint has remained with the mummies but less for what they are and more for what they represent. We’ll get to this in just a moment.
Sacred Terror is laid out in eight chapters, the first serving as an introduction to the rest. As far as introductions go, Cowan achieves a captivating one in a manner which is quite rare in film studies texts. He brings the reader into his goals through clever use of screenplay formatting and an examination of Carpenter’s The Fog (1980). The subtitles for the chapters that follow perfectly illustrate the main talking points: “Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen”; “Fear of Change in the Sacred Order”; “The Fear of Death and Dying Badly.” The latter two referenced are among the best in the book, with their points feeling well thought out. In no way does Cowan have the last word on the subject but he doesn’t pretend to. Rather, throughout, Cowan makes it clear that this one volume should be taken as a starting point for further discussions.
One such discussion must continue on “Ambivalence and the Fear of Sacred Places.” This chapter takes on an interesting subject, particularly tickling my dual interests in locationality and the geography/architecture of fear-inducing/paranormal experience, be it through suggestion or concrete action. The chapter has a very broad topic in its sights yet it narrows the point of focus down to an extended discussion on mummies, Egyptology and pyramids. While this discussion is quite fascinating, it feels as if it is drifting off from the original topic to a degree. I fully agree that discussion fits the subtitle of the chapter, but this narrow focus appears in several other areas throughout the book. They aren’t unwelcome in the sense that they are poorly written or uninteresting but they create an odd ebb and flow to the pace of the reading and I found myself often wanting Cowan to return to the broader point. Often he does, though not in the case of the mummies.
But if Sacred Terror’s biggest problem is that it sometimes loses focus or narrows that focus down too far, then this is compensated for by the language itself. Cowan writes in a very clear and concise manner. Frankly, academic literature often has a problem with getting lost up its own ass. Cowan demonstrates here that you can have a conversational tone that reads smoothly without losing any sense of authority. The choice to display film dialogue in screenplay format works brilliantly to break up the pages and circumvent that familiar problem of intimidating text-blocks.
Does Sacred Terror remain relevant in 2020? I think that the volume still works well as an introduction to the relationship between horror and religion. But it shouldn’t be the volume you turn to for all the answers. Cowan’s exploration of the topic is too basic for those immersed in the topic. But as an introduction to the issues, those immersed in the topic likely already have read it. If you are looking for a place to begin your study, pick up a copy of Sacred Terror and give it a read. Afterwards, look for works which have quoted Cowan’s. Together these will give you a wonderful foundation on the topic, as well as point you towards more scholars and relevant discussions to continue your studies here at Fear Academy.
