Horror films have long relied on religion as a way to create fear, but a few franchises have Catholic imagery as The conjuring universe. From exorcisms and crucifixes to holy water and demonic possession, Catholic symbolism throughout the years has become central to how audiences understand good,evil, and supernatural danger. The conjuring: Last Rites (2025)continues…
How Fleabag Reinforces the Narrative of Un-celibate Priests
Glass of whiskey in hand, The Priest toasts “Here’s to peace, and those who get in the way of it”. In the throes of alcoholism, self-hatred, and introspection, The Priest hands Fleabag a glass of whiskey. The tone Catholicism is approached within Fleabag strikingly contrasts from the self-deprecating humor, and denial of feelings throughout the…
Catholic Girlhood in Lady Bird
Lady Bird (2017) Movie Poster | Source: IMDb Film Summary Lady Bird (2017), directed by Greta Gerwig, is a coming-of-age film about Christine McPherson, a high school senior who calls herself “Lady Bird.” The film takes place in Sacramento during the early 2000s and centers on Lady Bird’s struggles with identity, family relationships, friendships, and…
The Nun: Exploring Symbolism through Catholic Objects and Relics
Film Summary The Nun (2018) is a horror movie that takes place in 1952 Romania. The story begins at Saint Carta’s monastery, where two nuns are attacked by a demonic spirit that looks like a nun. One of the sisters escapes, but she later hangs herself because the evil force is trying to possess her….
The Portrayal and Perception of Opus Dei in The DaVinci Code
Larson Makie Many people when they watched the movie The Davinci Code, the movie adaptation of the book by Dan Brown, had their first introduction and interaction to a conservative Catholic group, in this case it was Opus Dei. In the movie this group is the villain as they are trying to prevent the hero…
An Atheist Walks into a Confessional: Fleabag and her Engagement with Catholicism
A blog by Ruby Winer Fleabag (2016-2019) is a two-season long television program written by Phoebe Waller- Bridge, and produced by Amazon Video and the BBC. Most notable about the second season is our protagonist Fleabag’s romantic relationship with a Catholic Priest. The Priest is the exact opposite of Fleabag in many ways and this…
Perfect Catholic Womanhood: Maria and Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music
In 1965, the movie-musical The Sound of Music was released in theaters to massive success, becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. The film portrays Maria, a young postulant nun living in Austria on the eve of the Anschluss, that falls in love with a widowed navy captain and his children, and chooses…
The Power of Christ Compels You: Catholicism and Horror in The Exorcist
Why are Catholic priests, exorcisms, holy water, and Latin prayers so closely associated with horror films? While many religions appear in popular culture, Catholicism has become the dominant religious tradition used to represent supernatural evil and the fight against it. From haunted houses to demonic possession stories, audiences often expect a priest rather than a…
West(ernized) Side Story
By Molly Kreibich Introduction Following two rival gangs- the Puerto Rican Sharks and the white American Jets- through a modern Romeo and Juliet rendition, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story (2021) portrays life in the low income areas of New York City. As main characters Maria and Tony (who belong to opposite sides of a turf…
Catholic Identity Confronted: Ethnicity, Gender & Religion in The Irishman (2019)
Note: While The Irishman (2019), dir. Martin Scorsese is based on true events, the narrative itself is a theorized version of what fate might have befallen James “Jimmy” Hoffa (1913-?), a prominent labor union leader in the period of the 1930s to 1970s. In 1975, Hoffa disappeared with no known explanation to this day. In…
Catholics in the Americas 