ABSTRACT

Screening the Afterlife is a unique and fascinating exploration of the ‘last things’ as envisaged by modern filmmakers. Drawing on a range of films from Flatliners and What Dreams May Come to Working Girl and The Shawshank Redemption, it offers the first comprehensive examination of death and the afterlife within the growing field of religion and film. Topics addressed include:

  • the survival of personhood after death
  • the language of resurrection and immortality
  • Near-Death Experiences and Mind-Dependent Worlds
  • the portrayal of ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’.

Students taking courses on eschatology will find this a stimulating and thought provoking resource, while scholars will relish Deacy’s theological insight and understanding.

chapter |13 pages

Resurrection or Immortality?

The Body and the Soul in Theology and Film

chapter |22 pages

Towards a Cinematic Realised Eschatology

The Afterlife as Now

chapter |30 pages

Heaven and the New Jerusalem as a Place on Earth

Case Studies of Working Girl and The Shawshank Redemption

chapter |23 pages

Punishment or Rehabilitation?

Competing Perspectives on Hell in Theology and Film

chapter |13 pages

Conclusion

Using Film to Revisit Eschatology