ABSTRACT

Demons, devils, spirits and vampires are present throughout popular Western culture in film, music and literature. Their religious significance has only recently begun to be explored. 'The Lure of the Darkside' brings together the work of some of the most important and creative scholars in the field of Biblical and Religious Studies. The essays explore demonology in popular culture from a range of perspectives: Satanism within contemporary music; the relationship between hymn and horror film; the career of Hannibal Lecter; the portrayal of Satan in films about Christ; and spiritual perversion in the Harry Potter Stories. This fresh and ground-breaking volume will be of interest to students of religious studies and theology, as well as literary and popular culture.

chapter |21 pages

Introduction

A Brief History of Western Demonology

part |64 pages

Music

chapter |21 pages

Between Hymn and Horror Film

How do we Listen to Cradle of Filth?

chapter |14 pages

When Demons Come Calling

Dealing with the Devil and Paradigms of Life in African American Music

chapter |13 pages

Dark Theology

Dissident Commerce, Gothic Capitalism, and the Spirit of Rock and Roll

part |81 pages

Film

chapter |16 pages

“Speak of the Devil”

The Portrayal of Satan in the Christ Film

chapter |13 pages

A Man of Wealth and Taste

The Strange Career of Hannibal Lecter

chapter |16 pages

Scriptural Dimensions of Evil

Biblical Text as Timepiece, Talisman, and Tattoo

part |27 pages

Literature

chapter |14 pages

Voldemort, Death Eaters, Dementors, and the Dark Arts

A Contemporary Theology of Spiritual Perversion in the Harry Potter Stories