Donate

Play Live Radio

Next Up:

0:00

0:00 0:00

Available On Air Stations

SC Public Radio's statewide network is experiencing intermittent outages and programming issues due to ongoing infrastructure upgrades. Our team is working to keep these disruptions to a minimum and to resolve issues that do arise. During broadcast outages, streaming on this site, the SCETV App, the NPR App, and smart speakers will remain unaffected.

Why scary movies keep borrowing ideas from religion

NPR | By Deena Prichep

Published October 30, 2026 at 5:34 PM EDT

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

From exorcisms to demons, when it comes to creeping out audiences, directors often turn to religion. For some filmmakers, spirituality provides bewitching mix of the mundane and the supernatural.