# Are there any movies that involve religious rites to fight evil other than Catholic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 1, 2011, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724 "2011-02-01T00:15:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/21 "2011-02-01T15:14:33Z")
> [@capybara](#): > > I watch a lot of Chinese ghost and hopping-vampire movies, and in many of them a sort of Daoist priest will show up with all kinds of cool incantations and spells and magic thingies. There was at least one movie where one such Taoist priest went up against a Dracula-type western vampire. It didn’t go too well for him in the beginning. I forgot if there is the usual cross-brandishing priest in the movie too. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/22 "2011-02-01T15:27:34Z")
> [@Krokodil](#): > > On TV (which the OP did not ask for, I know), one of my favorite **X-Files** episodes involved a clash between a backwoods, snake-handling Congregationalist preacher and a liberal, mainstream Methodist minister. One of them was actually evil incarnate. 😕 Not both?! ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/23 "2011-02-01T15:33:55Z")
Other religions might practice exorcism, but let’s bear in mind that exorcism is a distinctly Christian thing. Jesus was an exorcist, all the Disciples were exorcists, and every RCC diocese used to have an exorcist on staff just like it would have a bishop. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/24 "2011-02-01T16:19:39Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Other religions might practice exorcism, but let’s bear in mind that exorcism is a distinctly Christian thing. Jesus was an exorcist, all the Disciples were exorcists, and every RCC diocese used to have an exorcist on staff just like it would have a bishop. Is exorcism distinct to Christianity? Chinese and Malay folklores have stories and tales about possessions, and each story is pretty much varied and those feature exorcists too. Usually they are mediums, and though I never met one before, they are a staple of Chinese and Malay ghost stories. I’m not sure if other cultures have such stories, but they are a big favourite among Chinese and Malay. Those such exorcists typically claim their power come from their own religion; usually it is mixed up with lots of rites and mumbo-jumbo too. I also don’t think Christanity (or any other religion) is all about exorcism. On a related note, the Malays also have their own version of a vampire,[the Pontianak](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontianak_(folklore)), which is essentially a succubus. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/25 "2011-02-01T16:29:25Z")
Right. It’s not a distinctly Christian thing. Pretty much all religions and cultures that believe in evil spirits that torment mankind have some ritual to drive them off. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/26 "2011-02-01T17:06:25Z")
**The Last Exorcism** - I don’t know what branch of protestantism the main character is, but he’s definitely in the “Deep South Preacher” mold. Definitely not a Catholic. But if you haven’t seen the movie, just take my word for it. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for having caused someone to watch that giant ball of excrement. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/27 "2011-02-01T17:12:48Z")
_The Mummy_ has Beni praying to an assortment of gods to save him, trying to find one who will listen. And of course, the protagonists use Egyptian religious texts to fix the problems caused by Egyptian religion. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/28 "2011-02-01T17:50:04Z")
I can’t remember any specifics, but I seem to recall several movies featuring Wise Old Native Americans dispelling Ancient Evils. I think chanting was involved. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/29 "2011-02-01T17:54:35Z")
> [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](#): > > Is exorcism distinct to Christianity? Yes, in the sense that Christianity is essentially **about** fighting the Devil in a way that no other religion is – not even, to the same degree, Islam. Mohammed was no exorcist. ---
**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/30 "2011-02-02T00:28:04Z")
Check out Eddie Murphy’s “The Golden Child.” ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/31 "2011-02-02T00:34:41Z")
For an asian non-christian example, you can watch the grudge. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/32 "2011-02-02T00:57:10Z")
In [_Black Robe,_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_robe) the usual role is reversed: The Catholic priest’s demonstration of communication through writing convinces the Indians he is an evil spirit, and they hire a sorcerer to exorcise him. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/33 "2011-02-02T02:49:01Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > _Muhammad & Sons Jinnbusters_ I want to watch this. I have a book somewhere called _Dybbuk_, which is Jewish exorcism stories. I know you’re talking about mainstream literature, but I think they’d play pretty good in a novel or movie. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/34 "2011-02-02T04:02:24Z")
> [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](#): > > I know you’re talking about mainstream literature, but I think they’d play pretty good in a novel or movie. In the aforemention _The Unborn_, the titular monster is a dybbuk. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/35 "2011-02-04T14:33:30Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I can’t remember any specifics, but I seem to recall several movies featuring Wise Old Native Americans dispelling Ancient Evils. I think chanting was involved. _The Manitou_, starring Tony Curtis (Michael Ansara as the Wise Old Native American). _The Wolfen_, starring Albert Finney (don’t remember who played the WONA in that one). ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/36 "2011-02-06T01:51:23Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > For some reason it particularly irks me on the show _Supernatural_, a show I actually generally like, that the two guys- who are not priests- use Latin on demons who were probably around thousands of years before Judeo-Christian religions. What are they supposed to use? Valley girl? “Like totally get out of that person, or I’ll like gag you with a spoon! GRODIE!” I’d wager Latin is generally used because to us it sounds exotic, not just because it’s linked with RCC. > [@Sampiro](#): > > That’s another thing that irks me in a lot of those movies- _Lost Boys_ for instance. As little as I know about Catholicism I know that not all water that’s in a Catholic church is holy. Movies imply you could just about buy a Dasani from the local church’s rec room vending machine and use it as holy water. I’ve never seen a movie imply any such thing, and this certainly isn’t the case in the Lost Boys. They show them getting it out of some special looking holder (not being Catholic I have no idea what it’s called, sorry) not just a vending machine or bathroom faucet or what have you. I’ve seen similar holders in other movies/shows, so I assume it’s some sort of “holy water keeper”, not just a random bowl of water. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/37 "2011-02-06T03:11:39Z")
There is a Lutheran exorcism ritual, but it involves Jell-o and a hot dish and really doesn’t look all that impressive. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/38 "2011-02-06T04:03:49Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > There is a Lutheran exorcism ritual, but it involves Jell-o and a hot dish and really doesn’t look all that impressive. That’s only if you’re doing it wrong. If you use lutefisk as the hot dish, you’ll have that demon fleeing in terror back to the comforts of hell in a millisecond. ---
**Author:** ![Gil-Martin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Gil-Martin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gil-Martin)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/39 "2011-02-06T04:47:47Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I’ve never seen a movie imply any such thing, and this certainly isn’t the case in the Lost Boys. They show them getting it out of some special looking holder (not being Catholic I have no idea what it’s called, sorry) not just a vending machine or bathroom faucet or what have you. I’ve seen similar holders in other movies/shows, so I assume it’s some sort of “holy water keeper”, not just a random bowl of water. I suspect the special looking holder you saw was the _font_ (it’s been ages since I’ve seen _The Lost Boys_, and I don’t remember the scene of which you speak too clearly). The holy water font can often, but not always, be very large and very ornate in Catholic churches. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/40 "2011-02-07T12:11:22Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I know that one episode of Days of Our Lives, while using a Catholic priest, actually used a more Protestant style exorcism. No Latin, no chanting, just a direct command to the demon to come out “in the Name of Jesus.” I specifically remember this because my mother was very surprised. I understand why you think of that as “more Protestant”, but what makes a rite Catholic or Protestant is not the language in which it is performed. Even when the Mass is in Latin, it isn’t 100% in Latin: at the very least, the sermon is in the local language (the exception to this is when the common language of those present happens to be Latin). I’m another one who finds Supernatural’s insistence on formulaic Latin irritating. Dude, if you don’t believe, the rite is useless, and if you believe, something along the lines of “hey demon! Go to Hell, bye!” would work (you can wave or make the sign of the Cross, but no elbow-chopping-gestures or uplifted fingers, please). OK, ok, let’s make it “demon! Go to Hell, in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost.” There, demon gone. Of course, the problem then would be that, since the writers use “oh noes, the book got broken/burned/wet and Sam/Dean/Bobby/whomever can’t recall the words which anyway seem to change every time” as a frequent stalling resource, they’d have to come up with something else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724.md?page=3)