# 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:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/41 "2011-02-07T15:28:22Z")
> [@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. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is tres weird in this respect. Vampires are burned by crosses (I don’t remember anyone every using a crucifix on one) and holy water, but you get holy water by buying it at a New-Age-esque magical supply store. I am reading Dracula and a point is made that Harker is given a \*crucifix \*for his protection on his way to Castle Dracula–he almost rejects it as overly Popish but accepts it for the sake of the nice little old lady who seems so set on his having one. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/42 "2011-02-07T15:55:22Z")
ISTR a Roger Ebert review of some cookie-cutter exorcism movie in which he observed that, according to Hollywood, only Catholics did the big E. He said he yearned for the day when he could see a Presbyterian or a Unitarian exorcism. I agree with **CalMeacham** about holy water. In Episcopal liturgy, it starts as ordinary tap water, but is then blessed by a priest and endowed with important religious/symbolic meaning. It is used, most notably, in baptisms. Although I haven’t seen the movie, I understand that a dybbuk is part of the plot of the recent Coen Bros. film _A Serious Man_. > [@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. Ooo, I remember that. Good one. Especially that final scene… The Methodist minister, the voice of reason, sits at his desk and eats a rat, right? While revealing his long forked tongue. Brrrr. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/43 "2011-02-09T00:49:50Z")
> [@Gil-Martin](#): > > 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. Ah, thanks for the clarification. > [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > Buffy the Vampire Slayer is tres weird in this respect. Vampires are burned by crosses (I don’t remember anyone every using a crucifix on one) and holy water, but you get holy water by buying it at a New-Age-esque magical supply store. > > I am reading Dracula and a point is made that Harker is given a \*crucifix \*for his protection on his way to Castle Dracula–he almost rejects it as overly Popish but accepts it for the sake of the nice little old lady who seems so set on his having one. [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/crucifix](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/crucifix) > [@](#): > > cru·ci·fix >    /ˈkrusəfɪks/ Show Spelled[kroo-suh-fiks] Show IPA > –noun > 1. > a cross with the figure of Jesus crucified upon it. > **2. > any cross.** > 3. > Gymnastics . a stunt performed on the parallel rings in which the athlete holds himself or herself rigid with arms extended horizontally from the shoulders. bolding mine And I always just assumed the newagey shops got their holy water from someone who got it from a priest or church, not that the newagey types were making it themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724/44 "2011-02-09T01:17:01Z")
I saw some piece of dreck on late-night HBO that had neo-pagans battling Satan. You see, they’re _allowed_ to have sex in the forest before venturing out to wage war against the foe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-movies-that-involve-religious-rites-to-fight-evil-other-than-catholic/569724.md?page=2)