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.
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.
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.
Ah, thanks for the clarification.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/crucifix
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.
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.