Religion is a big part of American culture; there are many different types of religions following Jesus Christ. Another artifact of popular culture today is movies. Movies are made from fictional characters, books, and true stories. The journal article I reviewed ties in the topic of religion and the Antichrist, movies and the monomyth cycle all of these are popular culture artifacts we have reviewed in these last few weeks of class.
The outline of this article is based on The Omen films. The Omen film is a movie about a happily married couple who want a child, the woman finally becomes pregnant only to have a still born child, instead of letting his wife know the husband takes in another baby that is without a family. This child that is substituted for their baby is the son of Satan, and horrible events begin to happen all around this family. The Omen film was first created in 1976, and still remains a popular movie today (imdb). The authors main points in this article are: that the story of the antichrist is still popular in films today, he briefly talks about the shift of power shown in the movie compared to the shift of power in today’s society, abnormality, family, and the way that the Antichrist is portrayed in relation to the monomyth.
The horror and the destructive child are still portrayed in films, these films relate to the way that society is today. Children have become more disruptive at a young age. Having a disruptive child portrayed on film more, makes this behavior seem more common and acceptable. The horror in the movie is what makes this movie a pop culture artifact. Horror movies become popular because of the rush that they give the viewer. The devil and the angel are very often used in story lines; in this case the angel is seen as the hero. In The Omen the antichrist is the hero figure. The story of the Antichrist is still frequently used in stories and films today. This shows that The Omen films were an artifact to popular culture then, and it still remains an artifact today. The author also talks about the shift of power. If the wrong person gains more power or is put in charge, this can lead to failure for the person and the company. The devastating events that happen throughout this movie lead to the young boy (the antichrist) becoming a leader, and having a large amount of power.
The monomyth cycle that was discussed earlier in this class is also shown throughout the films. The Antichrist is seen as a hero to many people in this film. The Antichrist goes through the steps of the monomyth and gains many followers. The monomyth is within American culture, heroes are not only shown in stories in movies, their stories are told every day in newspapers, and journal articles. Maybe Americans love watching movies that involve the monomyth because who wouldn’t want to be someone’s hero?
This article and its information is of moderate importance, this article is more for entertainment. Americans love to see the story line of a hero and a heroine. It is nice to see an example of the monomyth where the “hero” is a negative person. Usually, when a devil or antichrist is involved the direct opposite, the angel would be the hero. The information in this article is very real, the drama and abnormality that comes along with a family when something goes terribly wrong.
This article is a great read; it includes great facts and points of interest. The cycle of the monomyth was not something I thought through while watching a movie or reading a novel. I agree with the author this movie and the fact that the antichrist could be viewed as the hero strays from the norm, this appeals to the viewers.
Resources
Gerlach, N. (1990). The Antichrist as anti-monomyth:The Omen Films as Social Critique. Journal of Popular Culture, 44(5), 1027-1046.
The Omen. (1990). In The Omen (1976). Retrieved December 6, 2011, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075005/
I like your article and I feel that you are right in your views. I really do not like to watch scary movies sometime they seem to creepy. I watched paranormal activity and could not sleep for a little lol
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