Zak A. Portelli
Student

E-Mail: zak.pHgVMortez2QWlli-bWktnanhousCjvedecaex8Niser.1EhUy5@um.OEhUedu.mtPu_J

Title/Topic: The Manifestation of Evil in the Gerasene demoniac as a Basis for the personification of Evil in Film.

Abstract:
The way religious experiences are lived vary across the globe. These experiences are influenced by history, culture, heritage, geography, environment and a plethora of other factors. When analysing the grass roots of religions in general we often find that religious belief is characterised by conviction in belief that there is an invisible order, which in the monotheistic traditions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism endeavours to bring the believer into harmony with the divine which comes about via an adjustment of the religious attitude within the life of the believer. Although most religions offer a luxuriant treasure-trove of symbols, imagery and other forms of religious aesthetics, a large portion of our societal views in the west pertaining to personified evil finds its origins in the Old and New Testaments developed further in Catholicism. In this study I propose to identify characteristics attributed to the demonic in the gospels (mainly focusing on the pericope of Mark 5:1-20) and compare them to attributes given to the audience in two films: Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon’s Nefarious (2023), and Damiano Damiani’s The Amityville horror (1979).