Occultism in Cinema

Course Code: CM 246/313 NE (online-English)

Course Dates: Commences October 10 2011

Instructor: Jason Lawton Winslade

Description:

When film was invented as a medium, it was often considered magical in its ability to give life to still images. Like photography before it, film was rife with connections to spiritualism, obsessed with the irrational and the mysterious. Occult cinema presents us with narratives both celebrating and condemning transgression, offering mystical quests and characters who would contend with the forces of darkness by clinging to rationality, or by embracing self-actualization through the use of magic or technology.

In this class, we will take a closer look at various representations of the occult on film seek to understand the cultural messages behind these films, and determine whether the philosophies of Western Esotericism are compatible with typical Hollywood audiences. Beginning with Walter Benjamin’s notion of the aura in works of art, we will first define film as a medium of representation and image reproduction. We will then analyze films addressing various occult themes. These films include the infamous Hammer horror films that attempted to integrate popular occult themes with cautionary tales, films such as Pi and Eyes Wide Shut, which depict various forms of cabalism, and sci-fi and fantasy films such as The Matrix that explore contemporary notions of self-actualization with Gnostic elements. Finally, we will look at the underground films of Kenneth Anger, an avant-garde filmmaker heavily inspired by Aleister Crowley’s Thelemic teachings, and discuss the possibilities for future esoteric cinema.

As part of the Creative Arts track, students interested in film production will have the opportunity to address the esoteric through their own creative work.

Required text:

Cinema of the Occult: New age, Satanism, Wicca, and Spiritualism in Film by Carrol L. Fry, Lehigh University Press, 2008.
Course packet with selected readings

Prerequisites: CC 176 Occultism in Popular Culture

Suggested Complementary Courses:
CD 135 Occultism in Western Theatre and Performance
CM 247/314 Esotericism in Comic Books and Graphic Literature

WE 188 Origins and History of Thelema

Languages: English only. Our English language requirements do apply to this course.

Delivery: Online only. A substantial amount of reading material will be made available to students through our online learning centre.

Due to its practical nature, this course cannot be audited.
Scholarships apply for this course.

	Film as magickal medium
	Horror and the Occult Revival
	Filming Conspiracy Theory: Secret Cabals in Cinema
	Gnosticism in Sci-Fi and Fantasy films
	Thelema, Satanism, and the Avant-Garde
	Research paper and/or creative project due Oral presentation of research paper Learning Journal due