Postać strasznej zakonnicy jako chwyt narracyjny we współczesnych horrorach

Stanisław Dunin-Wilczyński

doi:10.18290/rns2023.0036

Published : 2023-11-22

Vol. 51 No. 4 (2023)

The Figure of the Scary Nun as a Narrative Device in Contemporary Horror Films

Stanisław Dunin-Wilczyński

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6593-4101

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rns2023.0036

Abstract

The article discusses the role of location, fear of supernatural forces, and anxieties related to organized religion and change of order in horror films about nuns. It depicts how the character of the nun has functioned in horror cinema to date with a particular focus on the nunsploitation trend. In analyzed films, location is important because the place of action co-creates the atmosphere of horror. Monasteries provide the perfect backdrop for filmmakers seeking to evoke a sinister mood, as they are associated with mystery, isolation, and seclusion of the characters, intensifying the feeling of fear. Horror films about nuns often use a narrative device of inversion manipulating perceptions about religious institutions. Monasteries, which should be places of prayer and charity, become houses of demons. The motif of transforming innocence into corruption illustrates the depraving power of evil. The article analyzes how horror films about nuns manage to evoke fear and attempts to cover the cultural and social meaning of these films in the context of communal anxieties and the changing vision of the church and its role.

Keywords:

nuns, horror, nunsploitation, religion, fear, narrative devices

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