Michael Brooks
The Unholy is a horror movie about a young hearing-impaired girl who is visited by the Virgin Mary but is, in reality, influenced by a demonic entity. The movie has raised concerns among the Catholic community, with some deeming it heretical and disrespectful to their religious beliefs. The film's release on Good Friday, ahead of Easter, has also been criticised as being in poor taste. However, others argue that the movie is not anti-Catholic and that it explores religious themes like miraculous healing, demonic possession, and the spread of religious ecstasy through crowds. The director, Evan Spiliotopoulos, has stated that the film is respectful to faith and is, in fact, a redemption story.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Release date | Good Friday |
| Plot | A young hearing-impaired girl is visited by the Virgin Mary, but in reality, she is visited by a demonic entity |
| Themes | Good vs. evil, miraculous healing, demonic possession, religious ecstasy |
| Religious elements | Strong Christian worldview, talk about faith, answered prayers, communion, exorcism of faith, tension between good and evil |
| Catholic elements | Catholic traditions, Catholic church settings, Catholic hand gestures, Catholic practices |
| Portrayal of Virgin Mary | Christlike figure, spiritual mother to all Christians |
| Reactions | Disrespectful to Catholics, highly disturbing, affront to Catholics, brazen disrespect for Lord and Lady, negative interpretations |
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What You'll Learn
The film's release on Good Friday is seen as offensive
The Unholy, a horror film involving demonic possession and religious ecstasy, was released on Good Friday, the holiest day in the Christian calendar. This timing has been seen as offensive by some members of the Catholic Church.
The Rev. Gordon Reigle of St. Thomas Aquinas parish in East Lansing refused to watch the film, stating that Hollywood takes enough jabs at Catholicism and that the release date was inappropriate. He also said that the film's subject matter, which includes a statue of the Virgin Mary bleeding from her eyes, a miracle performed by a character, and a burning crucifix on the altar of a Catholic church, was an affront to Catholics. Other viewers have called the film heretical and disrespectful to the Lord and the Lady.
The film's director, Evan Spiliotopoulos, responded to the criticism by saying that he was raised Greek Orthodox and that the film is respectful to faith and is a redemption story. He also stated that he had no choice in the movie's release date.
The film's plot centres on a young deaf and mute girl, Alice, who is visited by the Virgin Mary and regains her ability to hear and speak. She is also given the gift of healing other sick people. A journalist, Gerry Fenn, investigates Alice and her miracles, questioning whether they are truly the work of the Virgin Mary or something more sinister. The film is based on the novel Shrine by James Herbert.
While some viewers have found the film offensive and anti-Catholic, others have disagreed with this interpretation. One IMDb review states that the film is "savvy, smart Catholic propaganda", and another describes it as a "generic and mediocre horror movie".
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The Virgin Mary is depicted as a demonic figure
The 2021 film "The Unholy" has been deemed by some to be anti-Catholic. The movie centres on a young deaf and mute girl, Alice, who is visited by the Virgin Mary, but is later revealed to be a demonic entity. This plotline has been criticised by some religious leaders as being disrespectful to the Catholic Church and its traditions.
In the film, Alice is compelled by a voice that she believes to be Mary, the mother of Jesus. She urges churchgoers to have faith in Mary and promises to perform miracles in her name. As the movie progresses, Alice seemingly heals a paralysed boy and speaks for the first time, proclaiming that the Virgin Mary cured her. These events spark media furore and attract the attention of the Pope, who considers turning the church into a shrine. However, the main character, Gerry Fenn, a disgraced journalist, is sceptical and tries to uncover the truth.
As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Alice has been communicating with a malevolent force, later identified as Mary Elnor, or the AntiMary, who performs miracles for Satan. Alice's uncle, Father Hagan, discovers the truth but is attacked by Elnor before he can warn anyone. During a service, Alice, under Elnor's influence, urges the congregation to pledge themselves to the AntiMary. As the crowd panics, the AntiMary emerges from a burning tree in her true form, a horrific creature, and incinerates Bishop Gyles. Alice sacrifices herself to save Gerry's life, causing the AntiMary to disappear.
The depiction of the Virgin Mary as a demonic figure, or the AntiMary, has been a point of contention for some religious leaders and viewers. Reverend Gordon Reigle of St. Thomas Aquinas parish in East Lansing called the film's subject matter "an affront to Catholics," associating the Catholic tradition of honouring Mary with the demonic. The film's director, Evan Spiliotopoulos, defended the movie, stating that it is respectful to faith and is a redemption story.
While opinions vary on whether "The Unholy" is anti-Catholic, the depiction of the Virgin Mary as a demonic entity has certainly sparked debate and criticism from some religious leaders and viewers who find it disrespectful to Catholic traditions.
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The movie's plot centres on the Virgin Mary, not Jesus Christ
The 2021 film "The Unholy" is a horror movie that centres on the idea of a false Virgin Mary. The plot follows Gerry Fenn, a disgraced journalist who has fallen from grace and now reports on hoax stories. Fenn travels to Banfield, Massachusetts, to investigate a bogus story and accidentally frees Mary's spirit by crushing a doll. He then gets into an accident while driving, seeing a young deaf and mute girl, Alice Pagett, run across the road. He follows her to a tree and hears her speak before collapsing.
Alice is visited by the Virgin Mary and can suddenly hear, speak, and heal the sick. She tells churchgoers to have faith in Mary and that she will perform a miracle the next day. Alice then heals a paralysed boy, which garners the attention of the Pope. Fenn, however, is not convinced that the miracles are legitimate and investigates further. He befriends Alice and learns that she has been speaking to an entity named Mary, but she has only assumed it is the Virgin.
Fenn teams up with Father William Hagan, Alice's uncle, who was also healed by Alice. They discover a book detailing Mary Elnor, a witch who performed miracles for Satan. Before they can warn anyone, Elnor attacks and kills Hagan. It is revealed that Mary sold her soul to Satan to gain power, and she tries to kill Fenn. Eventually, Alice sacrifices herself to save Fenn's life, causing the AntiMary to disappear.
The movie has been deemed heretical and disrespectful to the Catholic Church by some, especially due to its Good Friday release date. However, others argue that it is respectful to faith and is a redemption story. The plot's focus on the Virgin Mary as a Christlike figure, rather than Jesus Christ, has been a point of contention for some viewers.
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![The Unholy (Vestron) [Blu-ray] [2018]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81tcnh5aY1L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
![The Unholy [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81YCWlT4ivL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Catholic traditions are used to explore horror tropes
The Unholy is a horror movie that explores several Catholic traditions, but its portrayal of these traditions has been deemed controversial by some viewers. The film centres on a young, hearing-impaired girl who is visited by the Virgin Mary, but it is implied that this is actually a demonic entity. This exploration of the tension between good and evil is a classic horror movie trope, and the film also includes other horror tropes such as eerie situations and scary encounters with demonic forces.
One of the Catholic traditions explored in the film is the concept of miraculous healing. The girl in the film is healed and gains healing powers after her encounter with the Virgin Mary. This leads to a worldwide movement of religious fervour, with people travelling from all over to be healed by her. This exploration of miraculous healing is a classic theme in horror movies, often used to explore the idea of the supernatural and the unknown.
Another Catholic tradition that is explored in the film is the idea of religious ecstasy and the spread of religious fervour through a crowd. The girl's church becomes a pilgrimage site, and the film portrays the power of religious belief to move and inspire people. This exploration of the power of religion can be seen as a positive portrayal of the impact that faith can have on people's lives.
The film also includes Catholic practices such as taking communion and exercising faith. One character, who has strayed from the Catholic faith of his youth, prays to God at an important point in the film. These portrayals of Catholic traditions can be seen as an attempt to accurately depict the role that faith and religious practices can play in people's lives, even in the face of evil and uncertainty.
However, some viewers have criticised the film for its portrayal of Catholic traditions, particularly its association of the Catholic Church's tradition of honouring Mary, the Mother of God, with the subject of the demonic. Some have argued that this is highly disrespectful and disturbing, especially given the film's release date of Good Friday, which is considered the holiest Christian celebration of the year.
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The film perpetuates Hollywood's obsession with the Catholic aesthetic
The film "The Unholy" has been criticised by some for perpetuating Hollywood's obsession with the Catholic aesthetic. The movie centres on a young, hearing-impaired girl who is visited by the Virgin Mary, but it is implied that this visitation is in fact by a demonic entity. The film's trailer depicts a statue of the Virgin Mary bleeding from her eyes, a character performing miracles, and a burning crucifix on a Catholic church altar.
The Rev. Gordon Reigle of St. Thomas Aquinas parish in East Lansing commented that the film's director, Evan Spiliotopoulos, showed a "disrespectful" inclusion of Catholic practices, particularly in its association of the Catholic tradition of honouring Mary with the demonic. Reigle also criticised the film's release date of Good Friday, calling it "upsetting" and "in poor taste". Other viewers have expressed similar sentiments, with one deeming the film "disgraceful" for its portrayal of Mary as a demon.
However, Spiliotopoulos, who was raised Greek Orthodox Christian, has defended the film, stating that it is "respectful to faith" and is, in fact, "a redemption story". The film's plot also includes elements of Catholic faith and practice, such as characters taking communion and exercising their faith, and a character who, though straying from his Catholic faith, prays to God at a pivotal moment.
The film's subject matter and its timing have been deemed by some as an "affront to Catholics", perpetuating the idea that Hollywood has an obsession with the Catholic aesthetic and is willing to profit from taking "jabs" at Catholicism. The film's release on Good Friday, a significant date in the Christian calendar, has particularly fuelled this perception.
The presence of Catholic traditions and imagery in "The Unholy" can be seen as part of a broader trend in horror films that frequently involve religious themes, such as evil spirits, possession, and the struggle between good and evil. While some viewers may interpret the film as perpetuating Hollywood's negative portrayal of Catholicism, others may see it as a respectful exploration of faith and redemption within a horror context.
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Frequently asked questions
The movie has been deemed anti-Catholic by some viewers and faith leaders, who find it disrespectful to the Catholic Church and its traditions. However, others perceive it as a redemption story that is respectful to the faith.
"The Unholy" is a horror movie about a hearing-impaired girl who is visited by the Virgin Mary but is, in reality, influenced by a demonic entity. It explores themes of miraculous healing, demonic possession, and religious ecstasy.
Some of the scenes that have been mentioned as anti-Catholic include a statue of the Virgin Mary bleeding from her eyes, a character performing miracles in the name of Mary instead of Jesus, and a burning crucifix on the altar of a Roman Catholic church.
"The Unholy" includes Catholic practices and traditions such as communion, exorcism, and the recognition of the tension between good and evil. While some view the film as disrespectful to these traditions, others see it as a new twist on the classic struggle of good vs. evil.
Catholic faith leaders have had mixed reactions to the film. Some have criticized it as being disrespectful to the Catholic Church and its traditions, especially the association of the Virgin Mary with demonic entities. Others have expressed concern over the release date of the film, Good Friday, which they consider to be in poor taste. However, some leaders have also defended the presence of Catholic traditions in the film, seeing it as a compliment that Catholicism is associated with basic human experiences of good and evil.
