“The ‘Phobias’ of Horror Pt.1: A Review of Muslim Representation in Sinister” by Isaiah Green

It seems prudent to recognize a shift in the horror genre with post-9/11 productions integrating more Orientalist and Xenophobic storytelling as a means of creating fear for their American audiences. Throughout various films and series, these tropes found popularity in several sub-genres, such as home invasions, secret cults, and exorcist stories that began to embody a form of covert Xenophobia. As Travis Sutton and Harry M. Benshoff note, this genre took on cultural narratives of fundamentalism that framed conflicts in the Middle East “as a holy war” generating “paradigms of ‘us’ and ‘them’” as a critical element of portraying encounters of the “other” as horrific.[1] With a more analytical lens, one can see that many of the cultural aspects of Islamophobia that came from discussions of home security throughout US media inspired many horror films of the past two decades, such as the iconic 2008 home invasion movie The Strangers or the 2008 footage found flick, Cloverfield.

However, in this blog on representations of religion and Muslims in horror films, I will specifically focus on how Islam is portrayed in problematic and productive ways in Scott Derrickson’s 2012 film Sinister and Mike Flanagan’s 2021 limited series Midnight Mass. I will not provide a complete analysis of these cinematic pieces but rather provide quick glimpses into how Muslims and Islam are represented in popular horror media. First is the spoiler alert: if you have not seen either of these productions and are interested in viewing them, I highly suggest you do not read further, as I will discuss major plot points for both productions. Also, I feel it prudent to recognize my position as a white non-Muslim male, which limits my interpretations of my research and understanding of Islam. I will not be covering Muslim representation from an Islamic theological perspective but will strictly be reviewing how these works portray Muslims to a majority white American audience and how they might guide one’s understanding of this representation in the horror genre. This first entry will be a critical look at the hit horror film Sinister and the various ways it engages with “post-9/11 horror” tropes that push a narrative of Xenophobia. In the second entry, I will discuss Midnight Mass and the character Sherriff Hassan as a positive representation of Muslims within the genre.

I am an avid horror fan, but I aim to make these short cinematic reviews meaningful to a broader audience that might not frequently engage with such media. While some of my upfront analysis may seem academically over-analytical, it is essential to think critically about the context within which these stories are being produced and the audiences they intend to frighten. However, this review will also take guidance from Kevin J. Wetmore, who notes that when doing any analysis of popular horror media, we must,

“be cautious not to read too deep into the films here and to recognize that no one walks out of a horror film saying . . . ‘that use of the Zombie as a metaphor for the American lumpenproletariat scared the hell out of me.’”[2]

Let’s start with Sinister. I believe Sinister stands out as a film that embodies these elements through highly evocative means. Its plot focuses on an investigative writer, Ellison, and his family, who move into a new home where the murder of a previous family and the disappearance of one child occurred, which Ellison intends to solve. During their stay at the house, Ellison encounters strange paranormal occurrences and discovers a set of home footage films depicting murders that correlate to various other unsolved killings and disappearances across the US. After considerable research and supernatural experiences, Ellison takes his concerns to a college professor to decipher strange symbols and images throughout these films. During their conversation, he learns that these murders and disappearances are the work of Bughuul, a fictional “Ancient Babylonian god.” This demon brainwashes children into ritualistically murdering their entire families and giving their souls to it for eternity. As Ellison learns of Bughuul’s plans, he and the family immediately flee the home that they had moved into in hopes of evading the demon. Still, they are followed, and the movie ends with Ellison’s youngest daughter murdering the entire family and joining Bughuul in the paranormal realm with all the other children that had previously been taken.

This film has multiple layers of the “post-9/11” horror tropes previously mentioned. Still, my goal is to focus on the character of Bughuul as a misunderstood and harmfully orientalist portrayal of djinn that mobilizes Xenophobia in horror. While this character somewhat resembles the folkloric entity the Boogeyman, its origins, as portrayed in the film, have much stronger ties to depictions of djinn[3] or ifrit[4]. Moreover, Bughuul’s connection to ancient Babylon, which was neither Muslim nor Arab, as presented in the film’s lore, makes these ties to the spirits of the Arab world far more intentional. But this film’s portrayal of Bughuul fails to capture any resemblance of cultural representations of ifrit or djinn. It instead pushes a more Creepypasta aesthetic while persistently berating the viewer with the concept that it comes from the Arab world with ties to evil occult forces and rituals. Bughuul’s powers of mind control are utilized to give an exhaustive sense of Xenophobia that preys on Islamophobic stereotypes to evoke a fear regarding home and safety in the viewer. Although Sinister was a successful horror film because of its unique approach to frighten viewers, its covert use of Xenophobia as a key element of its horror makes this film stand out as highly indicative of the problematic ways in which post-9/11 horror has portrayed Islam.

Please join me for the next entry as I review Midnight Mass, and as the spooky season approaches, I hope many of you might delve more into this genre. As always, have a happy and safe Halloween!

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 

Sutton, Travis, and Harry M. Benshoff. “‘Forever Family’ Values: Twilight and the Modern Mormon Vampire.” In Horror after 9/11: World of Fear, Cinema of Terror, edited by Aviva Briefel and Sam J. Miller, 1st ed., 200–219. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2011.

Wetmore, Kevin J. Post-9/11 Horror in American Cinema. New York: Continuum, 2012.

FOOTNOTES: 

[1] Travis Sutton and Harry M. Benshoff, “‘Forever Family’ Values: Twilight and the Modern Mormon Vampire,” in Horror after 9/11: World of Fear, Cinema of Terror, ed. Aviva Briefel and Sam J. Miller, 1st ed (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2011), 201.

[2] Kevin J. Wetmore, Post-9/11 Horror in American Cinema (New York: Continuum, 2012), 18.

[3] A type of powerful incorporeal spirit within Islamic cultural beliefs, often compared to demons and angels in Christianity. But the term djinn does not necessarily denote the entities morality, but rather it defines who they are spirit beings within Islamic cosmology and the powers may hold.

[4] A subclassification of djinn that are typically depicted as evil and associated with Jahannam (akin to the Christian Hell).

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Isaiah Green is from Haywood County, North Carolina and is a PhD Candidate in Ethnomusicology at Indiana University. His research focuses on musical expression and sound in cultural traditions of southern Appalachia and their connections to the environment.