The Forbidden Body: Sex, Horror, and the Religious Imagination

From creature features to indie horror flicks, find out what happens when sex, horror, and the religious imagination come togetherThroughout history, religion has attempted to control nothing so much as our bodies: what they are and what they mean; what we do with them, with whom, and under what circumstances; how they may be displayed―or, more commonly, how they must be hidden. Yet, we remain fascinated, obsessed even, by bodies that have left, or been forced out of, their “proper” place. The Forbidden Body examines how horror culture treats these bodies, exploring the dark spaces where sex and the sexual body come together with religious belief and tales of terror.Taking a broad approach not limited to horror cinema or popular fiction, but embracing also literary horror, weird fiction, graphic storytelling, visual arts, and participative culture, Douglas E. Cowan explores how fears of bodies that are tainted, impure, or sexually deviant are made visible and reinforced through popular horror tropes. The volume challenges the reader to move beyond preconceived notions of religion in order to decipher the “religious imagination” at play in the scary stories we tell over and over again. Cowan argues that stories of religious bodies “out of place” are so compelling because they force us to consider questions that religious belief cannot comfortably answer: Who are we? Where do we come from? Why do we suffer? And above all, do we matter? As illuminating as it is unsettling, The Forbidden Body offers a fascinating look at how and why we imagine bodies in all the wrong places.

Real Change News

"Cowan has managed to write a philosophical take on what is clearly his favorite genre, inviting readers to figure out why and how they, religion and sex fit into these salacious, silly and scary stories." -- Chris LaCroix

Reading Religion

"Cowan successfully illuminates representations of disfigured (sexualized) bodies in the horror mode while demonstrating how the religious imagination supports or enacts these representations. The book also offers a striking perspective on the different culturally internalized fears that shape our living together and influence our daily choices, preferences, fears, and attitudes…Thanks to the appealing and entertaining way of writing, the book also stimulates curiosity for exploring the abysses in the cosmos of sexuality, horror fiction, and religion." -- Katharina Luise Merkert

Nova Religio

"The Forbidden Body proceeds somewhat like a string of pearls, presenting a series of interesting insights as Cowan leads the reader through some of his favorite horror texts and what he finds sociologically significant about the way they deploy sex and raise questions about the unseen order… this is great reading for anyone hoping to produce their own scholarship on religion and popular culture." -- Joseph P. Laycock, Texas State University

Nova Religio

"Horror fans will find much to be excited about in this book––perhaps in more ways than one... This is great reading for anyone hoping to produce their own scholarship on religion and popular culture."

Religion

"Cowan makes a powerful case for the central position of popular culture in the study of religion and also widens the scope of what the scholar can approach as ‘religion.’"

Religious Studies Review

"This book is clearly original and partly strikingly convincing, arguing that more intellectual curiosity toward popular culture in general―particularly when infused by horror and sex―could help Religious Studies scholars reveal valuable insights about religious formation and imagination."

Journal of Religion & Film

"[Cowan] provides an equally sharp comparative analysis of depictions of witchcraft and modern-day Pagans ... Cowan fosters a move away from more conventional classifications between 'religion' and 'magic' toward more expansive interpretations of the religious imagination."

About the Author

Douglas E. Cowan is Professor of Religious Studies and Social Development Studies at Renison University College. Some of his previous books include Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film and Television, Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen, and America’s Dark Theologian: The Religious Imagination of Stephen King.

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