The Sacred & The Scary: Are religion and horror made for each other?
It wasn’t the most famous Stephen King novel - not by a long shot. But ‘Salem’s Lot, in its made-for-tv movie form, was an inspiration to a kid named Jess Peacock. Jess would grow up to write a thesis on vampires and religion; he believes his two passions are made for each other.
When Jess Peacock was five years old, his parents took him to see The Exorcist. What followed was a life-long passion for the intersection of the scary and the sacrosanct.
In his book Such a Dark Thing - Theology of the Vampire Narrative in Popular Culture, Peacock explores Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot and other vampire tales. Religious themes abound.
But horror in religion is not limited to fangs. Jess sees terrifying themes throughout the bible. "At the end of scripture, legions of angels are basically mass-murdering human beings. It's a blood-up-to-the-knees kind of thing!" he tells Tapestry host Mary Hynes.