The Vatican Versus Horror Movies

Since public audiences were first introduced to the medium of film in 1895, the Catholic Church has sought to impose its will on the distribution and exhibition of movies. These activities include the fortnightly publication of the Segnalazioni Cinematografiche, which passed Catholic moral judgment on every film released. In this pamphlet and in other settings, no set of filmmakers has invited the ire of the Vatican as much as those working in the genres of horror and exploitation. At times, filmmakers have responded in kind, attacking the Catholic church directly and indirectly, presenting clergy as outright antagonists and shining a light on the Vatican’s crimes past and present, including its collusion with fascism.
Translating the judgments of the Segnalazioni Cinematografiche into English for the first time and juxtaposing them with film content and social and historical context, this book presents in full the cultural conflict between the Vatican and horror movies.

Matt Rogerson lives in Manchester, United Kingdom, where he works in health research. A PAGE International Screenwriting Awards finalist and film critique writer specializing in Italian genre film, he has been featured in Diabolique Magazine, Dread Central, Horror Homeroom, Horrified Magazine, and Long Live the Void.

Matt Rogerson
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 266
Bibliographic Info: 40 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2025
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9576-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5405-8
Imprint: McFarland

Preface 1
Introduction (The Vatican versus … Cinema) 9

1. It Started with a Bet (The Vatican versus … Gothic Horror and the Birth of Italian Horror) 21
2. Escluso per Tutti (The Vatican versus … the Birth of Modern Horror and the Giallo) 37
3. This … Is God! (The Vatican versus … the Slasher) 55
4. Dinah, Daughter of Jacob (The Vatican versus … the Rape/Revenge Film) 76
5. The Body of Christ … Amen (The Vatican versus … the Cannibal Film) 97
6. The Profane Resurrection (The Vatican versus … the Zombie Film) 117
7. Get Thee to a Nunnery! (The Vatican versus … Nunsploitation) 143
8. The Paradox of Memory (The Vatican versus … Nazisploitation) 165
9. The Power of Christ Compels You! (The Vatican versus … Satanic Horror) 193

Conclusion 213
Chapter Notes 221
Bibliography 239
Index 249