Death at the Movies: Hollywood's Guide to the Hereafter [Paperback]

It’s a Wonderful Life(1946),Resurrection(1980),Poltergeist(1982),Beetlejuice(1988),Ghost(1990),Groundhog Day(1993),The Sixth Sense(1999) — these are only a few of the influential movies in recent decades dealing with the afterlife. But beyond entertainment, do they mean anything? The authors of this wise and well-informed guide believe so. They explore how popular motion pictures, fromOutward Bound(1930) toHereafter, play a perhaps unconscious role in guiding humanity toward its evolutionary comprehension of the meaning and purpose of death. They draw on theTibetan Book of the Dead,Buddhism, and depth psychology to review some of the most spiritually powerful films ever made. Death is, say the authors, at once the most immediate locked door and the ultimate frontier, a staggering paradox that invites us to search for deeper understanding based upon a level of consciousness beyond thought. After reading this book, you’ll never viewCasablancaorThe Wizard of Ozthe same way again.

A spiritual tone overlays these authors’ deconstruction of popular movies’ commentary on death and the afterlife. While [the book] reads like a series of columns in a highbrow cinema magazine, the Genellis’ work, like most of the more than sixty movies they mention, is both thoughtful and entertaining. The writing is light and crisp, often humorous with little comic asides about an actor, character, or plot arc, and each of the nineteen chapters could stand on its own as an article in a magazine. As the authors rather charmingly put it, after reading their book, filmgoers will 'never view Casablanca or The Wizard of Oz the same way again.'”
–Mark McLaughlin, ForeWord Reviews, Fall 2013


The authors’ analysis draws heavily upon eastern mystical traditions, which provides a unique and potent interpretive lens. Casual fans andl