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Ever since man came up with "God(s)" there have been the early practices of ritual.
Some were of spells, energies, voodooism, etc.

Some still use these today and it's starting to become even more popluar due to the Hollywood makings.

Personally, I find it absurd for people to believe everything in a movie and then claim to know so much about this and that.

Would it be safe to say that Hollywood has a negetive influence in the early practice?
Or should it be uplifted because it is not forgotten?

Interesting thread. It would be generally absurd for people to believe everything in movies. However, for some directors and producers of dark films. They have knowledge of the occult, and other dark arts. Some of them even practice it.

And they convey their findings and beliefs on the big screen. Thats when most civilians are mesmorized and hypnotized, then become interested and facinated by what they are seeing.

Of course they have to create a false and suspensful story to coincide with it.

Remember, only 90% of movies are true! The other 10% is false. And that is a fact!

I would think that 90 percent of movies is false and 10 percent true.

(Like the documentaries and such)

The truth of much occultism is always presented in the media world....it is a commodity but also part of the system of life itself, other such presentations are pure science fiction mixed with partial truths....

That very well could be. I just wanted to state that there are some facts and truths in movies.
Regardless of what the movie is about.

Also, I do agree, that some practices should be uplifted, and maybe avoided if the practitioner are inexperienced and just experimenting.

It's rare that Hollywood portrayal has a positive influence on any subject matter. They put a spin on it to draw an audience. I personally don't have a problem with what Hollywood does, their purpose is to entertain, not necessarily educate. It's a shame that people don't always seperate the fact from the fiction.

I rarely believe anything that i see in movies or on t.v, i believe their are some directors that research what they are doing in ther movies but a lot just twist things around to make them seem more spooky or weird so that they will sell the movie better or make it more interesting...

I would think if one had no knowledge of the subject it would be hard to distinguish which is fact and which is fiction....

Some movies may portray the truth..but unless one has a direct knowledge of things one would not know the difference between fact and fiction.

Exactly! For those who has no knowledge of these subjects cannot separate fact from fiction! However, certain facts of the occult will trigger the dormant side of your brain which the unused 10% is rarely used. Commonly known as your subconcious mind.

Which actually raises questions like this. That's why certain religions uses blind faith and other fictious gods and prophets to keep you believing in something that is not there or true. To keep that side dormant.

Then make it blasphemous to even raise such deep questions. To keep your dormant side hindered even further.

Einstein always said that imagination is infinitely more powerful than knowledge.

So you have to give Hollywood some credit for the lengthend reality.

But to me, I think some things should be left alone to the scholars.

Hollywood shouldnt taint what we dont fully know.

I thinks some things should be left alone to the scholars as well. On the other hand, I also think that finally the truth should be told to the masses. Because alot of people don't take the time to do the research that we do. And they get some of their misinformation from movies.

So, if Hollywood or some other media format, has to put forth stories that has some truth in it, by all means let them do it.

That's quite true...most people dont research what they see in movies. Hollywood can't be blamed for our own ignorance or lack of motivation to learn. I guess it's a double edged sword.. good that Hollywood keeps these practices alive through movies..and bad because they might stretch the truth and give people misinformation.

Oh quite. It depends on the person, whether they take what Hollywood personifies or look into the subject in depth.

I dont wish to downplay some of our beloved Vampire movies, but they are just fiction, if not a fantasy.

I do not feel it has an entirely negative effect on the crafts. But that depends on the movies. And some seem to show what is real...and those are the ones people don't want to believe. And the ones that show a lot fake are the ones people believe and say wrongs things when they "know so much"...my opinion...pick up a book and read, lol.

YES! I posted about this in the "30 days of night" thread as well. hollywood portrays us as creatures we're not.

Its not so much as portrayals.
It's more to me like tainting a theme or subject in a movie that bothers me.

But the real thing is never enough and the story must be stretched for more effect.

everything put on film is done for one reason only and that is so they will make money. the film makers stretch every aspect of the truth to get the movie goers to fork over money to see the film

I feel that if someone is going to make a film regardless of the subject then they should research it and should portray it in as much realism as possible. But like i said before in holloywood money talks

Of course. Like someone mentioned earlier, its quite compared to a double-edged sword.

In every good movie, there is a little truth. You just have to be able to discern fact from fiction. I think that these movies about the occult keep the thoughts of the old practices alive and that they are a good thing, so long as one doesnt beleive everything they say.

The movies also will show a very twisted side of the bad. This is what makes people against us as devil worshippers

Yes, and thats the thing, many of you arent.

But as for the movies in general, they do seem to always portray negetively...

Like The Craft for instance. Horrible.
Because the director made it out to be that all "witches" should be deemed evil when they were just pagans, yet derive them as power-greedy Satanists.

I despise that. Gives a bad name to other pagans, of whom I have alot of respect for.

I liked The Craft, although it did show the girls let the magick and power go to their heads and they went far overboard with it, there were also some hidden lessons. They all learned what happens when you bend someone elses will. They all learned that there are consequences to every action and the magick. Bad things can happen to those who use magick to harm others.
All of that was in the movie too. But yes, Hollywood does dramatize everything, to benefit their pockets.

People love a good story, and Hollywood loves to churn them out for us. The operative word here is "story."

Hollywood loves to take liberties, even with movies inspired by true stories. The problem is people can't, or won't do their own research. They believe it because they heard it from someone, or they saw it in a movie, or they *cough* read it on the Internet *cough*, so it MUST be true! These are the poor, ignorant souls that do the most damage. I'll stop before I go on a rant that belongs in my journal.

Movies are for entertainment purposes only, not to be taken seriously. Just because the producers of the subject matter did their studies, then twisted the content for their own enjoyment, does not nessessarily mean we can all look in discust at the movie.

Leave imagination to itself, if you are with open mind, you will know reality from dream. I think people over analyze things a bit too much. If you are insulted by it, either do not watch it, or mail the movie makers.

No matter what these days, we will have whiners and complainers about ever subject out there...Best thing to do is to just...NOT WATCH THE MOVIE!! Read a book or something. There are still parks, and cemetaries...Have fun, that is still an option.

Hollywood is a definite negative influence strictly because so many people take to heart what they see in film and cinema.

Art does not have the main purpose the education.There are schools for that.

They only tell stories or make parables to make our spirits go higher.
Many of the vampire movies - especially those from Hollywood with salutary exceptions>both on comedy or horror genre) - are just entertainment.That makes them more close to the workmanship then art.
The art is an alchemy for the soul.
The Coppola`s "Dracula" entitled Bram Stoker`s Dracula is not very close to the Vlad Tepes real story, not very very close to the book(the female characters are much too erotic sometimes for the victorian manners).Although it enriches the Dracula`s myth by adding a romantic love story very intense and idealized.That`s a good idea and doesn`t matter that the characters do not speak with a true romanian accent ;)
Not even the history based artistic movies can not be judge by their resemblance with the reality.
Art has the presumption that all it is a convention.Works with symbols not with realities.
Oh...I could talk about this for hours..."Somebody stop me!" :D
Generous thread

movies???? Truth????

Granted some have an element of truth them, but they for the most part are a persons view of what they think is the case...

Although, some may study up on a subject before they write about it for movie purposes, they seldom have the belief in, or the practical expirience of what they are trying to sell...333

I have been casting for years and years...not much I have seen in movies is true..think about it..if the spells were true imagine the choas it would be. Some come pretty close but I think they do that on purpose.

To point out, I wasnt trying to porpose that any Hollywood movie is true. Trust me, I know this. I go to studios all the time.

I must agree though on the fact we need to read more, rather than just watch something on the screen.

I believe in the movie "The Craft" 3 of the girls were bad witches and the other one was a good witch, and to be honest anyone who watches a movie or tv show and believes everything they see deserves to be misinformed...

A little of both I think. The disinformation it causes is destructive to us, but the knowledge of it's existence brings more and more into it. They just need to be cultivated away from all the lies that they found in the beginning to the truth of the matter.

theres some thing to be said for the old ways we still can't fugire out the nasta lines or the stone hinge or the ican and myan temples .. and just what happend to all thouse mexicans in the desert 4000 years ago . one thing about the old ways they seemed to have worked ill be looking for more ways to practice the old ways not because of hollywood but because they work

And yet it is justified to taint what we ourselves should come to know?
Granted, they give us a beginning to those who never heard this or that, but it is diluted and sometimes outrageous.

it is nice that movies keep the ideas of the older practices around...but it is not exactly a good thing that they change it so much..... well they don't keep fully to the truth of them anyway

I think Hollywood will churn any garbage that will bring in the money regardless of an truth that could be betrayed..

So is this asking whether pop culture and popular fiction in movies and media can at all effect real magic? I say HECK YEAH! Magic works because of one's belief. Therefore if something they saw in a movie sparks a bit of magic in them and speaks to that place inside them where their power comes from, then sure, it will work for them. Intent, Will, Belief. Those are the ingredients of magic.

Example, if someone thinks of magical energies as the Force because they really dig Star Wars, then that is how they will visualize it when dealing with those energies. It's not wrong, just different.

I think Hollywood over sensationalizes these old arts, which is what lures the sheep into their craze to belong!

In some ways yes Hollywood has put out a lot of negative things about the early practices, but then again it has also been some what informative.

The use of the old ways in films has sparked many peoples minds to find out for themselves what truth really does lie in what is being portrayed in the movies.

I do believe that hollywood does put pagan rites and rituals in a bad light and makes us look silly, take harry potter for instance.

However these practices in my opinion have only become more noticable due to people searching for other answers, other than the christian beliefs many of us where brought up with.

I know of families that date back for centuries who practice pagan/wiccan rituals and rites.

So I think hollywood has notice the trend and is picking up on it and exploring the aspects of it all more.

i am afirm believer that hollywood has everything so messed up and ppl are so damn gulliable that they belive it

i am not shy about my beliefs and for that ppl come up to me and ask me to curse ppl or if i sacrifice for this or that or if i wear robes and every manner of ignorant ass question available.

i am a damn charge of Thor i dont Curse ppl......

yes Hollywood has put a bit of a evil spin on the craft but i have noticed in local bookstores the rise in craft book sales so i dont think we should condem Hollywood for making movies about pagan issues as long as they understand after reading the books that it isnt all like the movies

Hollywood has to make everything seem so much more dramatic and evil than it really is..cause they tend to think that is what the general public wants to see.I can see where some of the ritual stuff maybe true in their movies..i also know that movies do make alot of these so called cults try to copy what they have seen.No matter if they know for sure it is real or not.

I think that the majority of hollywood directors, just like to put urban legends about vampires, goth, satanism ect, in their movies so that it will make more people want to go see it, and that makes them more money...

I think hollywood is behind alot of tragic familycrashes and that human got harm because so many people belive on so much of what the movies showing. So i belive hollywood have a negative influence to alot of people

I think hollywood does have a negative effect on people's beliefs becuase they use special effects and make things so real that to some gulliable people it is easy to beleive whatever is on tv or in the movie is real to them.

sportsfan made a good point hollywood uses so many special effects that people start to think that they can do anything and the special effect makes spells look so easy that people start getting into magick for the wrong reasons and end up doing everything in the wrong way...

It's Hollywood. Don't believe everything you see in movies. It's REALLY not a good idea. Maybe some if it is true but for the most part Hollywood puts it's spin on everything. Even the movies based on truth (like some of the horror films) or just that. BASED on truth. They aren't the whole truth lol.

I believe hollywood is here to take things and glam it up to make money, it's all about money

yes but films that have to do with Vampirism and witchcraft ETC. Although extremely exaggerated, they do come from some truth I think. Like the film Practical Magic. There is some fact in it's script, though the story line is entirely fictional.

Hollywood is entertainment--and no matter how much truth (or lack of) there may be in a movie regarding events that occured in history, it still opens peoples' eyes to things they might never have been exposed to.

However, I find the negativity lies with the people who believe everything they see or hear--and are too lazy to do research on their own before coming to (the wrong) conclusion or forming opinions (negative or positive).

Some films that have such things in them are truly false in their portrayal while others may have a grain of truth to them however the novice watching will usually assume. I rarely see a film that portrays magic in a positive sense so I would have to say that Hollywood has not been a good influence.