Presented is my genre analysis essay, the culimantion of my coursework in Integrated Seminar, completed at the University of Idaho in the Spring 2017 semester.

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Katelyn Conery and Nathan Reynolds
Professor Meeuf
ISEM 101-41
8 May 2017
Contemporary Horror Films: American Fears on Illegal Immigration
In a series of horror films made between 2007 and 2015, the demons present can be seen
to represent immigrants as well as current views on US immigration. In all of these films, one of
two demonic precursors occurs: either individuals are disturbed by a demon, or demons are
disturbed by individuals. Furthermore, after a demonic presence has been identified, its actions
and goals can be analyzed through the point-of-view of immigration. The actions and overall
goals of demons in contemporary horror films can be shown to express the objection, distaste
and overall fear of some Americans regarding illegal immigration as well as its consequences,
such as American job loss.
All of these films were produced between 2007 and 2015. During that time, there were
several immigration laws and enforcements that took place. The Comprehensive Immigration
Reform Act of 2007 “sets forth border security and enforcement provisions” (Reid). This act
increased the National Strategy for Border Security, which included “biometric data
enhancements and a biometric entry-exit system, document integrity, and mandatory detention of
aliens apprehended at or between ports of entry” (Reid). When people feel threatened, they often
cause new security measures to be put in place or strengthen those already active. The
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 demonstrates an increase in border security,
both technologically and forcefully. Following the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act was
the Border Law Enforcement Relief Act of 2007. One part of it “makes it unlawful to knowingly

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hire, recruit, or refer for a fee an unauthorized alien” (Reid). This further demonstrates people’s
fear of losing jobs to illegal immigrants and the threat it places on society, which can be analyzed
in the horror films produced around this time.
Even with these acts in place, there are still numerous illegal immigrants remaining in
and entering the country. According to Jens Krogstad, Jeffrey S. Passel, and D’Vera Cohn at the
Pew Research Center, the U.S. population of 2007 consisted of 4% of illegal immigrants,
equalling 12.2 million in total. Looking ahead a few years, in 2014, the number of working
people in America included 8 million illegal immigrants. During this same time, illegal
immigrant population increased in several states according to Pew Research Center. Some argue
that the increasing number of illegal immigrants entering the country increase the levels of
anxiety and fear towards illegal immigration.
In the next few years, more acts were put in place, including The Comprehensive
Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009. This act includes a
clause addressing border security, which would enhance border security by “[requiring] the
Secretary of Homeland Security to formalize a national strategy for border security” and
“[supporting] additional training, oversight and evaluation for border agents and works to ensure
that they have sufficient equipment and technology” (Summary of the Comprehensive…). In
2011, due to fear of terrorism, the Obama administration stopped letting Iraqi refugees come to
America for six months, according to Sean Davis, co-founder of The Federalist. This is another
example of security measures being put in place when there are threats to American lives.
Even after all of these laws and actions, right now, and perhaps more than ever before,
the topic and fear of illegal immigration is the heaviest it has ever been. In the recent election
between candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, immigration as a whole was heavily

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debated. According to Cody Derespina with Fox News, “ Deporting illegal immigrants and
clamping down on crime were central planks of Trump’s presidential platform.” In today’s
world, it appears that people either accept illegal immigrants and sympathize with them, or they
do not welcome them because they have not entered legally and are therefore harming America.
Trump took the latter of the two opinions in his campaign, which many argue displays America’s
extreme fear of illegal immigrants. These same fears are portrayed in select American horror
films, which provide evidence that there is indeed an anxiety related to illegal immigration in
America.
The trend of demonic possession in several horror films produced during this time relates
very closely to the anxiety of illegal immigration. Demons are often seen as negative influences
in the protagonists’ lives, just as illegal immigrants are seen as negative influences in society.
The demons are perceived as evil presences that have no right existing in the so to speak “real
world.” This draws striking parallels with the idea that no illegal immigrant should be welcomed
into the US, and their only purpose is to enter the nation in an attempt to steal jobs from
Americans.
In the past decade, there have been numerous horror films in which this trend has
manifested itself. The following is an analysis of eight contemporary horror films that represent
illegal immigration in three aspects: the separation of demons and space, demons being hidden in
the lives of the protagonists, and the economic impact of demons. All of the movies below have
each aspect present in some form. However, each movie tends to place a higher emphasis one or
two of the aspects.
The idea of demons and space is commonly represented in contemporary horror films. In
most cases, the demon is used to represent an illegal immigrant while the protagonist often

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represents an American citizen. In this sense, the demon’s world is typically thought of as
Mexico while the protagonists world is thought of as America. A few contemporary horror films
that make use of this symbolism are A Nightmare on Elm Street, Sinister, and Insidious.
Of the three film examples, A Nightmare on Elm Street emphasizes the idea of demons
and space the most. In A Nightmare on Elm Street, Nancy Holbrook and her friends are being
attacked by Freddy Kreuger. Krueger, originally a pedophile who raped and abused Nancy and
her friends when they were children, was eventually murdered by the parent’s of his victims.
Nancy has since repressed her memories of Krueger, but she is forced to relearn her dark past
when Kreuger reemerges as a demonic murderer. This can be compared to the original
colonization of America by the Europeans. When arguments about immigration arise, people
tend to ignore the fact that America was founded by European immigrants who forced the Native
Americans out of their land. Anti-immigration Americans have chosen to forget this fact, similar
to how Nancy has chosen to forget about Freddy Krueger. Furthermore, the film’s creation of
two distinct worlds is used to symbolize the separation of America and Mexico. In Krueger’s
nightmare world, he holds all of the power; he cannot be harmed. Similarly, American tourists
are advised to not wander from the tourist area in Mexico, lest they wish to be attacked and
mugged by Mexican citizens. Although most Americans, especially those wealthy enough to
vacation, hold a higher economic status over most Mexicans, they hold no power when they
enter the Mexicans’ “world.” However, when a Mexican illegally immigrates to America, he or
she relinquishes all power. Even illegal immigrants who become employed understand that they
could be discovered, turned in, and deported at any time. This is shown in the film when Nancy
pulls Krueger from his nightmare world into the real world. Krueger, similar to an illegal
immigrant, is exposed, vulnerable, and lost in an unknown world.

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Another demon that is used to represent an illegal immigrant is Bughuul. In Sinister,
Ellison Oswalt moves his family into the house of a previous murder in an attempt to gain
inspiration for his true crime novel. He discovers a box of films documenting a series of
seemingly unrelated murders. After watching the films, he notices the presence of a demonic
symbol pertaining to the demon Bughuul. A sense of eerie discomfort comes over the family,
and unordinary acts begin to take place the more that Ellison watches the films. Ellison learns
that Bughuul lives in the images; they are his doorway into Ellison’s world. In this sense,
Bughuul is used to portray an illegal immigrant. After Ellison’s last viewing of the film, Bughuul
literally immigrates from his world into the real world. These worlds, when analyzed through the
scope of illegal immigration, can be thought of as America and Mexico. Bughuul, living in his
world, cannot sustain himself as he must feed off of the souls of children. Similarly,
impoverished Mexicans often cannot afford food or shelter while living in Mexico. Bughuul, like
an illegal immigrant, must cross the border between his life and the lives of the protagonists in
order to obtain his desired resources. One unexplained detail in the film is why Bughuul waits
for his victims to move before he attacks. This detail is used to mock some American’s view of
illegal immigration. According to the pattern, if the Oswalt family stayed in the murder house, no
harm would have befallen them. They may have been forced to live their life in fear and
disorder, but they would not have died. Similarly, many Americans believe that Mexicans should
not be allowed into America; however, Americans should be allowed into Mexico. They believe
that, because America is more financially stable, they should receive the privilege of traveling
wherever they please with no consequences. Sinister mocks this idea by having the Oswalt
family die as a result of moving.

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In Insidious, the trend of demons and space is shown primarily with the parallel
differences between the worlds. The Lambert family discovers that they have not moved into a
haunted house, but rather, it is their child that is haunted. In the film, the demons’ world is
structurally parallel to that of the Lambert’s. For example, the Lambert’s house and layout is
present and identical in both worlds. However, the demons’ world is seen as much more dark and
dreary than that of the Lambert’s, causing them to attempt to cross over into the “real world.”
The detail of having the worlds structurally parallel is used to give the demons a direct purpose
for crossing over; the demons want to enter the Lambert’s world because it is better rather than
different from theirs. Comparing the demon’s world to the Lambert’s world is similar to
comparing Mexico to America. In both cases, the demon’s world and Mexico are shown as much
more rundown, barren, and dreary.
Although the idea of demons and space can be used to express illegal immigration, the
idea of demons hiding in plain sight is also prevalent in contemporary horror films. In this case,
similar to demons and space, the demons are used to represent illegal immigrants. However, the
idea of demons hiding in plain sight focusses less on the act of demons entering the protagonist’s
world and more on the presence of demon’s in the protagonist’s world. This representation of
illegal immigration is shown in The Last Exorcism Part II, Sinister, and Paranormal Activity.
In The Last Exorcism Part II, the trend manifests when Nell is being exorcised by Cecile,
Calder, and Jeffrey, with them trying to send Abalam back to where he came from. After an
unsuccessful exorcism, the demon Abalam is still present in Nell. However, it is not until the
demon causes outbursts of unexplainable and irrational actions in Nell that anyone begins to take
notice. Similarly, illegal immigration has been prevalent in America since its founding. It had
remained an unimportant issue until recent years when the number of illegal immigrants rose to

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begin affecting the day-to-day well being of American citizens. As the film progresses, Abalam
takes over Nell’s body and is in total control. The three people trying to save Nell and prevent
Abalam from causing further destruction can be shown to represent laws and acts that are put in
place to prevent threats to American lives. However, the movie ends with Abalam and Nell
burning everything down. Everyone attempting to save Nell failed, representing the fear that
laws and acts may fail as well, and illegal immigrants may become even more powerful.
The idea of demons hiding in plain sight is also prevalent in Sinister. Bughuul, portraying
an illegal immigrant, is almost not noticed by Ellison as he watches the films; he lurks in the
background and in dark corners rather than front-and-center. Similarly, illegal immigration is a
fairly new issue. When immigrants began entering America without documentation, they went
unnoticed for a long time by simply working common, unwanted jobs. However, as more illegal
immigrants entered America, they began taking enough jobs to force some Americans out of
work, thus catching the public’s attention. Similarly, it isn’t until unexplainable acts occur that
Ellison suspects anything to be wrong.
It can be argued that Paranormal Activity portrays the idea of demons hiding in plain
sight more than any of the other films. In Paranormal Activity, Micah and Katie are a suburban
couple living in California. Micah agrees to set up a series of security cameras in an attempt to
discover if Katie is being plagued by a paranormal entity or not. Upon consultation with an
expert, he confirms that she is being followed by a demon who feeds off of negative energy, and
he advises that they do not attempt to make contact with the demon. What makes the demon in
Paranormal Activity different from all of the other films is that the demon in Paranormal
Activity has always existed in the world of the protagonists. In this sense, the demon represents
illegal immigrants that are already present in America rather than a Mexican attempting to

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illegally immigrate into the country. The demon has been following Katie her entire life, feeding
off all the negative energy she has produced. Similarly, the generation of children born in the late
1990s have always known illegal immigration to be an issue. Katie has learned to live with her
demon in the same fashion that late ‘90s children have lived alongside illegal immigration.
The final aspect present in contemporary horror films is the economic impact that the
demons have on the lives of the protagonists. This aspect is the most commonly expressed of the
three, namely for the fact the economic status of America and American citizens has been
portrayed in the media as the biggest consequence of illegal immigration. In these film examples,
this idea is shown when the presence of the demon has a financial impact on the lives of the
protagonists. This is expressed in films such as The Last Exorcism, Drag Me To Hell, The
Possession, and Insidious.
This trend is very present in The Last Exorcism as Abalam possesses Nell at the Sweetzer
farm. When he is present, she viciously slaughters livestock, only to awake the next morning
with no memory of her actions. The killing of the Sweetzer’s farm animals express how
immigrants were coming into America and taking American jobs. These slaughterings ran Louis
out of one of his forms of income, similar to how Americans had to compete with cheap
immigrant workers in order to make a living. Abalam was running the farm out of livestock just
as illegal immigrants were running Americans out of jobs, as noted by the Pew Research Center
in 2007.
Similarly, in Drag Me to Hell, Mrs. Ganush curses Christine’s button. Cursing Christine
with the Lamia enables it to come into the world, causing Christine stress and disorder in her life.
She does not get the job promotion to assistant manager because of the Lamia, which relates to
the Border Law Enforcement Relief Act of 2007. Under this act, an illegal immigrant could not

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be knowingly hired, and Christine was not a normal American at this time (Reid). The Lamia
causes her to hear strange voices. She attempts to hide these encounters from her boyfriend and
his parents, but the Lamia is too strong. These outbreaks make Christine different from the
average American. However, after her boss finds out what Stu did with the big loan file that
Christine was working on, he promotes Christine, only to have the Lamia then “drag her to hell”
and prevent her company advancement. The Lamia took her promotion from her just as
immigrants take away American jobs. The real Christine had to fight the Lamia in order to
maintain and build her career. The result of the Lamia over-taking Christine correlates to the fear
of illegal immigrants over-taking American jobs.
Another film that represents the economic impact of demons is The Possession. In The
Possession, Emily, a young girl, picks out a box that intrigues her at a garage sale. When she is
walking away with it, an old woman in a neighboring house is looking at her yelling “No! No!”
She begins to get attached to the box, and her father Clyde notices that she is acting strange.
After several days of Emily being distant and showing aggression, he suspects she is possessed
and takes her to Tzadok, a Jewish religious figure knowledgeable about these spirits. When he
confirms Em has been possessed by Dybbuk, he attempts to perform an exorcism. The Dybbuk
taking control of Em correlates to how illegal immigrants will take over the lives of future
generations, specifically career wise. If the Dybbuk is not exorcised, Em will not have a
promising future, just as she wouldn’t if the majority of jobs were taken by illegal immigrants.
Performing the exorcism symbolizes passing laws and regulations, such as The Comprehensive
Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (Summary of the
Comprehensive…). This act, created to maintain immigration control and protect the American
people while doing so, is shown when Tzadok and Clyde were trying to protect Em from the

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Dybbuk. Her father is affected as well by her possession. He is perplexed as to whether he
should stay in an underdeveloped neighborhood and make a mediocre income to be with his
daughters or take a new job offer and move to a big city while making a substantially greater
income. If Em was acting as her normal self throughout the film, perhaps he would have taken
the new job, but since he was concerned about her well-being, he stayed and gave his best
attempt to protect her. Clyde could not leave Em knowing something was not right. Even after
Em was exorcised, he stayed in order to keep his family safe. He did not want the Dybbuk to
harm his family again, which relates to laws passed to protect Americans from illegal
immigrants.
Finally, Insidious expresses the economic impact of demons through the demons mode of
entering the Lambert’s world. In the film, the demons attempt to enter the Lambert’s world by
taking over the body of one of the Lamberts. In this scenario, the demon would occupy the
physical body of one of the Lamberts while the soul of said Lambert would be trapped in the
demon’s world. This detail is used to express the idea of Mexicans illegally immigrating to
America due to Mexico’s poor economy. This motive for illegal immigration leads to American
job loss. An illegal immigrant is willing to work for less pay, therefore allowing them to be hired
over an American citizen, consequently forcing that citizen to become jobless and possibly
homeless. The demon is literally attempting to take over the child’s life, similar to how illegal
immigrants wish to live the life of an average American citizen.
In contemporary horror films, demons are used in a variety of ways in an attempt to
express common American views in regards to illegal immigration. This expression has become
more present in the last decade as the public’s attention to illegal immigration has increased. This
anxiety is especially relevant to those between sixteen and twenty years of age as this age group

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has been raised in a culture fearful of illegal immigrants. With the issue of illegal immigration on
the rise, it will be interesting to see how contemporary horror films will further portray the issue.
Will demons and possession films continue to be the portrayal of illegal immigration? Will a
new creature represent the anxiety? Will filmmakers revert to a monster previously relied upon?
Only time will tell.
Works Cited
Davis, Sean. "Obama Admin Paused Iraq Refugee Program In 2011." The Federalist. N.p., 18
Nov. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. http://thefederalist.com/2015/11/18/the-obama-
administration-stopped-processing-iraq-refugee-requests-for-6-months-in-2011.
Derespina, Cody. "Trump: Illegal immigrant criminals are 'getting the hell out'" Fox News. FOX
News Network, 18 Apr. 2017. Web. 05 May 2017.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/18/trump-illegal-immigrant-criminals-are-
getting-hell-out.html.
Krogstad, Jens Manuel, Jeffrey S. Passel, and D’Vera Cohn. "5 facts about illegal immigration in

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the U.S." Pew Research Center. N.p., 03 Nov. 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/03/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-
the-u-s.
Reid, Harry. "S.1348 - 110th Congress (2007-2008): Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Act of 2007." Congress.gov. 07 June 2007. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/senate-bill/1348.
"Summary of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity Act
of 2009." American Immigration Council. N.p., 20 July 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/summary-comprehensive-
immigration-reform-americas-security-and-prosperity-act-2009.