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{{Short description|1989 American experimental horror film}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Begotten
| image          = [[File:Begotten, World Artists VHS Cover, March 1990.jpg|180px]]
| alt            = Begotten VHS cover, depicting a robed figure standing against a blood-splattered wall
| caption        = 1995 VHS cover art
| director       = [[E. Elias Merhige]]
| producer       = E. Elias Merhige
| writer         = E. Elias Merhige
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* Brian Salzberg
* Donna Dempsey
* Stephen Charles Barry
}}
| cinematography = E. Elias Merhige
| editing        = Noëlle Penraat
| music          = Evan Albam
| released       = {{Film date|1989|10|24|[[Montreal World Film Festival]]|1991|6|5|United States}}{{efn|Several media outlets have alternately reported the 1990 and 1991 film festival screenings as its first release.{{sfn|Geritz 2006}}{{sfn|Maslin|1991}}{{sfn|Sterritt|2000|p=35}}}}
| runtime        = 72 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English (intertitles)
| studio         = Theatreofmaterial{{efn|Alternately worded as Theatre of Material.{{sfn|Stephens|2000}}}}<br/>William Markle Associates (sound){{sfn|Merhige 1989}}
| distributor    = World Artists Home Video
| budget         = $33,000 (estimated)
}}

'''''Begotten''''' is a 1989 American [[experimental film|experimental]] [[silent film|silent]] [[horror film]]{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=290}} written, directed, and produced by [[E. Elias Merhige]]. It stars Brian Salsberg, Donna Dempsy, Stephen Charles Barry, and members of Theatreofmaterial, Merhige's theatre company. Its unconventional narrative depicts the suicide of a godlike figure and the resulting births of Mother Earth and the Son of Earth, who travel across a barren landscape. The film does not contain dialogue, relying on a visual style evoking early [[silent film]]s.

The film draws on [[creation myth]]s in [[Christian mythology]], [[Celtic mythology]] and [[Slavic paganism]], and narrative motifs and religious imagery that reoccur throughout Merhige's work. Other influences include the [[avant-garde]] artist [[Antonin Artaud]] and the philosopher [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]. The film's imagery was inspired by [[Georges Franju]]'s ''[[Blood of the Beasts]]'', [[Akira Kurosawa]]'s ''[[Seven Samurai]]'', [[Stan Brakhage]]'s ''[[The Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes]]'', and ''[[The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]]''.

''Begotten'' was conceived as a work of experimental theatre featuring dance and live music. It became a film project after Merhige realized that it would be too expensive to produce live. It was shot on location in New York City and New Jersey over five and a half months. After it was completed, Merhige spent two years trying to find a [[film distributor|distributor]]. The film debuted at the [[Montreal World Film Festival]], and later screened at the [[San Francisco International Film Festival]], with the film critics [[Tom Luddy]] and Peter Scarlet in attendance. Impressed by its [[cinematographer]] and visual imagery, the two brought it to the attention of the critic [[Susan Sontag]], whose enthusiastic praise and private screening to critics and filmmakers in her own home were instrumental to its eventual release.

Although it was largely ignored by mainstream critics, and the few contemporary reviews were mixed to positive, it has since attained [[cult film]] status and influenced several [[avant-garde film]]-makers, visual artists and musicians. The film's scarcity on [[home video]] prompted fans to circulate their own [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]] copies, a phenomenon described as a "copy-cult" by the film studies scholar [[Ernest Mathijs]].{{sfn|Mathijs|Sexton|2011|pp=35, 140}} Merhige directed two sequels to ''Begotten'': 2006's ''Din of Celestial Birds'' and 2022's ''Polia & Blastema: A Cosmic Opera''. Both are [[short film]]s.

==Plot==
Inside a small shack, a robed figure disembowels himself with a razor, and dies after cutting open his abdomen and removing his internal organs. A woman in white then emerges from his mutilated remains. She brings the corpse to arousal, and [[Sperm theft|uses his semen]] [[Artificial insemination|to impregnate herself]]. Time passes, and Mother Earth, now visibly pregnant, stands beside the coffin of the man. She gives birth to a fully-matured yet [[Malformation|malformed]] man and abandons him in the wilderness.

After wandering across the barren landscape, he encounters a tribe of [[nomad]]s who seize him by his [[umbilical cord]]. Upon being captured, he vomits what appears to be organs, which the nomads excitedly accept as gifts. He is then led by the nomads through a rocky hillside, stopping later to throw him into a [[fire pit]] where he burns to death. He is then ressurected by his mother who comforts him before they continue together across a desert plain. The nomads later appear and attack him as his mother stands nearby in a [[trance]]-like state. 

The nomads soon turn their attention to her, knocking her to the ground. They sexually assault and murder her while her son lies injured nearby. Once the nomads are satisfied, they leave and large robed figures arrive to carry away her mutilated remains. They travel to a gorge where they harvest jars of [[clay]]. The robed men then cut the mother's body into small pieces, crush her bones, and place it all into the jars. With the grisly act complete, they abduct and murder her son, repeating the same process and burying the jars into the crust of the earth. Over time, the burial site becomes lush with flowers and crops as a [[Photomontage|montage of photographs]] depicting the robed god is shown. In the final scene, mother and son appear, wandering through a forested path as the cycle begins again.

==Cast==
* Brian Salzberg as God Killing Himself:
:A mysterious, robed entity who disembowels himself with a straight razor. He is also the father of Mother Earth and Son of Earth.
* Donna Dempsey as [[Mother Nature|Mother Earth]]:
:A female entity. She is the mother of Son of Earth, whom she conceived via artificial insemination. 
* Stephen Charles Barry as Son of Earth (Captioned as Flesh on Bone):
:The deformed, convulsing son of Mother Earth and God Killing Himself. Barry later reprised his role in the film's sequel, ''Din of Celestial Birds'', which was also written and directed by Merhige.{{sfn|Turner Classic Movies 2006}}

Members of Merhige's theater company Theatreofmaterial – which included Adolpho Vargas, Arthur Streeter, Daniel Harkins, Erik Slavin, James Gandia, Michael Phillips, and Terry Andersen {{endash}} are credited as the Nomads and Robed Figures.{{sfn|Merhige 1989}}

==Production==
===Development and pre-production===
{{Quote box|width= 40%|align=right|quote=The writing for ''Begotten'' was all Vision material, or whatever you want to call it, and I used those parts that scared me, or that I just couldn't understand{{emdash}}the parts that stuck with me for days and forced me to wonder ''where'' within ''me'' did ''this'' come from? A tableau of the unknown was important to me. Then it was a matter of arranging this material as a myth. That was important, too. It began as a personal myth and ended as a collective myth, a myth of everyone involved in making the film.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=286}}|source = [[Edmund Elias Merhige]] on the development of the film's script}}

''Begotten'' was written, produced, and directed by Merhige,{{sfn|Maslin|1991}}{{sfn|Lentz|1994|p=308}} who had studied at [[State University of New York]], developing an interest in the theater after attending several performances while in [[Manhattan]]. According to Merhige, he was intrigued by the theatre performers' enactment of a highly visualized form of storytelling through dramatic movement, provoking what he described as "an otherworldly response". He was particularly fascinated by the performances of the Japanese [[butoh]] [[dance troupe]] [[Sankai Juku]],{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=285}} who were known for blending grotesque imagery with a transgressive dance style.{{sfn|Perron|2013|pp=120-121}} Attending these performances, Merhige was fascinated by the degree of personal and professional interconnectivity among its core members—knowing everything about one another and engaging in a more personal and intimate level of interaction.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=285}} Merhige founded Theatreofmaterial, a small [[experimental theatre]] production company based in [[New York City]], with the intention of creating a similar group dynamic.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=285}}{{sfn|DiMatteo|1991|p=2}}

The development of ''Begotten'', according to Merhige, commenced sometime in the mid-to-late 1980s;{{sfn|Essman 2009}} although some sources have given the start date as 1984.{{sfn|Rosenbaum|1995}} The initial concept was described by Merhige as a dance production at the [[Lincoln Center]], performed with a live orchestral accompaniment.{{sfn|Essman 2009}} The concept was personal to Merhige, representing his attempt to express the thoughts and ideas he had at the time.{{sfn|Beahm|2013|p=32}} After discovering that it would cost a quarter of a million dollars to produce,{{sfn|Essman 2009}} Merhige instead decided to make a motion picture.{{sfn|Essman 2009}} This change in format allowed Merhige the opportunity to document the company's work, as many of its performers were transitioning outside the company to pursue other interests.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=286}} 

Merhige developed the script with members of Theatreofmaterial, who worked as both cast and crew during production. They decided that the film should be [[Silent film|silent]],{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=286}} and opted to abandon the [[Film narrative|traditional narrative]] structure of films in favour of an experimental story.{{sfn|Dutka|2004b|p=67}} The latter decision came in part from Merhige's frustration with storytelling through [[Exposition (narrative)|exposition]] and the limitations that he believed dialogue imposed upon narration.{{sfn|Dutka|2004b|p=67}} Merhige and Theatreofmaterial strove to evoke what the director called "emotions on the fringes", avoided, they felt, by most directors and performers.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=286}} In preparation for scriptwriting, Merhige and members from Theatreofmaterial performed ritual [[breathing exercise]]s. Describing the process of "breath[ing] to the point of [[hysteria]]", Merhige states that the group followed up this by discussing these experiences, filtering these emotions into something he could replicate for the film. He then brought portions of the script to the cast members and began a process of rehearsals, followed by group discussion and reflection on the material as it took shape.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=286}} Merhige, a former painter and visual artist, was heavily influenced by the [[fine arts]], with paintings by [[Hieronymus Bosch]], [[Edvard Munch]], and [[Francisco Goya]] having a significant impact upon him in the film's early developmental stages.{{sfn|Hart|1992|p=39}} The [[philosophy|philosophical]] concepts of [[Antonin Artaud]] and [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], which Merhige felt had not been fully explored on film, served as further points of influence. The script's first draft was completed in six months.{{sfn|Essman 2009}}

Over four-and-a-half months, the group developed the script's abstract ideas into more concrete, enactable scenes, committing to extensive rehearsals during this period. Merhige has said that these rehearsals were focused on group cohesion rather than precise [[choreography]], enabling the actors to get 'in tune' with their characters.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=286}} Merhige further strove to imbue the film with the tribal and ritual aspects associated with [[alchemy]] and [[hermeticism]]. To achieve this, he and the cast experimented with [[hypnosis]] and [[meditation]].{{sfn|Ferrier 2023}}

===Filming===
[[Principal photography]] began in the mid-to-late 1980s{{sfn|Essman 2009}} and lasted for a period between three and five-and-a-half months.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=286}} Merhige assumed multiple roles during the production, including [[cinematography]] and [[special effects]],{{sfn|Essman 2009}}{{sfn|Quigley|2007|p=325}} and used a [[16 mm film|16{{nbsp}}mm]] [[Arri]]flex camera on black-and-white [[reversal film]].{{sfn|DiMatteo|1991|p=2}}{{sfn|Essman 2009}} Celia Bryant,{{sfn|Willis|2000|p=160}} who had worked on the set of the films ''[[Greased Lightning (1977 film)|Greased Lightning]]'' (1977) and ''[[I, the Jury (1982 film)|I, the Jury]]'' (1982), is credited as the film's [[costume designer]].{{sfn|Stockley|1999|p=371}} ''Begotten'' was made on a budget of around thirty-three thousand dollars.{{sfn|Dutka|2004a|p=51}} The cast and crew were given room and board but were paid little to nothing.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=287}}{{sfn|Edwards|2007|p=20}} The film was funded by Merhige's grandfather, who had set Merhige up with a trust fund for medical school.{{efn|A total of approximately $20,000.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=287}}{{sfn|Malcolm|1994|p=43}} adjusted for inflation to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|20000|1985|r=-3}}}} in 2024.{{sfn|Consumer Price Index 2024}} }} Additional costs were paid by Merhige from the income he received while working multiple jobs as a special effects artist.{{sfn|Essman 2009}}{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=287}} 

The opening passage depicting God disemboweling himself, while the shots of Mother Earth emerging from his remains was the first to be filmed.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=287}} Most of the film was shot at a construction site on the border between New York City and [[New Jersey]], where Merhige was permitted to shoot for twenty days when construction crews were not working. Members of the construction site occasionally assisted the film crew by constructing landscapes when shots of mountains were needed.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=290}}{{sfn|Essman 2009}}{{sfn|Keogan|2021}} Scenes involving [[Time-lapse photography|time-lapse]]s of sunrises and sunsets were shot by the director,{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=290}} who spent two days in the mountains near [[Santa Fe, New Mexico|Santa Fe]] or [[Albuquerque]], while additional sequences of plants sprouting from the earth were filmed from inside a large [[terrarium]] Merhige had constructed. Merhige characterized the atmosphere during production as a powerful, almost ceremonial experience that was "life-changing" for those involved.{{sfn|Essman 2009}} As filming concluded, Merhige had difficulties moving on from the project, describing a sense of mourning and the loss of an emotional high.{{sfn|Beahm|2013|p=32}}

===Post-production===
[[File:Begotten,1990 film, screenshot.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A long shot depicting the sillouette of six figures kneeling before a seventh figure|The film's decayed aesthetic was achieved through intense [[Photographic processing|processing]] using an [[optical printer]]. Each minute required eight to ten hours of labor to process.]]

Merhige intended the visuals to have a decayed look, as if the film was an artifact damaged and degraded by time and wear.{{sfn|Seibold 2022}} He was interested in crafting imagery through [[analog format]].{{sfn|Beahm|2013|p=32}} Prior to ''Begotten'', Merhige had worked as a special effects designer for various companies, including a brief job for a [[Walt Disney Television|Disney television]] series that involved the animation technique of [[rotoscoping]]. This experience gave him the technical knowledge needed to handle the film's [[post-production]] and [[visual effects]] on his own.{{sfn|Essman 2009}}{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=287}}{{sfn|Hanson|2010|p=188}} Concepts such as [[Perspective (graphical)|audience perception]] and how imagery is processed, were important in crafting the film's visual style, as they challenged the viewer's interpretation of what is depicted on the screen.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=291}} Merhige set out his goals when creating ''Begotten''{{'s}} visual style by saying:

{{blockquote|I wanted ''Begotten'' to look, not as if it were from the twenties, not even as if it were from the nineteenth century, but as if it were from the time of Christ, as if it were a cinematic [[Dead Sea Scrolls|Dead Sea Scroll]] that had been buried in the sands, a remnant of a culture with customs and rites that no longer apply to this culture, yet are somewhere ''underneath'' it, under the surface of what we call "reality."{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=288}}{{sfn|Verrone|2012|p=155}}}}

Filmic influences for ''Begotten''{{'s}} visual style identified by Merhige include ''[[The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]]'' (1920), ''[[Blood of the Beasts]]'' (1949), ''[[Seven Samurai]]'' (1954), and  ''[[The Act of Seeing with One's Own Eyes]]'' (1971).{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=292}} He also listed the cinematic works of [[Andrzej Munk]], [[Sergei Eisenstein]], and [[Luis Buñuel]], all known for their unconventional style, as additional points of influence.{{sfn|Maslin|1991}} Other possible influences identified by critics include [[David Lynch]]'s ''[[Eraserhead]]'' (1977),{{sfn|Snyder 2011}} [[Dimitri Kirsanoff]]'s ''[[Ménilmontant (1926 film)|Ménilmontant]]'' (1926), and [[Tobe Hooper]]'s ''[[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre]]'' (1974), as well as [[tribal art]], [[ethnographic studies]], and the paintings of [[Piero della Francesca]].{{sfn|DiMatteo|1991|p=2}} Visual underminings from 1930s horror films, such as [[intertitle]]s, was also commented on by [[David Annwn Jones]], who wrote that it was utilized to express its own set of evolving visual ideas and techniques.{{sfn|Jones|2018|p=138}}

Before and during ''Begotten''{{'s}} shooting, Merhige experimented with different types of film to achieve the look he wanted. In one experiment, he ran an unexposed [[Negative (photography)|negative]] against sandpaper to scratch its surface before shooting on the damaged reel.{{sfn|Essman 2009}} Unsatisfied with the results, Merhige decided on an [[optical printer]] for further processing.{{sfn|Beahm|2013|p=32}} He was unable to find an optical printer priced within his budget, so he built one himself.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=287}}{{sfn|Hoberman|2003|p=91}}{{sfn|Kaufman 2001}} The printer was constructed in eight months{{sfn|Essman 2009}}{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=287}}{{sfn|Hoberman|2003|p=91}} with spare parts from camera stores and special effects houses where he had worked.{{sfn|Essman 2009}}{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=287}}{{sfn|Hoberman|2003|p=91}} 

The production process was time-consuming, with each minute of footage generated by the optical printer taking between eight and ten hours to complete.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=287}}{{sfn|Hoberman|2003|p=91}} Once a test shot was sent to the laboratory for [[Photographic processing|development]], minuscule mistakes in calibration sometimes ruined the shot, meaning the process had to be restarted.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=287}} Merhige began asking laboratories if they were willing to adjust their usual development procedures to his custom specifications, but was repeatedly turned away. Eventually, he found a small studio willing to accommodate his requests: Kin-O-Lux Labs, owned by Fred Schreck.{{efn|No relation to famed German actor [[Max Schreck]], the subject of Merhige's later film ''Shadow of the Vampire''.{{sfn|Stephens|2000}}}} Merhige quickly developed a friendship with Schreck, who allowed the director to use the laboratory to develop the footage while teaching him how to develop footage by hand.{{sfn|Stephens|2000}} At one point during the editing process, Merhige enlisted his father's input on certain scenes, stating that his father was "very open-minded" to the project.{{sfn|''MovieMaker'' 2007}} Results of the "rephotography" process removed almost all of the [[Grayscale|gray midtones]] from the visible spectrum, leaving only extreme contrasts of black and white on the film reel.{{sfn|Beahm|2013|p=32}} Merhige used similar "rephotography" techniques for segments of his next film, ''[[Shadow of the Vampire]]'' (2001).{{sfn|Kaufman 2001}}{{sfn|Atkinson|2000|p=28}}

===Music and sound effects===
''Begotten'' does not contain any dialogue, apart from its opening intertitles.{{sfn|Mathijs|2017|p=20}} Merhige envisioned "a time that predates [[spoken language]]" in which "communication is made on a sensory level".{{sfn|Mathijs|2017|pp=20—21}}{{sfn|Mathijs|Sexton|2011|p=163}} The soundtrack and [[sound effect]]s were composed and [[Audio mixing|mixed]] by Evan Albam, who, prior to ''Begotten'', had not composed professionally. Merhige and Albam spent a year working on the soundtrack, crafting the right balance of visual and audio cues.{{sfn|Essman 2009}} The music is [[Ambient music|ambient]] and [[dirge]]-like, and enhanced by [[natural sounds]] such as [[Bird vocalization|bird calls]], insect noises, and [[Heart sounds|the sounds of a heartbeat]].{{sfn|Hart|1992|p=39}}{{sfn|Kane|1991|p=39}} In 2016, the former [[The March Violets|March Violets]] band member-turned-composer [[Tom Ashton]] said that he was working with Merhige on an "audio reimagining" of ''Begotten''{{'}}s soundtrack. {{As of|2023}}, there have been no new updates on its outcome.{{sfn|Ashton 2016}}

==Analysis==
''Begotten'' has been analyzed by critics and scholars who have written on their interpretations of the film. According to the [[Ryerson University]] professor Carolyn L. Kane, the grainy and decayed visual style of ''Begotten'' is an allegory to the viewer's uncertainty. As Kane argues, the film's ambiguity intentionally invites differing interpretations from the viewer of what she described as "the [[hermeneutics|hermeneutic]] of the image".{{sfn|Kane|2019|p=197}} However, Merhige has said that he intentionally incorporated certain mythic and existential themes into the film.{{sfn|Beahm|2013|p=32}}{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=289}} 

===Death and rebirth===
{{Quote box
| quote = Language Bearers, Photographers, Diary makers<br/>
You with your memory are dead, frozen<br/>
Lost in a present that never stops passing<br/>
Here lives the incantation of matter<br/>
A language forever.<br/>
Like a flame burning away the darkness<br/>
Life is flesh on bone convulsing above the ground.
| source = — The opening [[intertitle]] for the film, suggesting the film's themes of life and death.{{sfn|Merhige 1989}}
| bgcolor=#E0FFFF
| align = right
| width = 35%
}}
Some critics have suggested that ''Begotten'' contains underlying motifs of death and rebirth.{{efn-lr|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|Stephens|2000}}{{sfn|DiMatteo|1991|p=2}}{{sfn|Ferrier 2023}}{{sfn|Dutka|2004a|p=51}}}} According to Elaine Dutka, these potential themes might have been inspired by a [[near-death experience]] Merhige suffered at the age of nineteen,{{sfn|Dutka|2004a|p=51}} which, Dutka states, had left a lasting impression on Merhige.{{sfn|Dutka|2004b|p=67}} 

Throughout the film, the three main characters are subjected to acts of extreme violence. The author and independent filmmaker [[John Kenneth Muir]] described these depictions of suffering, death, and rebirth as something imbued within the Son of Earth character and his journey. Muir argues that the character's mistreatment can be seen as a parallel to mankind's "painful" toil of the earth for the planting of crops, and as an allegory to the bringing forth of life through great suffering. The film's characters also represented, according to Muir, certain aspects of mankind and the earth itself, with the depictions of life, death, and renewal symbolizing the [[seasons|four seasons]].{{sfn|Muir|2011|p=141}} This thematic description of the film and its characters was echoed by Merhige himself, who states that the characters and events depicted in the film were metaphors for life and the struggle of mankind with itself and nature.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=290}} 

The film studies scholar William E.B. Verrone argues that viewers are encouraged to mourn the film's characters through the agony and torment inflicted upon them. according to Verrone, the viewer is symbolically "offered salvation" in ''Begotten''{{'s}} visualization of the blossoming flowers on the characters' graves.{{sfn|Verrone|2012|p=157}} [[Motif (narrative)|Narrative motif]]s symbolizing death and decay were also identified by [[Jason Wood (writer)|Jason Wood]], who stated that the film's "evocation of the body as the source of horror and decay" was redolent of the surrealist works by Buñuel and Lynch. Wood compared the film's grainy look and landscapes to the recurring themes of hopelessness and desolation in the works of the Russian filmmaker [[Aleksandr Sokurov]].{{sfn|Wood|2002|p=374}}

===Religion, mythology, and the occult===
[[File:Atalanta Fugiens - Emblem 2d.jpg|thumb|right|The film is known for its mythological/religious themes including the character of Mother Earth, which is loosely based on [[Earth goddess|the deity of the same name]] and [[Mary, mother of Jesus]].|alt=A depiction of Mother Earth, a goat and wolf breastfeeding human children]]

''Begotten'' has been highlighted by authors and critics for its incorporation of religious and mythological imagery and themes, with some commenting on possible connections to [[Christian mythology]], [[Celtic mythology]], [[Slavic paganism]], and various [[creation myth]]s.{{sfn|Maslin|1991}}{{sfn|''MovieMaker'' 2007}}{{sfn|Stephanou|2019|p=79}} Merhige, himself, was a believer in alchemy and hermeticism,{{sfn|Riefe|2020}}{{sfn|Riefe|2021}} and has said that the film was deliberately arranged to appear as part of a [[mythology]].{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=286}}{{sfn|Essman 2009}} According to ''[[Film Comment]]''{{'s}} Robert DiMatteo, a "God's eye" is applied to the film's human characters, with their movement and behavior comparable to insects; they move in "the way [that] ants move when they carry food up a hill".{{sfn|DiMatteo|1991|p=2}} Verrone argues that ''Begotten''{{'}}s storyline was founded on ancient mythologies, recounting the birth of a divine entity and their subsequent suffering, describing the film's premise as "a cryptic [[passion play]] about Earth's birth and torture".{{sfn|Verrone|2012|p=154}} The media scholars Penny Papageorgopoulou and Dimitris Charitos argued that ''Begotten''{{'s}} interweaved mythologies were used to establish the relation between humanity, earth, and religion. Through this mixture of myth and religion, they said, ''Begotten'' represented [[anthropocene|mankind's mistreatment of the Earth]]. While human in representation, Papageorgopoulou and Charitos state that the film's characters were given a set of "inhuman" characteristics in reference to the [[Genesis creation narrative]] and [[Egyptian mythology]].{{sfn|Papageorgopoulou|Charitos|2021|pp=110-111}}

The film's opening sequence has been the focus of some publications, who have written on its symbolic qualities. Marc Savlov described the plot as an allegory of the death and rebirth of god,{{sfn|Savlov|2009}} with similarities to creation mythologies depicting the death and dismemberment of a primordial being, whose violent act brings forth the creation of the universe.{{sfn|Leonard|McClure|2003|pp=32–33}} The art historian Herbert S. Lindenberger suggested that the film's narrative is a reworking of early writings on creation mythology published by [[social anthropologist]] and [[folklorist]] [[Sir James Frazer]], who intended to shock his readers with what Lindenberger described as "the savagery of their ancestors". Motifs which include the concepts of the "buried god", and the Mother Earth characters, were, as Lindenberger wrote, symbolic mirrors to [[Christianity]] with allusions to [[Resurrection of Jesus|Christ and his resurrection]], and [[Mary, mother of Jesus]].{{sfn|Aldama|Lindenberger|2016|p=165}} In his review of the film, [[Richard Corliss]] argued that the film 'enacts a biblical narrative through the lens of [[Druidism]]',{{sfn|Mathijs|2017|pp=20—21}}{{sfn|Corliss|1991|p=69}} with the stories of Genesis, [[Nativity of Jesus|Nativity]], and [[Crucifixion of Jesus|Christ's torture/death]] retold in a ritualistic fashion that was both steeped in Christianity and Druidism.{{sfn|Verrone|2012|p=157}}{{sfn|Corliss|1991|p=69}}{{sfn|Beahm|2013|p=33}} [[Ernest Mathijs]] and Jamie Sexton have argued that the film "makes perhaps the most serious attempt to visualize elements of [[Dionysian]] orgiastic cultism in combination with [[Gnostic]] and pagan myths".{{sfn|Mathijs|Sexton|2011|p=140}} 

Its narrative correlation to early creationism was further written upon by Ted Knighton, who described ''Begotten'' as the representation of the very act of creation itself. Stating that many of its thematic elements, such as the sound and visual aspects, were an invitation for viewers to participate in 'putting the pieces together' for the film's narrative.{{sfn|Knighton 2021}} On the film's narrative structure, Scott MacDonald states the allegorical plot represented many of the popular attitudes towards the [[origins of life]] and religion at the time of its release,{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=290}} and told in the transgressive style of [[Viennese Actionism]].{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=285}}

==Release==
===Distribution===
Once editing for ''Begotten'' was completed, Merhige spent two years trying to find a distributor willing to release it.{{sfn|Essman 2009}} Merhige screened the film to possible distributors but most refused as it did not fit into a specific genre, making it difficult to market.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=291}} He said that at first "everyone laughed at me, saying 'We don't know what this is...'"{{sfn|Beahm|2013|p=33}} Merhige took it to several museums; only two showed interest, but he turn both down as he felt that they were not the right choice. As a result, he became very protective of the film, and after only screened it to people he felt he could trust.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=291}}

Through these private screenings, film critics [[Tom Luddy]] and Peter Scarlet became fascinated by its visual style.{{sfn|DiMatteo|1991|p=2}} Although uncertain how it might be received, they put together several screenings at the [[San Francisco International Film Festival]] followed by a showing for the critic [[Susan Sontag]].{{sfn|Stephens|2000}}{{sfn|Nicolay 2016}} Sontag held a private screening at her home and became one of ''Begotten''{{'}}s leading advocates, and was instrumental setting up its eventual theatrical release.{{sfn|Essman 2009}} Sontag took a copy to the [[Berlin Film Festival]] where she informally screened it to interested cinéastes, describing it as a masterpiece.{{sfn|Simon|2001}} During one of her screenings, it was supposedly viewed by director [[Werner Herzog]], whom Merhige said was "very supportive of the film".{{sfn|Essman 2009}}

===Theatrical screenings===
[[File:Japantown-AMC-Pagoda.jpg|thumb|alt=The exterior of a cinema|The US premiere of ''Begotten'' occurred at the 1990 [[San Francisco International Film Festival]], where it was screened at the [[Japantown, San Francisco|Japantown]] [[AMC Kabuki 8|Kabuki{{nbsp}}8]] multiplex (''pictured in 2005'').{{sfn|''San Francisco Examiner''|1990|pp=20–21}}]]

Unable to find a distributor, ''Begotten'' did not attain either [[Wide release|wide]] or [[Limited theatrical release|limited]] theatrical release. However, it became a popular [[underground film]], as a film released outside of conventional commercial channels, especially one with [[Subversion|subversive]] or [[Transgressive art|transgressive]] content.{{sfn|Hall|2004|p=236}}{{sfn|Mathijs|Sexton|2011|pp=162–163}} Lacking a standard theatrical release, Merhige booked one-off [[Film screening|screenings]] at various film festivals and art museums.{{sfn|Zahedi|2001}}

The earliest public screening took place at the [[Goethe-Institut]] in Montreal on October 24, 1989, as part of the [[Montreal World Film Festival]].{{sfn|Griffin|1989a|p=64}}{{sfn|Griffin|1989b|p=16}}{{sfn|Uricchio|1994|p=26}} It had three screenings from May 5{{endash}}7 at the 1990 San Francisco International Film Festival,{{sfn|''San Francisco Examiner''|1990|pp=20–21}} marking its premiere in the United States.{{sfn|DiMatteo|1991|p=2}} It also premiered later that year in New York at the [[Museum of Modern Art]],{{efn-lr|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|Dubner|1990|p=158}}{{sfn|Uricchio|1994|p=26}}{{sfn|Hoberman|2003|p=90}}{{sfn|Prince|2002|p=437}}}} on October 22 with Merhige introducing the film, followed by a post-screening discussion with the audience.{{sfn|Museum of Modern Art|1990}} On March 22, 1991, it was screened in [[New Mexico]]'s Center for Contemporary Arts, with Merhige in attendance.{{sfn|Bowman|1991|p=41}} New York City's [[Film Forum]] also screened the film on June 5, 1991.{{sfn|Kane|1991|p=39}}{{sfn|Hoberman|2003|p=90}}{{sfn|Prince|2002|p=437}} It was exhibited at the Stadtkino Theater in [[Vienna]] in 1992, as a part of a retrospective of American independent cinema titled "Unknown Territories",{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=284}} and at the Berlin Film Festival in the early to mid{{snd}}1990s.{{sfn|Essman 2009}} Its final screenings that decade were in 1996 at "The Alternative Screen: A Forum for Independent Film Exhibition & Beyond",{{sfn|''LA Weekly''|1996|p=84}} and [[American Cinematheque]]'s "Alternate Screen" series.{{sfn|Thomas|1996|p=75}}

Since the mid-2010s, ''Begotten'' has appeared at multiple film festivals. The first took place in October 2014 at [[Brooklyn]]'s Spectacle Theater as a part of its annual "Spectober" film event.{{sfn|Spectacle Theatre 2014}}{{sfn|Disser 2014}} The film appeared at the third annual horror film festival [[Spectre Film Festival|SpectreFest]] on October 28, 2015, along with its [[spiritual sequel]] ''Din of Celestial Birds'', which was followed by an onstage discussion with Merhige.{{sfn|Busch|2015}}{{sfn|Moore 2015}} The film was shown at the [[Music Box Theatre]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]] on September 25, 2016, during its 25th Anniversary celebration, where it was screened from Merhige's personal 16mm print. It was presented as a [[double-feature]] alongside the director's other film ''Shadow of the Vampire'', and followed by a Q&A with Merhige.{{sfn|DO312 2016}} The film was later screened at the Short Film Festival in [[London]] on January 8, 2017, where it was shown again in its original 16mm format, accompanied by a live music score from the film.{{sfn|MothClub 2017}} It was screened on October 17, 2019, at the Rice Media Center, as part of a celebration of "Low-Fi" Analog film series.{{sfn|Rouner|2019}} It had its more recent screening on March 29, 2022, at [[Cinemateca Portuguesa]] in [[Lisbon]].{{sfn|Cinemateca Portuguesa 2022}}

===Home media and bootlegs===
[[File:Begotten (1995 World Artists Home Video VHS).jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|alt=Topside of a VHS tape|''Begotten'' was released on [[VHS]] in 1995. The film is currently [[out of print]], though widely [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]]ged.]]

''Begotten'' received a limited [[Home video|home media distribution]] after its theatrical release;{{sfn|Mathijs|Sexton|2011|p=140}} copies of the film are currently [[out of print]] and difficult to acquire on [[Used good|secondhand]] markets.{{sfn|Mathijs|2017|pp=20–21}}  Merhige had not intended the film to be released on home video, initially stating that he disliked the concept of home video. He eventually changed his mind and felt that the original soundtrack mix—the sound of with which he had not been happy with—, could be enhanced through the medium.{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=292}} The film was briefly released on [[VHS]]{{sfn|Essman 2009}}{{sfn|Bleiler|2003|p=50}} in 1995 by World Artists Home Video.{{efn-lr|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|Hartl|1995|p=80}}{{sfn|Hall 1995}}{{sfn|Hart|1995|p=80}}{{sfn|Cornell|1995|p=85}}}} It was given a limited [[DVD]] release by World Artists on February 20, 2001,{{sfn|Beifuss|2001|p=80}} and included a souvenir booklet, the original theatrical trailer, rare and never-before-seen movie stills, and production photos.{{sfn|World Artists 2001}}{{sfn|Henkel 2000}} World Artists' DVD release of the film was listed by ''Film Comment''{{'}}s Gavin Smith as the ninth of his "Top 10 DVD Picks".{{sfn|Smith|2001|p=78}}

Due to the film's scarcity on home media, fans began to circulate copies via [[Bootleg recording|bootleg]] copies and digital [[Video piracy|piracy]].{{sfn|Mathijs|Sexton|2011|pp=34–35, 140}} These unlicensed copies helped the film to gain more exposure, and soon overtook legal means of distribution in volume.{{sfn|Mathijs|2017|p=21}}{{sfn|Mathijs|Sexton|2011|p=35}} The film is typically encountered via [[Grey market|ambiguously legal methods]], a situation which{{emdash}}according to Mathijs and Sexton{{emdash}}fostered a "copy-cult" that enhanced its [[Cult film|cult status]].{{sfn|Mathijs|Sexton|2011|pp=35, 140}} The film was [[List of films banned in Singapore|banned]] in [[Singapore]] due to its graphic and disturbing content.{{sfn|Savlov|2009}}

On July 29 2016, Merhige announced that the film would be released on [[Blu-ray]] in the fall of that year{{sfn|Merhige 2016}} but the deal fell through. A second announcement,{{sfn|Nicolay 2016}}{{sfn|DO312 2016}} scheduled for a 25th-anniversary screening alongside ''Shadow of the Vampire'' at Music Box Theatre in [[Midtown Manhattan]], also fell through.{{sfn|DO312 2016}} As of 2023, ''Begotten'' is still awaiting an [[film restoration|optical restoration]] and upscaling from its original 16mm format.{{sfn|Filmskemutacije 2023}}

==Reception==
[[File:Susan Sontag 1979 ©Lynn Gilbert crop.jpg|thumb|[[Susan Sontag]] (pictured in 1979) was one of the main advocates for ''Begotten'' and helped ensure the film's release.|alt=A woman sitting]]

''Begotten'' has received little to no attention from film critics, with most mainstream reviewers ignoring the film entirely.{{sfn|Mathijs|2017|pp=20–21}} Merhige was initially afraid that audiences might misunderstand certain parts, or the entire film altogether, "When I finished the film, I felt sure it would be misunderstood and consigned to the underground again. I see it as a very serious, very beautiful work of art, but when it was first finished, I was always thinking, 'What if everybody just laughs? What if they don't see anything in it?' There is always that possibility."{{sfn|MacDonald|1998|p=291}} Reactions to the film upon its release were extremely polarized, but Merhige has stated that he remains grateful for starting his career with the film.{{sfn|Chaw 2015}}

Limited reviews of the film were mixed to positive, with some critics praising the film's unique visual style and resonating themes, while commenting on its graphic violence.{{sfn|Turner Classic Movies 2006}} Susan Sontag—one of the leading advocates for the film—praised it, referring to it as "a metaphysical splatter film"{{sfn|Dutka|2004b|p=67}} and "one of the 10 most important films of modern times".{{sfn|Heigl|2017}} In his 1991 review, [[Joe Kane]] of the ''[[New York Daily News]]'' praised the film's minimalist soundtrack, visuals, and its subversion of traditional narrative structure.{{sfn|Kane|1991|p=39}} ''[[Newsday]]''{{'}}s Jon Anderson awarded it his highest score of four stars, lauding what he felt was its deconstruction of the barriers of dream and reality, bestowing additional acclaim towards its exploration of the human condition through its unconventional style.{{sfn|Anderson|1991|pp=63, 66}} Marc Savlov from the ''[[Austin Chronicle]]'' called the film "Experimental, haunting, dreamlike, and intentionally confounding",  further writing on the film's grainy visuals, and horrific imagery as having an influence on the VHS sequences in [[The Ring (franchise)|''The Ring'' series]], and the works of [[Guy Maddin]].{{sfn|Savlov|2009}} In their annual publication of ''The Video Movie Guide'', the authors Mick Martin and Marsha Porter rated ''Begotten'' their highest score of four stars, praising its uniqueness, while commenting that viewers would either 'love or hate it'.{{sfn|Martin|Porter|1997|p=79}}

''[[The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier|The Courier]]'' commented that the film "goes beyond convention" in its storytelling.{{sfn|Parker|1999|p=44}} ''Jackson Hole News'' described the film as 'an accurate portrayal of the religious attitudes and ideas of the [[Dark Ages (historiography)|Dark Ages]]'.{{sfn|Swift|1995|p=74}} [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]] at the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'' called it a "remarkable if extremely upsetting" film, applauding the originality of its visuals, but cautioned that its graphic violence was not for the squeamish or the faint of heart.{{sfn|Rosenbaum|1995}} ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]''{{'}}s, [[David Sterritt]] compared it favorably to  [[Samuel Beckett]]'s novel ''[[How It Is (novel)|How It Is]]'' in regards to its symbolism and narrative structure. Sterritt also commented that the film's claustrophobic atmosphere, and dark narrative were hard to stomach but equally entrancing overall.{{sfn|Sterritt|1990|p=11}} 

Although some critics were favorable towards its visuals and narrative themes, others have criticized these same elements, in addition to its brutal violence and running time.{{sfn|Muir|2011|p=142}} Awarding it two and a half out of a possible four stars, John Kenneth Muir felt its narrative was better suited as a short subject rather than a feature film, despite its admittedly powerful imagery and originality.{{sfn|Muir|2011|p=142}} Echoing this sentiment, the Polish journalist Bartłomiej Paszylk thought the first half was compelling and genuinely frightening, but further commented that its narrative could have been accomplished at a much shorter length.{{sfn|Paszylk|2009|p=191}} Its graphic violence and visuals were criticized by [[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'', who described it as "too grotesque" to engage its audience, regardless of its unique narrative.{{sfn|Maslin|1991}}

==Legacy==
Since the start of the 21st century, ''Begotten'' has gained more exposure through its availability online through various streaming platforms such as [[YouTube]] helping it receive a wider audience.{{sfn|Keogan|2021}} It has gradually developed a cult following{{sfn|Dutka|2004a|p=51}}{{sfn|Pendreigh 2000}}{{sfn|Newman|2002|p=175}} and is considered by some to be the director's masterpiece.{{sfn|Mathijs|2017|pp=20–21}}{{sfn|Chaw 2015}}{{sfn|James River Film Festival 2015}} As one critic wrote, ''Begotten''  "earned its reputation as an endlessly provocative and mystifying experience always centuries ahead of the rest of American cinema".{{sfn|Gadre 2021}} In his 2014 book ''Disorders of Magnitude: A Survey of Dark Fantasy'', the author [[Jason V. Brock]] wrote that ''Begotten'' was his seventh favorite work of radio, film, or television production.{{sfn|Brock|2014|p=300}} It was listed in the 2011 book ''[[100 Cult Films]]'' by Ernest Mathijs and [[Xavier Mendik]]{{sfn|Mathijs|2017|pp=20–21}} over Mendik's objections, as he felt that its following was too small to merit inclusion. However, it ultimately made it in because, to Mathijs, the film's following represented "the real sectarian cult; it's a very small committed group of people. It's like a [[secret handshake]] that goes worldwide. If you've seen ''Begotten'', you're in that cult."{{sfn|Lederman|2011}} Over the years, several sources have erroneously reported ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' as ranking ''Begotten'' in its top-ten list of either 1990 or 1991, but the film was not included in either year.{{efn|''Fangoria'', ''Filmmaker'', and author Bartłomiej Paszylk claimed that ''Time'' listed ''Begotten'' among the best films of 1990.{{sfn|Stephens|2000}}{{sfn|Beahm|2013|p=32}}{{sfn|Paszylk|2009|p=190}} ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' and the film's DVD packaging claimed it had been listed in 1991.{{sfn|Dutka|2004a|p=51}}{{sfn|World Artists 2001}}}}

Though initially mixed in his response to the film, Muir has since called ''Begotten'' "one of the most disturbing films ever made".{{sfn|Muir|2023|p=92}} Natalia Keogan of ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' described the film as one of the best and the most unsettling avante-garde films.{{sfn|Keogan|2021}} Several publications selected it as one of the most disturbing films of all time, including [[Highsnobiety]] (2016),{{sfn|Gibson 2016}} ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' (2017),{{sfn|Heigl|2017}} [[Screen Rant]] (2019),{{sfn|Wojnar 2019}} ''[[NME]]'' (2023),{{sfn|Bradshaw 2023}} Similarly, ''Begotten'' has been ranked in several top film lists, including number four by [[Joblo.com]] (2012),{{sfn|Maidy 2012}} and ''[[Nylon (magazine)|Nylon]]'' (2017);{{sfn|Manders|2017}} number twenty by [[GamesRadar+]] in 2018;{{sfn|Houghton 2018}} and number twenty-three by [[Complex Magazine]] in 2021.{{sfn|Barone|Serafino|Pimentel|2018}} Publications such as [[Collider (website)|Collider]] and [[MovieWeb]] have placed it in their top avant-garde/experimental films,{{sfn|Graves 2023}}{{sfn|Furzan 2022}} with the later describing it as an 'unforgettable experiment in horror'.{{sfn|Furzan 2022}} In 2024, MovieWeb included it in a list of "The 40 Scariest Movies of All Time".{{sfn|MovieWeb 2024}}

The film helped provide a foundation for Merhige to continue his filmmaking career.{{sfn|Essman 2009}} A decade after ''Begotten''{{'}}s release, Merhige directed ''[[Shadow of the Vampire]]''.{{sfn|Tucker|2001|p=103}} [[Nicolas Cage]], a co-producer of ''Shadow of the Vampire'', advocated hiring Merhige to direct the project based on his positive impression of ''Begotten''.{{efn-lr|Attributed to multiple references:{{sfn|Essman 2009}}{{sfn|Atkinson|2000|p=28}}{{sfn|Mottram 2014}}{{sfn|Massaccesi|2015|p=113}}}}

Merhige was later hired by the singer [[Marilyn Manson]] to direct [[music video]]s for his songs "[[Antichrist Superstar (song)|Antichrist Superstar]]" and "Cryptorchid", the latter utilizing imagery incorporated from ''Begotten''.{{sfn|Gadre 2021}}{{sfn|Vari|2001|p=43}}{{sfn|Preira|2011}}{{sfn|Bennett|2019}} Manson was a huge admirer of ''Begotten'',{{sfn|Stephens|2000}}{{sfn|Paszylk|2009|p=191}} having the album's [[Album art|art designer]] [[P. R. Brown]] watch the film for inspiration while developing cover art for the album.{{sfn|Bennett|2019}} When preparing to adapt the album into a music video, Manson personally contacted Merhige to ask him if he was willing to direct the music video for his song "Cryptorchid".{{sfn|Paszylk|2009|p=191}} Manson has stated that ''Begotten'' was played on a loop during the entire recording for his album ''[[Antichrist Superstar]]''.{{sfn|Beahm|2013|p=33}}{{sfn|Beckermann|2001|p=185}} The music video for "Cryptorchid" premiered at the [[San Francisco International Film Festival]] in 1997 where it won a Golden Gate Certificate of Merit Award.{{sfn|Stephens|2000}}{{sfn|San Francisco Film Festival 2017}}{{sfn|Barkan 2015}} It was subsequently barred from release by [[Interscope Records]], whom Manson claimed were "appalled by it" due to its fascist iconography, namely the [[Nuremberg rallies]] and images of a [[Ku Klux Klan]] lynching. "Antichrist Superstar" was also beset with troubles and remained unreleased until it was leaked on [[YouTube]] in 2010.{{sfn|Preira|2011}}{{sfn|Barkan 2015}}

===Influence===
''Begotten'' has influenced several [[Avant-garde film|avant-garde]] and experimental films, and is cited by several artists as inspiration.{{sfn|Gadre 2021}}{{sfn|Wojnar 2019}} [[Michael Pope (filmmaker)|Michael Pope]]'s 2001 experimental film ''[[Neovoxer]]'' has been compared to ''Begotten'' as it contains a similar visual style and "impressionistic mythology".{{sfn|James River Film Festival 2015}} According to [[Panos Cosmatos]], the flashback sequences in his 2010 film ''[[Beyond the Black Rainbow]]'' were directly inspired by  ''Begotten''. When interviewed by [[CHUD.com]]'s Joshua Miller, Cosmatos said that he wanted the flashback sequences to "have the look and feel of an artifact that was in the process of deterioration", and that ''Begotten''{{'}}s visual style was the perfect look for these sequences.{{sfn|Miller 2012}} Kyle Turner from [[Mubi.com]] described the 2015 experimental film ''Ville Marie'' as being very similar to Merhige's film in terms of cinematic style and use of reverse-exposure.{{sfn|Turner 2014}}

Some scenes in Can Evrenol's 2015 [[Surrealism and film|surrealist horror film]] ''[[Baskin (film)|Baskin]]'' were compared to ''Begotten''.{{sfn|FilmStage 2016}}  James Quinn's 2017 [[Experimental film|experimental]] [[horror film]] ''Flesh of the Void'' was described by several critics as being similar to Merhige's film in style and narrative.{{sfn|Romero 2018}} However, Quinn himself stated, in an interview with ''Nightmare on Film Street'', that he felt his film did not fall into the same category.{{sfn|Derington 2017}} Certain scenes from Blake Williams' 2018 avant-garde [[science fiction film]] ''Prototype'' were compared to ''Begotten'' by Glenn Kenny of ''[[The New York Times]]''.{{sfn|Kenny|2018}} [[Jimmy Joe Roche]]'s 2018 experimental short film, ''Skin of Man'', was also said to have been influenced by ''Begotten''.{{sfn|Champs Elsees Film Festival 2019}}

The film's influence has also extended to musicians. As the scholar Andrew M. Whelan wrote, cult and underground films such as ''Begotten'' often share the same thematic style as [[Power electronics (music)|power electronics]], a form of [[noise music]] noted for its lack of conventional rhythm, often inviting strong reactions from both listeners and critics in a manner the reminiscent of Merhige's film.{{sfn|Whelan|2015|p=71}} In 1997, Swedish [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Katatonia]] released their third album ''[[Sounds of Decay]]'', which featured a screenshot of ''Begotten'' as its front cover artwork. In an interview with [[webzine]] ''[[Chronicles of Chaos (webzine)|Chronicles of Chaos]]'', band member [[Jonas Renkse]] recalled the idea behind the inclusion of the image came out a conversation with a member of the record label [[Avantgarde Music]].{{sfn|Chronicles of Chaos 2001}} In the promotional video for their 2001 song "Sterile Nails and Thunderbowels", the Swedish [[black metal]] band [[Silencer (band)|Silencer]] used clips from ''Begotten'' interspersed with their own original footage.{{sfn|Garcia 2014}} The American [[music artist]] [[Zola Jesus]] listed the film as a major inspiration for her 2017 music album ''[[Okovi]]'', stating in an interview with ''[[ARTnews]]'' that during the development of the album, she played the film on loop in order to help with ''Okovi''{{'}}s audio and visual [[aesthetic]].{{sfn|Jesus|2016}} For their [[experimental music]]al composition ''Frankenstein Bemshi!'' at the 2018 [[Rochester Fringe Festival]], the performers Dave Esposito and G. E. Schwartz mixed portions of ''Begotten'' with the 1910 film [[Frankenstein (1910 film)|''Frankenstein'']], accompanied by live guitar music, electronic soundscapes, spoken narration, and with poetry added as text to the movie's image.{{sfn|Lubitow|2018}} The [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]] magazine ''[[Decibel (magazine)|Decibel]]'' compared the music video for the Texas [[gothic rock]] band Sword Collector's single "Inherit the Scepter" to ''Begotten'' and [[Ari Aster]]'s 2019 [[Folklore|folk]] [[horror film]] ''[[Midsommar (film)|Midsommar]]''.{{sfn|Frasier|2020}}

==Sequels==
''Begotten'' is the first in a trilogy of films described by Merhige and media outlets as ''The Begotten Cycle'', a series of [[short film]] sequels delving into different aspects of creation mythology and mysticism.{{sfn|Martell 2023}}{{sfn|L'Etrange Festival 2023}}{{sfn|British Board of Film Classification 2023}}

===''Din of Celestial Birds''===
The first sequel is ''Din of Celestial Birds'', a 14-minute short film.{{sfn|Mathijs|2017|pp=20—21}} As with ''Begotten'', Merhige was the writer, director, and producer. It was funded by the Q6 production group, a collective of [[philosopher]]s and artists. Merhige's principal inspiration came from [[silent film]]s such as [[Jean Cocteau]]'s ''[[Blood of a Poet]]'' (1930), [[Fritz Lang]]'s ''[[Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'' (1927), and the works of [[Auguste and Louis Lumière]].{{sfn|Turner Classic Movies 2006}} Merhige intended to depict "creation in its simplest and purest form".{{sfn|Turner Classic Movies 2006}} Focusing on the theory of evolution as apposed to religion and mythology,{{sfn|Clermont Ferrand ISFF Staff|2009|p=189}} it opens with an intertitle that reads: "Hello and welcome ... do not be afraid ... be comforted ... remember ... our origin...", followed by images depicting the [[Big Bang]]. Then, after a hyper-accelerated trip through the evolution of life and the [[Earth]], it culminates in the birth of an [[embryo]]nic pseudo-humanoid named the Son of Light (Stephen Charles Barry) who reaches towards the sky as the scene fades to a shot of the Earth. ''Din of Celestial Birds'' premiered at the [[Telluride Film Festival]] on September 6, 2006.{{sfn|Telluride 2022}} It was later screened on [[Turner Classic Movies]] on September 15th.{{sfn|Turner Classic Movies 2006}} The film was also screened at the [[European Media Art Festival]] in 2009 as a part of that year's theme, "The Future Lasts Longer Than The Past".{{sfn|Rotert|2009|p=139}} It was later screened alongside its predecessor at the SpectreFest Film Festival in 2015.{{sfn|Busch|2015}}

===''Polia & Blastema: A Cosmic Opera''===
Merhige's trilogy later concluded with the 40-minute short film ''Polia & Blastema: A Cosmic Opera'', alternately titled ''Polia & Blastema: A Metaphysical Fable'', marking the director's first [[opera]]tic effort.{{sfn|Filmskemutacije 2023}}{{sfn|Goldbart 2023}} The film is a collaborative effort between Merhige, fellow director [[David Wexler (director)|David Wexler]] and the musician Gavin Gamboa,{{sfn|WRTI 2022}} through the production companies Century Guild Creative, Strangeloop Studios, and The Teaching Machine. Inspiration for the film came from the short-lived [[transgressive art]] movement [[Viennese Actionism]], in addition to philosopher [[Eugene Thacker]]'s notions of [[supernatural horror]] and dissolution known as "[a] world-without-us".{{sfn|Strangeloop Studios 2023}} Production for the film began in mid-2016, after a successful [[Kickstarter]] campaign.{{sfn|Merhige 2013}}

Described as "a [[Gnosticism|gnostic]] creation myth" in promotional material for its premiere screening, the film incorporates several different genres, including fantasy and [[science fiction]] in the series' typically grainy, black-and-white visual style.{{sfn|WRTI 2022}} The story follows two otherworldly beings (Nina McNeely, and Jasmine Albuquerque) who believe themselves to be a single entity separated by unknown circumstances, as they journey through a desolate and hellish landscape. Through their quest across space and time, they discover more about themselves and are finally reunited. Embracing, the two beings 'become one' as they [[Human cannibalism|devour each other]] in ritualistic ecstasy, merging in an act that transforms them into a new deity.{{sfn|Riefe|2021}}{{sfn|Operaphilia 2023}}

It premiered at the [[Opera Philadelphia]]'s Opera on Film Festival on September 30, 2022.{{sfn|Operaphilia 2023}}{{sfn|Brzoznowski 2023}}{{sfn|Waleson 2022}} It was later screened at [[Offscreen Film Festival]], as a part of their The Screen of the Sky series, in the Brussels Planetarium, alongside ''Begotten'' and ''Din of Celestial Birds'', on March 26, 2023.{{sfn|Offscreen 2023}} The entire "Begotten Cycle" was screened at the 2023 L'Etrange Festival in [[Paris]], beginning on September 9 and concluding on September 17.{{sfn|L'Etrange Festival 2023}}{{sfn|Forum des Images 2023}} On November 4th, ''Polia & Blastema'' made its official premiere in the United Kingdom at the [[Leeds International Film Festival]], where it was screened alongside the entire trilogy followed by a Q & A with Merhige.{{sfn|LIFF 2023}} At the end on the year, on December 16, 2023, it was screened at the 17th Annual Film Mutations Film Festival in [[Croatia]], with the previous entries in the series.{{sfn|Filmskemutacije 2023}}{{sfn|Art Kino 2023}}

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{notelist-lr|30em}}

===Notes===
{{notelist|30em}}

===Citations===
{{reflist}}

==Works cited==
===Bibliography===
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
*{{cite book|last1=Aldama|first1=Frederick|last2=Lindenberger|first2=Herbert|title=Aesthetics of Discomfort: Conversations on Disquieting Art|date=February 2, 2016|publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]] |isbn=978-0-4720-5300-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ykqGCwAAQBAJ|access-date=August 6, 2019|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=John|title=Distorting Both Dreams and Reality|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/712423034|newspaper=[[Newsday (Nassau Edition)]]|publisher=Newsday Media|date=June 5, 1991|location=[[Hempstead, New York]]|pages=63, 66|via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{subscription required}}}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Atkinson|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Atkinson (writer)|title=Vampire Variations|date=November–December 2000|magazine=[[Film Comment]]|pages=27–29|volume=36|issue=6|jstor=43455859}}
*{{cite magazine|last1=Barone|first1=Matt|last2=Serafino|first2=Jason|last3=Pimentel|first3=Julia|title=The Most Disturbing Movies of All Time|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/the-50-most-disturbing-movies/|magazine=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]|access-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526110507/https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/the-50-most-disturbing-movies/begotten|archive-date=May 26, 2018|date=October 10, 2018|url-status=live}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Beahm|first=Justin|title=Begotten Son: Filmmaker E. Elias Merhige Challenged and Confounded with His Chillingly Allegorical First Feature|magazine=[[Fangoria]]|issue=326|page=32|location=United States|publisher=Cinestate|date=September 30, 2013}}
*{{cite news|last=Beckermann|first=Jim|title=A Cult Film Director Gets a Chance|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75739841/a-cult-film-director-gets-a-chance-the/|newspaper=The Record|access-date=April 19, 2021|date=January 21, 2001|via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{subscription required}}|page=185|archive-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419172952/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75739841/a-cult-film-director-gets-a-chance-the/|url-status=live}} 
*{{cite news|last=Beifuss|first=John|title=Horror to the Max: 'Nosferatu,' 'Begotten'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bradenton-herald-horror-to-the-max/135272658/|access-date=November 15, 2023|newspaper=[[The Bradenton Herald]]|publisher=[[The McClatchy Company]]|date=March 9, 2001|location=[[Bradenton, Florida]]|page=80|via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{subscription required}}}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Bennett|first=J.|title=Marilyn Manson's 'Antichrist Superstar': The Story Behind the Album Cover Art|publisher=Project M Group|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/culture/marilyn-mansons-antichrist-superstar-story-behind-album-cover-art|magazine=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]|access-date=July 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105085908/https://www.revolvermag.com/culture/marilyn-mansons-antichrist-superstar-story-behind-album-cover-art|archive-date=January 5, 2019|date=January 5, 2019|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|editor-last=Bleiler|editor-first=David|title=TLA Video & DVD Guide 2004: The Discerning Film Lover's Guide|date=October 24, 2003|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|isbn=978-0-3123-1686-0|page=50|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J9YjAwAAQBAJ|access-date=August 6, 2019|chapter=''Begotten'' (1989, 78{{nbsp}}min, US, E. Elias Merhige)|via=[[Google Books]]}}
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*{{cite book|last=Brock|first=Jason|author-link=Jason V. Brock|title=Disorders of Magnitude: A Survey of Dark Fantasy|date=July 17, 2014|publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]|isbn=978-1-4422-3525-0|page=300|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9g0WBAAAQBAJ|access-date=August 6, 2019|chapter=Appendix B: Select Radio, Film and Television Productions|via=[[Google Books]]}}
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*{{cite book|author=Clermont Ferrand ISFF Staff|title=Festival du Court Métrage de Clermont-Ferrand 2009|trans-title=Catalog of the 31st [[Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival]], 2009|date=January 30, 2009|publisher=Sauve qui peut le court métrage|location=France|page=189|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=n6cnDgAAQBAJ|language=fr}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Corliss|first=Richard|author-link=Richard Corliss|title=A Happy Birthday for the Kids of Kane|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,972906,00.html|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] {{subscription required}}|page=69|volume=137|issue=19|access-date=September 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828073806/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,972906,00.html|archive-date=August 28, 2013|date=May 13, 1991|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Cornell|first=Christopher|title=Home Entertainment: Pianist profile, Italy tour top latest video releases|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57112727/home-entertainment-pianist-profile/|access-date=August 10, 2020|newspaper=[[The Fort Myers News-Press]]|publisher=[[Gannett]]|date=March 19, 1995|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|page=85|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115024717/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57112727/home-entertainment-pianist-profile/|url-status=live}}
*{{cite magazine|last=DiMatteo|first=Robert|title=Future Primeval|date=January–February 1991|magazine=[[Film Comment]]|page=2|volume=27|issue=1|jstor=43453866}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Dubner|first=Stephen|title=Movies: Theater Guide|date=October 22, 1990|magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|page=158|volume=23|issue=41|issn=0028-7369|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CqQzHMOrfPMC|via=[[Google Books]]|access-date=September 10, 2023}}
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*{{cite news|last=Dutka|first=Elaine|title=Exploring the Abyss|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75740064/exploring-the-abyss-south-florida-sun/|newspaper=[[South Florida Sun-Sentinel]]|access-date=January 6, 2020|date=September 8, 2004b|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|page=67|archive-date=April 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426175645/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/75740064/exploring-the-abyss-south-florida-sun/|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last=Edwards|first=Matthew|title=Film Out of Bounds: Essays and Interviews on Non-Mainstream Cinema Worldwide|date=July 24, 2007|publisher=[[McFarland & Company, Inc.]]|isbn=978-0-7864-2970-7|page=20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aZcWBAAAQBAJ|access-date=August 6, 2019|chapter=Close to the Bone: An Interview with Paul Hills|via=[[Google Books]]}}
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*{{cite magazine|last=Gadre|first=Soham|title=Still Not Of This World – Thirty Years Of E. Elias Merhige's BEGOTTEN|url=https://www.fangoria.com/original/e-elias-merhiges-begotten/|magazine=Fangoria (online edition)|location=United States|publisher=Cinestate|access-date=June 29, 2021|date=June 4, 2021|ref={{sfnref|Gadre 2021}}|archive-date=June 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629171958/https://www.fangoria.com/original/e-elias-merhiges-begotten/|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Griffin|first=John|title=High definition is becoming horror show for organizers|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/423847462|access-date=October 22, 2019|newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]]|date=October 26, 1989|location=[[Montreal]]|page=64|via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{subscription required}}|ref={{sfnref|Griffin|1989a|p=64}}|archive-date=October 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022173719/http://www.newspapers.com/image/423847462/|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Griffin|first=John|author-mask=3|title=New Film Festival Sets Attendance Record|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37486619/begotten_new_film_festival_sets/|access-date=October 22, 2019|newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]]|date=October 30, 1989|location=[[Montreal]]|page=16|via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{subscription required}}|ref={{sfnref|Griffin|1989b|p=16}}|archive-date=October 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022173703/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37486619/begotten_new_film_festival_sets/|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last=Hall|first=Phil|title=The Encyclopedia of Underground Movies: Films from the Fringes of Cinema|date=November 25, 2004|publisher=Michael Wiese Productions|isbn=978-0-9411-8895-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X99kAAAAMAAJ|via=[[Google Books]] (snippet view only)}}
*{{cite book|last=Hanson|first=Peter|title=The Cinema of Generation X: A Critical Study of Films and Directors|date=June 28, 2010|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-0-7864-8078-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mYWCRWWso_cC|access-date=September 15, 2023|via=[[Google Books]]}}
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*{{cite magazine|last=Hart|first=Paul|title=''Begotten''|pages=38–40|magazine=[[Propaganda (magazine)|Propaganda]]|number=18|date=Spring 1992|url=https://archive.org/details/PropagandaMagazine018/page/n37/mode/2up|via=the [[Internet Archive]]}}
*{{cite news|last=Hartl|first=John|title=Several Movies Bypass theaters in March|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal-begotten-vhs-19/135272560/|newspaper=[[The Akron Beacon Journal]]|date=March 10, 1995|location=[[Akron, Ohio]]|page=80|via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{subscription required}}}}
*{{cite news|last=Heigl|first=Alex|title=13 of the Most Disturbing — and Critically Acclaimed — Movies to Ever Hit Theaters|url=https://ew.com/movies/2017/03/10/disturbing-movies-critical-acclaim/|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310211709/https://ew.com/movies/2017/03/10/disturbing-movies-critical-acclaim/|archive-date=March 10, 2017|date=March 10, 2017|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last=Hoberman|first=J.|author-link=J. Hoberman|title=The Magic Hour: Film at Fin de Siècle|date=January 1, 2003|publisher=[[Temple University Press]]|isbn=978-1-5663-9995-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MwkjZGjcy-0C|access-date=September 15, 2023|via=[[Google Books]]}}
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*{{cite book|last=Jones|first=David|title=Re-envisaging the First Age of Cinematic Horror, 1896-1934: Quanta of Fear|date=November 14, 2018|publisher=[[University of Wales Press]]|isbn=978-1-7868-3336-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y-yVDwAAQBAJ|access-date=September 15, 2023|via=[[Google Books]]}}
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*{{cite book|last=Kane|first=Carolyn|title=High-Tech Trash: Glitch, Noise, and Aesthetic Failure|date=December 17, 2019|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=978-0-5203-4014-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y5S2DwAAQBAJ|access-date=September 9, 2023|via=[[Google Books]]}}
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*{{cite magazine|last=Keogan|first=Natalia|title=Begotten, Tumblr and Gore: 30 Years Later, Merhige's Movie Remains One of the Most Disturbing Avant-Garde Films Ever Made|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/horror-movies/begotten-tumblr-gore-merhige|magazine=[[Paste Magazine]]|access-date=September 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230913164155/https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/horror-movies/begotten-tumblr-gore-merhige|archive-date=September 13, 2023|date=June 6, 2021|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Lederman|first=Marsha|title=Want to make people mad? Pick the top 100 cult films of all time|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/want-to-make-people-mad-pick-the-top-100-cult-films-of-all-time/article554897/|newspaper=[[The Globe and Mail]]|access-date=August 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922035659/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/want-to-make-people-mad-pick-the-top-100-cult-films-of-all-time/article554897/|archive-date=September 22, 2022|date=December 26, 2011|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last=Lentz|first=Harris|title=Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Supplement 2, through 1993|volume=4|date=January 1, 1994|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-0-8995-0927-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z34qAQAAIAAJ|via=[[Google Books]] (snippet view only)}}
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*{{cite book|last=MacDonald|first=Scott|title=A Critical Cinema 3: Interviews with Independent Filmmakers|date=March 30, 1998|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-5202-0943-5|url=https://archive.org/details/criticalcinemain0000macd|url-access=registration|chapter=Elias Merhige (on ''Begotten'')|pages=[https://archive.org/details/criticalcinemain0000macd/page/284/mode/1up 284]–292|via=the [[Internet Archive]] {{registration required}}}}
*{{cite news|last=Malcolm|first=Paul|title=Begotten|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/578882559/|access-date=October 15, 2019|newspaper=[[LA Weekly]]|date=August 11, 1994|via=[[Newspapers.com]] {{subscription required}}|page=43|ref={{sfnref|Malcolm|1994|p=43}}|archive-date=December 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218090017/https://www.newspapers.com/image/578882559/|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|title=Film & Video Events|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/la-weekly-begotten-screening/155124643/|access-date=September 12, 2024|newspaper=LA Weekly|date=November 21, 1996|page=84|ref={{sfnref|''LA Weekly''|1996|p=84}}}}
*{{cite news|last=Manders|first=Hayden|title=Ranking the 8 Most Disturbing Horror Films Ever Made|url=https://nylon.com/articles/ranking-most-disturbing-movies|magazine=[[Nylon (magazine)|Nylon]]|access-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030180251/https://nylon.com/articles/ranking-most-disturbing-movies|archive-date=October 30, 2017|date=October 30, 2017|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last1=Martin|first1=Mick|last2=Porter|first2=Marsha|title=The Video Movie Guide 1998|date=October 7, 1997|publisher=[[Ballantine Books]]|isbn=978-0-3454-0793-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X7ZQ-FPo15UC|access-date=October 6, 2023|via=[[Google Books]] (snippet view only)}}
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*{{cite book|last=Massaccesi|first=Cristina|title=Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror|date=December 1, 2015|publisher=[[Columbia University Press]]|isbn=978-0-9932-3846-8|chapter=Appendix: Interview with E. Elias Merhige|pages=113–120|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9mhiCwAAQBAJ|access-date=August 6, 2019|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite book|last=Mathijs|first=Ernest|author-link=Ernest Mathijs|chapter=''Begotten'', E. Elias Merhige, 1991|pages=20–21|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zx9dDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA20|editor1-last=Mathijs|editor1-first=Ernest|editor2-last=Mendik|editor2-first=Xavier|editor2-link=Xavier Mendik|title=100 Cult Films|date=October 23, 2017|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]]|isbn=978-1-8445-7571-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zx9dDwAAQBAJ|access-date=January 6, 2020|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite book|last1=Mathijs|first1=Ernest|last2=Sexton|first2=Jamie|title=Cult Cinema: An Introduction|date=May 2, 2011|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|isbn=978-1-4051-7374-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ntg-1SAKgboC|access-date=August 11, 2020|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite book|last=Muir|first=John Kenneth|title=Horror Films of the 1990s|date=October 6, 2011|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-0-7864-4012-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q60poKxIN7cC|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite book|last=Muir|first=John Kenneth|title=Horror Films of 2000-2009|date=March 22, 2023|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-1-4766-4450-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZS1EAAAQBAJ|via=[[Google Books]]|access-date=September 28, 2023}}
*{{cite press release|title=Twenty-Third Season of CineProbe Begins|type=Museum pamphlet|url=https://assets.moma.org/momaorg/shared/pdfs/docs/press_archives/6822/releases/MOMA_1990_0073_76.pdf|location=Manhattan, New York|publisher=Museum of Modern Art|agency=[[Department of Public Information]]|date=August 1990|ref={{sfnref|Museum of Modern Art|1990}}|access-date=August 21, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115024716/https://assets.moma.org/momaorg/shared/pdfs/docs/press_archives/6822/releases/MOMA_1990_0073_76.pdf|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last=Newman|first=Kim|author-link=Kim Newman|title=Science Fiction/Horror: A Sight and Sound Reader|date=April 26, 2002|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|isbn=978-0-8517-0896-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iLVZAAAAMAAJ|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite book|last1=Papageorgopoulou|first1=Penny|last2=Charitos|first2=Dimitris|editor1-last=Buran|editor1-first=Sümeyra|title=Representations of Violence in Literature, Culture and Arts - Conference Abstracts Book 2021|date=October 17, 2021|publisher=Transnational Press London|isbn=978-1-8013-5096-9|pages=110–111|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nq5IEAAAQBAJ|chapter=From Anthropocene to Cthulucene: The Biomythography of Begotten|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite news|last=Parker|first=Melody|title=The Weird, the Wacky star at Hearst film fest|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-courier-the-weird-the-wacky-star-at/155029000/|access-date=September 13, 2024|newspaper=[[The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier]]|publisher=[[Lee Enterprises]]|date=October 7, 1999|page=44|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}
*{{cite book|last=Paszylk|first=Bartłomiej|title=The Pleasure and Pain of Cult Horror Films: An Historical Survey|date=June 8, 2009|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-0-7864-3695-8|pages=190–191|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SWCx_jpxkdwC|access-date=January 27, 2020|chapter=Part V: The New Weirdnesss – ''Begotten'' (1991)|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite book|last=Perron|first=Wendy|title=Through the Eyes of a Dancer: Selected Writings|date=November 5, 2013|publisher=[[Wesleyan University Press]]|isbn=978-0-8195-7409-1|edition=2nd|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xcxKAQAAQBAJ|chapter=The Power of Stripping Down Nightmares|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite news|last=Preira|first=Matt|title=Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar Is 15: A Video History|url=http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/music/marilyn-mansons-antichrist-superstar-is-15-a-video-history-6430837|newspaper=[[New Times Broward-Palm Beach]]|access-date=July 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420141109/http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/music/marilyn-mansons-antichrist-superstar-is-15-a-video-history-6430837|archive-date=April 20, 2023|date=October 4, 2011|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last=Prince|first=Stephen|title=A New Pot of Gold: Hollywood Under the Electronic Rainbow, 1980–1989|series=History of the American Cinema|date=March 15, 2002|edition=1st pbk.|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=0-520-23266-6|volume=10|url=https://archive.org/details/newpotofgold00step|url-access=registration|chapter=Elias Merhige|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/newpotofgold00step/page/437/mode/1up|pages=437–438|via=the [[Internet Archive]] {{registration required}}}}
*{{cite book|editor-last=Quigley|editor-first=Eileen|title=International Television & Video Almanac|date=January 1, 2007|publisher=[[Quigley Publishing Company]]|isbn=978-0-9006-1081-3|edition=78|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V8EVAQAAMAAJ|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Riefe|first=Jordan|title=A Hollywood Filmmaker's Beguiling and Inspiring Collection|publisher=OP Media|url=https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/issue/hollywood-filmmakers-beguiling-and-inspiring-collection|magazine=Fine Books & Collections|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230420132601/https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/issue/hollywood-filmmakers-beguiling-and-inspiring-collection|archive-date=April 20, 2023|date=August 13, 2020|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Riefe|first=Jordan|title=Filmmaker seeks out esoteric texts for his vast collection on the occult – Daily News|url=https://www.dailynews.com/2021/01/24/filmmaker-seeks-out-esoteric-texts-for-his-vast-collection-on-the-occult/|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|access-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124193613/https://www.dailynews.com/2021/01/24/filmmaker-seeks-out-esoteric-texts-for-his-vast-collection-on-the-occult/|archive-date=January 24, 2021|date=January 24, 2021|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Rosenbaum|first=Jonathan|author-link=Jonathan Rosenbaum|title=Begotten|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/begotten/Film?oid=1070839|newspaper=[[Chicago Reader]]|access-date=August 20, 2020|date=March 1, 1995<!-- the review's original publication date provided by Rosenbaum at his website: https://www.jonathanrosenbaum.net/1995/03/begotten/ -->|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100113061426/http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/begotten/Film?oid=1070839|archive-date=January 13, 2010|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last=Rotert|first=Alfred|title=The Future Lasts Longer Than The Past: European Media Art Festival, Osnabrueck|year=2009|publisher=[[European Media Art Festival]]|isbn=978-3-9265-0131-8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IR5LAQAAIAAJ|access-date=October 28, 2020|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite news|last=Rouner|first=Jeff|title=Analog film fans are high on Rice's Low-Fi supply|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/movies/article/Analog-film-fans-are-high-on-Rice-s-Low-Fi-14544934.php|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|access-date=October 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022202050/https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/movies/article/Analog-film-fans-are-high-on-Rice-s-Low-Fi-14544934.php|archive-date=October 22, 2019|date=October 20, 2019|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|title=Complete Lineup for the San Francisco International Film Festival|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57692057/complete-lineup-for-the-san-francisco/|newspaper=[[San Francisco Examiner]]|date=April 29, 1990|pages=20–[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57692184/complete-lineup-for-the-san-francisco/ 21]|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|ref={{sfnref|''San Francisco Examiner''|1990}}|access-date=August 20, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115024720/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57692057/complete-lineup-for-the-san-francisco/|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Savlov|first=Marc|title="Jane! Stop This Crazy Thing!" (The Downside to Galaxy Highland Theater's New Robotic Seats) Five Films We Don't Want to See in D-Box|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/screens/2009-05-18/783015/|newspaper=[[Austin Chronicle]]|access-date=December 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223131939/http://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/screens/2009-05-18/783015/|archive-date=December 23, 2016|date=May 18, 2009|url-status=live}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Schwartz|first=Paula|title=E. Elias Merhige's Power of Unflinching Belief|url=https://www.moviemaker.com/the-power-of-an-unflinching-belief-in-yourself-2433/|magazine=[[MovieMaker]]|access-date=April 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200428191046/https://www.moviemaker.com/the-power-of-an-unflinching-belief-in-yourself-2433/|archive-date=April 28, 2020|date=February 3, 2007|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|''MovieMaker'' 2007}}}}
*{{cite news|last=Simon|first=Jeff|title=Out of the Shadows Director Elias Merhige Emerges from Hollywood's Dungeon Bloody but Unbowed|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/out-of-the-shadows-director-elias-merhige-emerges-from-hollywoods-dungeon-bloody-but-unbowed/article_747a0931-ac00-507b-aa4a-a644ca0bd526.html|newspaper=[[Buffalo News]]|access-date=August 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115024715/https://buffalonews.com/news/out-of-the-shadows-director-elias-merhige-emerges-from-hollywoods-dungeon-bloody-but-unbowed/article_747a0931-ac00-507b-aa4a-a644ca0bd526.html|archive-date=November 15, 2021|date=January 21, 2001|url-status=live}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Smith|first=Gavin|title=Vidi Vidi Vidi|date=January–February 2001|magazine=[[Film Comment]]|pages=78–79|volume=37|issue=1|jstor=43824819}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Stephens|first=Chuck|title=Sunrise, Sunset|url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/archives/issues/fall2000/features/sunrise_sunset.php|magazine=[[Filmmaker (magazine)|Filmmaker]]|access-date=August 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204152725/https://filmmakermagazine.com/archives/issues/fall2000/features/sunrise_sunset.php|archive-date=December 4, 2019|date=Fall 2000|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|last=Sterritt|first=David|author-link=David Sterritt|title=The Best of Independent Films Are There If You Look for Them|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1990/1127/lprobe.html|newspaper=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]|page=11|access-date=December 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003152144/https://www.csmonitor.com/1990/1127/lprobe.html|archive-date=October 3, 2015|date=November 27, 1990|url-status=live}}
*{{cite magazine|last=Sterritt|first=David|author-mask=3|date=2000|title=Film Reviews: Shadow of the Vampire|magazine=[[Cineaste (magazine)|Cinéaste]]|pages=34–35|volume=25|issue=4|jstor=41689288}}
*{{cite book|last=Stephanou|first=Aspasia|title=Inhuman Materiality in Gothic Media|date=May 13, 2019|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=978-1-3153-9572-2|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RX-YDwAAQBAJ|access-date=September 28, 2023|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite book|editor-last=Stockley|editor-first=Ed|title=Cinematographers, Production Designers, Costume Designers & Film Editors Guide|date=January 1, 1999|publisher=Lone Eagle|isbn=978-1-5806-5017-5|edition=7th|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FXFZAAAAMAAJ|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite news|last=Swift|first=David|title=Thou Shalt Not Hack|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/jackson-hole-news-thou-shalt-not-hack/155124686/|access-date=September 13, 2024|newspaper=Jackson Hole News|date=August 9, 1995|page=74|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}
*{{cite news|last=Thomas|first=Kevin|title=Hitchcock's British 'Strangers' to Open|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-hitchcocks-britis/155124502/|access-date=September 12, 2024|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times|date=November 18, 1996|page=75|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}
*{{cite book|last=Tucker|first=Betty|title=Confessions of a Movie Addict|date=December 1, 2001|publisher=Hats Office|isbn=978-1-58736-085-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xE7IY-3g4B8C|access-date=November 15, 2021|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite news|last=Uricchio|first=Marylynn|title=Writers fete 'The Piano', Schindler's'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/pittsburgh-post-gazette-begotten/155124543/|access-date=September 12, 2024|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|date=March 15, 1994|page=26|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}
*{{cite book|last=Verrone|first=William|title=The Avant-Garde Feature Film: A Critical History|date=November 8, 2012|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc|isbn=978-0-7864-5910-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8qxV6MBkDKcC|access-date=August 6, 2019|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite book|last=Whelan|first=Andrew|chapter=Power electronics and conventionally transgressive assembly work|editor-last=Wilson|editor-first=Scott|title=Music at the Extremes: Essays on Sounds Outside the Mainstream|date=June 15, 2015|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-1-4766-2006-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YYjeCQAAQBAJ|access-date=September 30, 2023|via=[[Google Books]]}}
*{{cite book|last=Willis|first=John|title=Screen World: 1992|volume=43|date=February 1, 2000|publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group]]|isbn=978-1-5578-3135-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/screenworld19920000will/page/160]|url=https://archive.org/details/screenworld19920044will|url-access=registration|via=the [[Internet Archive]] {{registration required}}}}
*{{cite book|last=Wood|first=Jason|editor-last1=Allon|editor-first1=Yoram|editor-last2=Cullen|editor-first2=Del|editor-last3=Patterson|editor-first3=Hannah|title=Contemporary North American Film Directors: A Wallflower Critical Guide|year=2002|publisher=[[Wallflower Press]]|isbn=978-1-9033-6452-9|edition=2nd|chapter=E. Elias Merhige|page=[https://archive.org/details/contemporarynort00yora/page/374 374]|url=https://archive.org/details/contemporarynort00yora|url-access=registration|via=the [[Internet Archive]] {{registration required}}}}
*{{cite news|last=Vari|first=Michael|title='Vampire' director Merhige no longer a fringe player|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-vampire-director-merhi/75739909/|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|publisher=[[Tribune Publishing]]|date=February 5, 2001|page=43|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}
*{{cite news|last=Zahedi|first=Caveh|author-link=Caveh Zahedi|title=Biting Satire: Director Steps in the Shadow of Hollywood|url=https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/biting-satire/Content?oid=6320|newspaper=[[The Stranger (newspaper)|The Stranger]]|agency=[[Index Newspapers]]|access-date=August 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014130545/https://www.thestranger.com/seattle/biting-satire/Content?oid=6320|archive-date=October 14, 2019|date=January 25, 2001|url-status=live}}
{{refend}}

===Media publications===
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
*{{cite web|title=Polia & Blastema: Metafizička fabula - Movies|url=https://www.art-kino.org/en/film/polia-blastema-metafizicka-fabula|website=Art Kino.org|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213171938/https://www.art-kino.org/en/film/polia-blastema-metafizicka-fabula|archive-date=December 13, 2023|language=sh|date=December 2023|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Art Kino 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|author=Tom Ashton|title=About - SubVon Studio|url=https://www.subvon.com/about/|website=SubVon Studio|access-date=December 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005125956/https://www.subvon.com/about/|archive-date=October 5, 2022|location=[[Athens, Georgia]] |date=2016|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Ashton 2016}}}}
*{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3344860/worst-best-music-videos-marilyn-manson/8/|title=[From Best To Worst] The Music Videos Of Marilyn Manson: "Antichrist Superstar"|first=Jonathan|last=Barkan|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|date=May 15, 2015|access-date=March 27, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425115231/https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3344860/worst-best-music-videos-marilyn-manson/8/|archive-date=April 25, 2017|ref={{sfnref|Barkan 2015}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Bradshaw|first=Paul|title=The 10 weirdest horror films of all time|url=https://www.nme.com/features/film-features/the-10-weirdest-horror-films-of-all-time-3443847|publisher=[[NME]]|access-date=August 5, 2023|date=May 16, 2023|archive-date=September 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907183414/https://www.nme.com/features/film-features/the-10-weirdest-horror-films-of-all-time-3443847|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Bradshaw 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|title=The Begotten Cycle|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-begotten-cycle-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde1njuy|website=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111220419/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-begotten-cycle-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde1njuy|archive-date=January 11, 2024|date=March 11, 2023|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|British Board of Film Classification 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Brzoznowski|first=Kristin|title=Argo Films Founder Establishes New Film & TV Label|url=https://worldscreen.com/argo-films-founder-establishes-new-film-tv-label/|website=WorldScreen|access-date=April 14, 2023|date=March 28, 2023|archive-date=April 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413184737/https://worldscreen.com/argo-films-founder-establishes-new-film-tv-label/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Brzoznowski 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|access-date=August 5, 2019|archive-date=August 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805203843/http://www.champselyseesfilmfestival.com/2019/en/french-short-films/movie-388-skin-of-man|date=June 18, 2019|publisher=[[Champs-Élysées Film Festival]]|title=Champs-Élysées Film Festival – 18 au 25 juin 2019|url=http://www.champselyseesfilmfestival.com/2019/en/french-short-films/movie-388-skin-of-man|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Champs Elsees Film Festival 2019}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Chaw|first=Walter|title=The Expressionist: FFC Interviews E. Elias Merhige|url=http://www.filmfreakcentral.net/ffc/2015/07/the-expressionist-ffc-interviews-e-elias-merhige.html|website=Film Freak Central|access-date=July 15, 2017|date=July 20, 2015|archive-date=April 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407225521/http://www.filmfreakcentral.net/ffc/2015/07/the-expressionist-ffc-interviews-e-elias-merhige.html|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Chaw 2015}}}}
*{{cite web|last1=Rocher|first1=David|last2=Azevedo|first2=Pedro|last3=Bromley|first3=Adrian|title=Songs of Quintessential Sorrow CoC interrogates Jonas Renkse of Katatonia|url=http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/articles.aspx?id=1-355|website=[[Chronicles of Chaos (webzine)|Chronicles of Chaos]]|access-date=November 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225141711/http://www.chroniclesofchaos.com/articles.aspx?id=1-355|archive-date=February 25, 2012|date=December 8, 2001|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Chronicles of Chaos 2001}}}}
*{{cite AV media notes|title=Cinematica Portuguesa – Museu Do Cinema Susan Sontag– Imagens de Pensamento|url=https://www.cinemateca.pt/CinematecaSite/media/Documentos/2022-03-29_BEGOTTEN.pdf|publisher=[[Cinemateca Portuguesa]]|type=Program pamphlet|access-date=September 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909213801/https://www.cinemateca.pt/CinematecaSite/media/Documentos/2022-03-29_BEGOTTEN.pdf|archive-date=September 9, 2023|language=Portuguese|date=March 29, 2022|format=pdf|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Cinemateca Portuguesa 2022}}}}
<ref name="">{{cite web|last=Derington|first=Anthony|title=Interview: Flesh of the Void's James Quinn|url=https://nofspodcast.com/interview-flesh-voids-james-quinn/|website=Nightmare on Film Street|access-date=October 14, 2019|date=September 1, 2017|archive-date=October 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014171936/https://nofspodcast.com/interview-flesh-voids-james-quinn/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Derington 2017}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Disser|first=Nicole|title=Bank Robber's Tell-All, Copycat Horror, And A Terrifying Take on Genesis|url=http://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/10/bank-robbers-tell-all-copycat-horror-and-a-terrifying-take-on-genesis/|website=Bedford and Bowery|access-date=December 11, 2018|date=October 10, 2014|archive-date=September 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907183511/https://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/10/bank-robbers-tell-all-copycat-horror-and-a-terrifying-take-on-genesis/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Disser 2014}}}}
*{{cite web|title=Begotten & Shadow of the Vampire Double Feature with Director E. Elias Merhige in Person!|url=http://do312.com/events/2016/9/25/begotten-shadow-of-the-vampire-double-feature-with-director-e-elias-merhige-in-person|publisher=DO312|access-date=July 15, 2017|date=September 25, 2016|archive-date=September 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907183208/https://do312.com/events/2016/9/25/begotten-shadow-of-the-vampire-double-feature-with-director-e-elias-merhige-in-person|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|DO312 2016}}}}
*{{cite interview|last=Merhige|first=Edmund|subject-link=E. Elias Merhige|interviewer=Scott Essman|title=The Making of the Controversial Non-Dialogue Feature Film 'Begotten'|work=StudentFilmmakers Magazine|url=https://www.studentfilmmakers.com/the-making-of-the-controversial-non-dialogue-feature-film-begotten/|date=February 1, 2009|access-date=July 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904192929/http://www.studentfilmmakers.com/the-making-of-the-controversial-non-dialogue-feature-film-begotten/|archive-date=September 4, 2015|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Essman 2009}}}} 
*{{cite web|last=Ferrier|first=Aimee|title='Begotten': the disturbing homemade horror steeped in the occult|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/begotten-disturbing-homemade-horror-occult/|publisher=[[Far Out (magazine)|Far Out]]|access-date=September 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907180921/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/begotten-disturbing-homemade-horror-occult/|archive-date=September 7, 2023|date=September 6, 2023|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Ferrier 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|title=filmskemutacije|trans-title=Film Mutations|url=https://filmskemutacije.com/|website=Filmskemutacije.com|access-date=January 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111220419/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-begotten-cycle-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde1njuy|archive-date=January 11, 2024|language=sh|date=December 2023|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Filmskemutacije 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|title=New to Streaming: 'The Revenant,' 'James White,' 'A Brighter Summer Day,' 'The Pearl Button,' and More|url=https://thefilmstage.com/features/new-to-streaming-the-revenant-james-white-a-brighter-summer-day-the-pearl-button-and-more/|website=The Film Stage|access-date=December 11, 2018|date=March 25, 2016|archive-date=September 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920034951/https://thefilmstage.com/features/new-to-streaming-the-revenant-james-white-a-brighter-summer-day-the-pearl-button-and-more/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|FilmStage 2016}}}}
*{{cite web |title=The Begotten Cycle - Les Programes|url=https://www.forumdesimages.fr/les-programmes/letrange-festival-2023/the-begotten-cycle|website=Forum des Images|access-date=September 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230910175321/https://www.forumdesimages.fr/les-programmes/letrange-festival-2023/the-begotten-cycle|archive-date=September 10, 2023|location=[[Paris, France]]|language=fr|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Forum des Images 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Furzan|first=Federico|title=Best Arthouse, Avant-Garde Horror Movies of All Time|url=https://movieweb.com/best-arthouse-avant-garde-horror/|website=[[MovieWeb]]|access-date=December 30, 2022|date=November 25, 2022|archive-date=November 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129012358/https://movieweb.com/best-arthouse-avant-garde-horror/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Furzan 2022}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Garcia|first=Salvador|title=Videos musicales que perturban|url=https://www.morbidofest.com/archivos/18427|website=MorbidoFest.com|access-date=September 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510045134/https://www.morbidofest.com/archivos/18427|archive-date=May 10, 2015|language=es|date=January 18, 2014|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Garcia 2014}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Geritz|first=Kathy|date=2006|title=Begotten|url=http://history.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=448|website=history.sffs.org|publisher=[[San Francisco Film Festival]]|access-date=October 26, 2018|archive-date=April 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427194031/http://history.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=448|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Geritz 2006}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Gibson|first=Sarah|title=10 of the Most Damaged and Disturbing Movies Ever Made|url=https://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/11/08/most-disturbing-movies-of-all-time/|website=[[Highsnobiety]]|access-date=July 23, 2019|date=November 8, 2016|archive-date=September 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907183217/https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/most-disturbing-movies-of-all-time/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Gibson 2016}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Goldbart|first=Max|title='Shadow Of The Vampire' Duo Launch TV & Film Shingle|url=https://deadline.com/2023/03/shadow-of-the-vampire-director-e-elias-merhige-launches-promethean-pictures-1235309260/#!|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=April 13, 2023|date=March 28, 2023|archive-date=April 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413184726/https://deadline.com/2023/03/shadow-of-the-vampire-director-e-elias-merhige-launches-promethean-pictures-1235309260/#!|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Goldbart 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Graves|first=Samantha|title=The Best Experimental Horror Movies of All Time|url=https://collider.com/horror-experimental-movies/|website=Collider|access-date=September 28, 2023|date=February 3, 2023|archive-date=May 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506095554/https://collider.com/horror-experimental-movies/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Graves 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Hall|first=Phil|title=Begotten Not Forgotten|url=https://www.wired.com/1995/12/begotten-not-forgotten/|website=[[Wired.com]]|author-link=Phil Hall (journalist)|access-date=August 2, 2019|date=December 1, 1995|archive-date=December 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223144309/https://www.wired.com/1995/12/begotten-not-forgotten/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Hall 1995}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Henkel|first=Guido|title=For adventurous film lovers: Begotten comes to DVD – DVD Review & High Definition|url=http://www.dvdreview.com/2000/10/for-adventurous-film-lovers-begotten-comes-to-dvd/|website=DVDReview.com|access-date=August 2, 2019|date=October 30, 2000|archive-date=August 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802185615/http://www.dvdreview.com/2000/10/for-adventurous-film-lovers-begotten-comes-to-dvd/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Henkel 2000}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Houghton|first=David|title=The 25 most disturbing movies ever made|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/most-disturbing-movies/|website=[[GamesRadar+]]|access-date=September 28, 2023|date=January 25, 2016|archive-date=September 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915171915/https://www.gamesradar.com/most-disturbing-movies/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Houghton 2018}}}}
*{{cite web|title=Consumer Price Index, 1800-|url=https://www.minneapolisfed.org/about-us/monetary-policy/inflation-calculator/consumer-price-index-1800-|publisher=[[Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis]]|access-date=March 16, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124084748/https://www.minneapolisfed.org/about-us/monetary-policy/inflation-calculator/consumer-price-index-1800-|archive-date=January 24, 2024|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Consumer Price Index 2024}}}}
*{{cite web|title=22nd James River Film Festival: NEOVOXER featuring Michael Pope|url=http://www.jamesriverfilm.org/tag/begotten/|publisher=James River Film Society|access-date=July 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190312180807/http://www.jamesriverfilm.org/tag/begotten/|archive-date=March 12, 2019|date=April 9, 2015|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|James River Film Festival 2015}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Kaufman|first=Anthony|title=Interview: The Vampiric Arts of Merhige and Dafoe in "Shadow"|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2001/01/interview-the-vampiric-arts-of-merhige-and-dafoe-in-shadow-81220/|website=[[IndieWire]]|access-date=October 14, 2019|date=January 5, 2001|archive-date=October 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014171929/https://www.indiewire.com/2001/01/interview-the-vampiric-arts-of-merhige-and-dafoe-in-shadow-81220/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Kaufman 2001}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Knighton|first=Ted|title=E. Elias Merhige's Begotten: Still Burning Away the Darkness|url=https://filmint.nu/e-elias-merhiges-begotten-ted-knighton/|website=[[Film International]]|access-date=September 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211027173830/https://filmint.nu/e-elias-merhiges-begotten-ted-knighton/|archive-date=October 27, 2021|date=October 26, 2021|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Knighton 2021}}}}
*{{cite web|title=L'Etrange Festival - The Begotten Cycle|url=https://etrangefestival.com/2023/en/show/the-begotten-cycle|publisher=L'Etrange Festival|access-date=September 10, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230910174346/https://etrangefestival.com/2023/en/show/the-begotten-cycle|archive-date=September 10, 2023|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|L'Etrange Festival 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|title=The Begotten Cycle|url=https://www.leedsfilm.com/archive/the-begotten-cycle/|website=LeedsFilm.com|publisher=[[Leeds City Council]]|access-date=November 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129182013/https://www.leedsfilm.com/archive/the-begotten-cycle/|archive-date=November 29, 2023|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|LIFF 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Maidy|first=Alex|title=The Ten Spot: Most Disturbing Movies Ever|url=https://www.joblo.com/movie-news/lists-the-ten-spot-most-disturbing-movies-ever/item#4|website=[[JoBlo.com]]|access-date=January 28, 2021|date=October 19, 2012|archive-date=February 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206133915/https://www.joblo.com/movie-news/lists-the-ten-spot-most-disturbing-movies-ever/item#4|url-status=dead|ref={{sfnref|Maidy 2012}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Martell|first=Logan|title=Elias Merhige's 'The Begotten Cycle' to Premiere at Brussels Planetarium|url=https://operawire.com/elias-merhiges-the-begotten-cycle-to-premiere-at-brussels-planetarium/|website=OperaWire.com|access-date=April 13, 2023|date=March 8, 2023|archive-date=April 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413184728/https://operawire.com/elias-merhiges-the-begotten-cycle-to-premiere-at-brussels-planetarium/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Martell 2023}}}}
*{{cite video|people=E. Elias Merhige (Director)|title=Begotten|medium=Motion picture|location=United States|publisher=Theatreofmaterial|date=1989|ref={{sfnref|Merhige 1989}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Merhige|first=Elias|title=E. Elias Merhige on Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/EEliasMerhige/status/736277244922847232?cxt=HHwWgICj_ZqQ5LcUAAAA|website=[[Twitter]]|access-date=April 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413173855/https://twitter.com/EEliasMerhige/status/736277244922847232?cxt=HHwWgICj_ZqQ5LcUAAAA|archive-date=April 13, 2023|date=May 27, 2016|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Merhige 2013}}}}
{{cite instagram|last=Merhige|first=E. Elias|author-link=E. Elias Merhige|title=Chicago and Denver announced!|postid=BIdFc0KjIId|user=eeliasmerhige|access-date=August 21, 2020|date=August 8, 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200821230025/https://www.instagram.com/p/BIdFc0KjIId/|archive-date=August 21, 2020|url-status=dead|ref={{sfnref|Merhige 2016}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Joshua|title=Interview: Panos Cosmatos (Beyond the Black Rainbow)|url=https://chud.com/97657/interview-panos-cosmatos-beyond-the-black-rainbow/|website=[[CHUD.com]]|publisher=Bigfoot Entertainment|access-date=November 3, 2020|date=June 18, 2012|archive-date=October 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023221238/https://chud.com/97657/interview-panos-cosmatos-beyond-the-black-rainbow/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Miller 2012}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Moore|first=Debi|title=SpectreFest 2015 Lineup Includes Cooties, Sun Choke, Goodnight Mommy, Deathgasm, and More!|url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/121073/spectrefest-2015-lineup-includes-cooties-sun-choke-goodnight-mommy-deathgasm-and-more/|website=[[Dread Central]]|access-date=October 25, 2018|date=August 22, 2015|archive-date=December 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227121821/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/121073/spectrefest-2015-lineup-includes-cooties-sun-choke-goodnight-mommy-deathgasm-and-more/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Moore 2015}}}}
*{{cite web|title=Special Event: Begotten + Live Score by The Begotten|url=https://shortfilms.org.uk/lsff2017/events/2017-01-08-special-event-begotten-+-live-score-by-the-begotten|website=London Short Film Festival (LSFF)|publisher=MothClub|access-date=July 20, 2019|date=2017|archive-date=April 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427191912/https://shortfilms.org.uk/lsff2017/events/2017-01-08-special-event-begotten-+-live-score-by-the-begotten|url-status=dead|ref={{sfnref|MothClub 2017}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Mottram|first=James|title=E Elias Merhige – Shadow of the Vampire|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/11/08/e_elias_merhige_shadow_of_a_vampire_071100_interview.shtml|website=[[BBC.co.uk]]|access-date=July 23, 2019|date=October 28, 2014|archive-date=January 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113154824/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2000/11/08/e_elias_merhige_shadow_of_a_vampire_071100_interview.shtml|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Mottram 2014}}}}
*{{cite podcast|last=Nicolay|first=Scott|author-link=Scott Nicolay|title=E. Elias Merhige: The Greatest Apple You'll Ever Eat (Episode 29)|url=http://d389m4nxglxxui.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/20160128214510/TOD2.4_EEMehrige_28i16_mixdown-1.mp3|website=The Outer Dark|publisher=Project iRadio<!-- defunct podcast network company; see https://web.archive.org/web/20160303043324/http://www.projectiradio.com/e-elias-merhige-the-best-apple-youll-ever-eat-the-outer-dark-episode-29-january-28-2016 -->|access-date=August 20, 2020|date=January 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302104855/http://d389m4nxglxxui.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/20160128214510/TOD2.4_EEMehrige_28i16_mixdown-1.mp3|archive-date=March 2, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-format=MP3|via=[[Amazon CloudFront]]|ref={{sfnref|Nicolay 2016}}}}
*{{cite web|title=The Screen of The Sky: Polia and Blastema, Din of Celestial Birds & Begotten|url=https://offscreen.be/en/offscreen-film-festival-2023/offscreen-closing-screen-sky-polia-and-blastema-din-celestial-birds|publisher=[[Offscreen Film Festival]]|access-date=April 13, 2023|date=March 26, 2023|archive-date=April 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413184729/https://offscreen.be/en/offscreen-film-festival-2023/offscreen-closing-screen-sky-polia-and-blastema-din-celestial-birds|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Offscreen 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|title=Sibyl + Polia & Blastema|url=https://www.operaphila.org/whats-on/events/other/2022/opera-on-film-sibyl-plus-polia-blastema/|website=Operaphila.org|publisher=[[Opera Philadelphia]]|access-date=April 13, 2023|archive-date=April 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413184728/https://www.operaphila.org/whats-on/events/other/2022/opera-on-film-sibyl-plus-polia-blastema/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Operaphilia 2023}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Pendreigh|first=Brian|title=Back from the dead|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/jul/04/artsfeatures|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=September 10, 2024|date=July 4, 2000|ref={{sfnref|Pendreigh 2000}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Romero|first=Evan|title='Flesh of the Void' (2018) Movie Review|url=https://www.pophorror.com/flesh-of-the-void-2018-movie-review/|website=PopHorror|access-date=June 6, 2018|date=March 14, 2018|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115024716/https://www.pophorror.com/flesh-of-the-void-2018-movie-review/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Romero 2018}}}}
*{{cite web|title=Marilyn Manson: Anti-Christ Superstar|url=http://history.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=3113|publisher=[[San Francisco International Film Festival]]|access-date=March 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327204902/http://history.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=3113 |archive-date=March 27, 2017 |url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|San Francisco Film Festival 2017}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Seibold|first=Witney|title=Horror Movies That Are Just As Beautiful As They Are Terrifying|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/892398/horror-movies-that-are-just-as-beautiful-as-they-are-terrifying/|website=[[/Film]]|access-date=August 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704082252/https://www.slashfilm.com/892398/horror-movies-that-are-just-as-beautiful-as-they-are-terrifying/|archive-date=July 4, 2022|date=June 11, 2022|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Seibold 2022}}}}
*{{cite web|last1=Shuman|first1=Sean|last2=Hinduja|first2=Soniya|last3=Furzan|first3=Federico|title=The 40 Scariest Movies of All Time|url=https://movieweb.com/scariest-movies-of-all-time/|website=Movieweb|publisher=Valnet Publishing Group|access-date=November 2, 2024|date=October 27, 2024|ref={{sfnref|MovieWeb 2024}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Snyder|first=Eric|title=What's the Big Deal?: Eraserhead (1977) |url=http://www.film.com/movies/whats-the-big-deal-eraserhead-1977|website=[[Film.com]]|access-date=July 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021031159/http://www.film.com/movies/whats-the-big-deal-eraserhead-1977|archive-date=October 21, 2012|date=April 13, 2011|ref={{sfnref|Snyder 2011}}}}
*{{cite web|title=Spectober IV|url=http://www.spectacletheater.com/spectober-iv/|publisher=Spectacle Theater|access-date=December 11, 2018|date=October 2014|archive-date=July 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712030710/http://www.spectacletheater.com/spectober-iv/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Spectacle Theatre 2014}}}}
*{{cite web|title=Polia & Blastema|url=https://strangeloop-studios.com/projects/cinema/polia-blastema/|website=Strangeloop Studios|access-date=April 13, 2013|archive-date=February 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202201155/https://strangeloop-studios.com/projects/cinema/polia-blastema/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Strangeloop Studios 2023}}}}
*{{cite AV media notes|title=30th Telluride Film Festival Guide|url=https://telluridecms-production.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/guides/33rd_tff_prog_guide14.pdf|publisher=[[Telluride Film Festival]]|type=Program pamphlet|access-date=November 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103033414/https://telluridecms-production.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/guides/33rd_tff_prog_guide14.pdf|archive-date=November 3, 2021|date=August 2006|page=30|format=pdf|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Telluride 2022}}}}
*{{cite web|title=''Din of Celestial Birds'' Friday, September 15 at 8 & 11 PM ET and an Additional Showing at 4 AM ET|url=http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/144228%7C0/Din-of-Celestial-Birds.html|publisher=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=June 22, 2017|date=September 15, 2006|archive-date=June 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615111100/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/144228%7C0/Din-of-Celestial-Birds.html|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Turner Classic Movies 2006}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Turner|first=Kyle|title=First Look 2015 on Notebook|url=https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/first-look-2015|website=[[Mubi (streaming service)|Mubi]]|access-date=December 11, 2018|date=January 6, 2015|archive-date=April 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427191859/https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/first-look-2015|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Turner 2014}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Waleson|first=Heidi|title=O22 Festival Review: In Philadelphia, Redefining Opera on Stage and Screen|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/opera-philadelphia-festival-review-david-t-little-black-lodge-timur-bekbosunov-anne-waldman-michael-joseph-mcquilken-the-copper-queen-clint-borzoni-after-glow-ryan-mckinny-e-elias-merhige-polia-and-blastema-the-raven-toshio-hosokawa-aria-umezawa-kristen-choi-eiki-isomura-muyu-ruba-rossini-otello-chrstian-pursell-lawrence-brownlee-khanyiso-gwenxane-alek-shrader-daniela-mack-sun-ly-pierce-11664919958|publisher=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=November 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231092429/https://www.wsj.com/articles/opera-philadelphia-festival-review-david-t-little-black-lodge-timur-bekbosunov-anne-waldman-michael-joseph-mcquilken-the-copper-queen-clint-borzoni-after-glow-ryan-mckinny-e-elias-merhige-polia-and-blastema-the-raven-toshio-hosokawa-aria-umezawa-kristen-choi-eiki-isomura-muyu-ruba-rossini-otello-chrstian-pursell-lawrence-brownlee-khanyiso-gwenxane-alek-shrader-daniela-mack-sun-ly-pierce-11664919958|archive-date=December 31, 2022|date=October 4, 2022|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Waleson 2022}}}}
*{{cite web|last=Wojnar|first=Jason|title=10 Horror Movies Too Intense Even For Halloween|url=https://screenrant.com/horror-movies-too-disturbing-halloween/|website=[[Screen Rant]]|access-date=December 2, 2019|date=October 12, 2019|archive-date=December 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220201036/https://screenrant.com/horror-movies-too-disturbing-halloween/|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|Wojnar 2019}}}}
*{{cite AV media notes|date=February 20, 2001<!--Full release date provided by AllMovie, above-->|title=Begotten|type=DVD booklet|publisher=World Artists Home Video|access-date=December 20, 2019|url=https://archive.org/details/Begotten_201310/mode/2up|format=pdf|via=the [[Internet Archive]]|ref={{sfnref|World Artists 2001}}}}
*{{cite web|title=Opera Philadelphia's Opera on Film Series: Sibyl + Polia & Blastema|url=https://www.wrti.org/calendar/event/opera-philadelphias-opera-on-film-series-sibyl-polia-blastema-03-08-2022-10-50-52|website=[[WRTI]]|access-date=April 13, 2023|date=September 1, 2022|archive-date=April 13, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413184727/https://www.wrti.org/calendar/event/opera-philadelphias-opera-on-film-series-sibyl-polia-blastema-03-08-2022-10-50-52|url-status=live|ref={{sfnref|WRTI 2022}}}}
{{refend}}

==External links==

===''Begotten''===
* {{AllMovie title|180363|Begotten}}
* {{IMDb title|0101420|Begotten}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|begotten|Begotten}}
* {{TCMDb title|513399|Begotten}}

===Sequels===
* {{IMDb title|0872250|Din of Celestial Birds}}
* {{IMDb title|9397288|Polia & Blastema}}

{{E. Elias Merhige}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Begotten}}
[[Category:1989 films]]
[[Category:1989 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1989 horror films]]
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:1980s avant-garde and experimental films]]
[[Category:1989 independent films]]
[[Category:1980s supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:American avant-garde and experimental films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:American silent films]]
[[Category:American splatter films]]
[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Censored films]]
[[Category:Fiction about deicide]]
[[Category:Films directed by E. Elias Merhige]]
[[Category:Films shot in New Jersey]]
[[Category:Films shot in New Mexico]]
[[Category:Films shot in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Films without speech]]
[[Category:Films about God]]
[[Category:Metaphysical fiction films]]
[[Category:Religious horror films]]