This one-volume encyclopedia edited by Eric Michael Mazur (associate professor of religious studies at Virginia Wesleyan College) is not a reference work covering individual films with references to religion (like I expected it to be). Rather, there are more than 90 entries in essay format focusing on more general topics related to religion and film such as angels, the devil, holidays, and rituals. There are even entries for those interested in those perennial film favorites, vampires and zombies. Several entries are dedicated to specific directors like Woody Allen, Frank Capra, and Martin Scorsese and to specific religions like Catholicism, Islam, and Mormonism. An effort was made to include coverage of non-English, non-Western films and directors, but the emphasis is on films from the English-speaking world.

The entries are written in layman's terms by academic and independent scholars and are arranged alphabetically. Most are around four to six pages in length, and happily, the contributors don't discriminate against cult classics. For example, I wasn't sure if the entry on Joan of Arc would mention 1989’s Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, but there it was on page 262! Multiple entries mentions The Rocky Horror Picture Show, too. Each entry contains see also references when appropriate and a list of further reading. A limited number of images are provided in black & white (the cover, however, features an eye-catching color photo of Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments). For access, there is a list of entries and a guide to related topics in the front of the book as well as an index in the back. There is also a filmography listing all the films mentioned in this work as well as a selected bibliography.

The study of religion and film is a relatively new field of academic study, and other books have been published on it in recent years. In comparison to the Mazur work, William L. Blizek's The Continuum Companion to Religion and Film (Continuum, 2009) contains lengthy essays and has a higher price point at $160 as does John Lyden's The Routledge Companion to Religion and Film (Routledge, 2009) at $200. At $85, Mazur's book is an excellent value and would be a terrific addition to academic and public libraries.