This paper is about the construction and representation of zar in Egyptian films as an antithesis to modernity. Since the later part of the 19th century zar devotion in Egypt has been criticized in the printed media by secular and Orthodox Islamic reformers alike. These reformers were concerned with purging the rising Egyptian nation from those unfavorable traditions that hamper its development. Since the advent of film production in Egypt, these anti-zar discourses have also been articulated in Egyptian films. A zar is an invisible supernatural being capable of inflicting harm upon people through possession and its ailing symptoms. The word zar also refers to a set of spectacular healing rituals that placate these afflicting spirits. Zar ritual practices are mostly informed by popular Islam and attract the devotion of a small group of Muslims. Zar devotees are mostly women who come from all walks of Egyptian society including some who are educated, professionally trained or lead bourgeois lifestyles. Highly rhythmic spirit praise songs are performed in public ritual events to entice the participants to dance into trance wearing spirit paraphernalia. In Egyptian films, snippets of these zar spectacles have been used mostly as idioms to signify superstition or traditionalism. On the big screen, zar ceremonies have been often framed as undesirable archaic traditions or as immoral practices associated with ignorance. Zar devotees and professionals who watch these movies on public television and/or video cassettes have developed responses to these negative views. In this paper, I will discuss the general characteristics of this cinematic construction of zar using several examples. I will argue that the highly staged ‘mediated’ zar is part of a discourse on modernity that first emerged in the printed media and made its way with ease to the cinematic medium. I will also describe how such cinematic reproduction of zar performances becomes one of main sources of cultural knowledge for those who do not participate in zar performances. I will use video clips from portrayals of zar in films and actual performances to illustrate my argument.