The Middle Eastern cinema has been overlooked in film studies in terms of its religious and cultural elements that influence audience reception of media products such as film and television. The concept of sacredness, particularly in Islam, which is the dominant religion in the region of the Middle East, and Middle Eastern culture, is often taken for granted in analysing audience responses. This thesis investigates the influence of mythologies in the Middle East on writers and filmmakers, and examines how sacredness serves as a boundary set by religion and culture to shape the viewing of Middle Eastern cinema. The analysis includes specific cases of media products, such as Jinn (2019), which received backlash for its interpretations of religious and cultural mythologies. This thesis also explores the connection between sacredness and socio-political issues such as homophobia, xenophobia, islamophobia, and cultural appropriation versus cultural appreciation. Through the analysis of horror films such as Siccin 3: Love (2016) and Netflix’s Paranormal (2020), the thesis reveals that the sacredness of religion and culture to Middle Eastern audiences plays a significant role in audience reception and censorship of media products, overriding the quality and aesthetic characteristics of the films. Additionally, this thesis proposes investigating the identities of Middle Eastern cinema, particularly horror cinema, to understand audience responses more effectively, examining the role of icons in religion and folklore, and providing an elaboration of sacredness itself in relation to audience response and its impact on censorship in the Middle East.