The new Sherlock Holmes film featuring Robert Downey Jr. pits the Victorian detective against the villainous Lord Blackwood and involves an occult order known as the Temple of the Four Orders.
While the Temple of the Four Orders is an invention of the film, it clearly draws from sources such as the Freemasons and the Golden Dawn. Indeed, publicity concerning the film repeatedly compares Blackwood to onetime Golden Dawn member , although i personally find such a comparison to be rather stretching things.
Regardless, I have to applaud the film writers for doing a bit of homework! While occult scribbles abound throughout the film, there’s no references to Satan or demons. (A couple quick images of Baphomet are seen, but those are historically appropriate.) Imagery does include sphinxes, alchemical symbols, pentagrams and crosses, all of which make sense for a 19th century occult group. Their uses of layered symbolism in complex images likewise is congruent with what real world magical orders were creating at the time.
In short, the film largely abandons the usual exaggerated hysterics and instead builds a relatively believable occult group, while of course taking certain liberties for the good for the story.
And so he cometh. Is it he who shall be me? Shall the he be next to a very powerful person on the realm down south who is to temporarily take charge while being burned alive? There are many definitions of being burned alive. For it is to you that I say this. This world has forsaken me and taken my life in the name of what is called political correctness. It is because of this devious behavior that your downfall shall be foretold in this here verse. For unto you I bring my radiance once shined upon and humiliated in the hearts of mankind- you deceived me with your devious nature- you took my life as your example. For unto you what is judgment. You glorify yourselves in pompas nature and cover up your sins in the inner circles of your own existence. Do you think you are worthy to sit next to the thrown of God? Do you think you are worthy to take anyone’s life in the name of what mankind defines as sport or religion? Do you think you are worthy to take creation and defamate it and denounce reproduction in the name of unisex? What have you people done? Shall I unleash the beast?