But what is worrying is the cult-like following that the Tolkien films have encouraged. Many of the acolytes seem victims of arrested development – detaching themselves from the real world with its real people and its real challenges. In the same way that superhero movies actually emasculate the audience by convincing them that their problems are so big that only a man in a cape can solve them, so the fantasy racket returns us to the emotional paralysis of early childhood.

The true horror comes when someone can no longer tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not and they end up living their lives as dwarves or wizards. It’s only a matter of time before the Tolkien cult grows so big that we have to treat it like a serious part of our culture. Expect Labour councils to snatch children from foster parents because they’re a member of a political party that is anti-orc. It’s only a matter of time.