Why I love horror (as a Christian)

Recently, a friend genuinely asked me why I like horror so much, and it prompted me to verbalize the reasoning behind my interest in the genre. So this is my response, filled out for further explanation. 

Plus, I added a bit of, for lack of a better word, ‘justification’ for why I think it’s not only permissible, but encouraged for Christians to enjoy the occasional horror film (depending on what it is and who you are, etc. Not everyone can handle everything. There are plenty I still won’t watch!)

When done right, they have the potential to be the MOST creative of all the genres.

Horror more than many other genres necessitates throwing the doors off when it comes to creativity. Yes, there are crappy horror films that rely on tired religious tropes and cheap jumpscares, but the best horror films have come up with entirely new ways to remind you that your life is fragile and there are more things to fear than we used to think.

For example, in recent history, some ultra original titles have been It Follows, Talk to Me, and Barbarian. These all found a new way for humans or creatures to live; new systems in which people get entangled. They left me chewing on them for days. How would I escape the ‘thing’ in It Follows, if that happened to me? 

More than, say, a rom-com (and I have nothing against rom-coms), the horror genre is free to push the boundaries of creativity, coming up with new monsters or villains or situations, et al. In fact, it kind of needs it unless you want another kid in a crypt with an undead nun who keeps popping out at them. Like, how many of that exact movie have they made?

Perhaps this is because they dabble in the supernatural, which opens up new realms of creativity and expression of ideas which don’t really get explored in a rom-com or action, etc. 

Horror films expose many of the deep and honest things in humans:

Namely, that we have fears we don’t want to acknowledge. That we aren’t really safe and never have been.

I sent these texts from my grandparent’s house in Pennsylvania, which is in the middle of nowhere in farm country. Inside, it feels so cozy and safe and warm, but walk 100 feet from their house into the corn field and there is a WORLD of terror at this time of night. 

Are we actually any safer inside their house? Not at all. They don’t even lock their doors, lol. Any intruder would have no problem getting in and doing whatever he wanted. A determined bear or wolf could easily get in. 

The horror film is the thing that takes you by the hand and says, look, you’re not safe at all and never have been, and safety has always been an illusion, and here’s some reality for you.

Because the reality is, we have far more things in the world to be afraid of than not. 

Most of the universe exists in night, not day.

People often use comedy or action or anything that feels light as an escape. In some ways, horror draws us back to the grim truth of reality. Most of the world is dangerous and wants to kill us. Heck, 70% of the earth is ocean and how many of us suffer from crippling thalassophobia? And you want to tell me the world is just a cute, safe, PG-rated place? 

They address necessary themes.

In a similar way, how many rom-coms have addressed the nature of death or the supernatural? How many of them have wrestled with the lurking mysteries beneath the thin veneer of our physical reality? There may be some, but they’d be the exception.

The Bible itself contains numerous stories that, if we really thought about them or turned them into films, would be R-rated horror. For example:

• Jesus in the graveyard with a demon-possessed dude who is chained up near a herd of pigs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
• Saul seeing a witch in Endor and bringing Samuel back from the dead.
• Herod is struck dead by God, then eaten by worms before he dies.
• The night of the Passover, the angel of death goes throughout Egypt killing firstborn sons. Even that scene in the Prince of Egypt was pretty freaky.
• I could go on for a while, but people are hacked up, lit on fire by God, swallowed by the earth, or drowned en masse by a global flood, and we haven’t even touched on the psychedellic book of Revelation.

The thing is, if you deconstruct horror to its basic elements, you’ll find that there are typically most or all of these present: Dread, hopelessness, suspense, violence/gore, supernatural elements, and darkness.

Now think about the place in the Bible you have all these things, and I’ll give you a hint: it is absolutely the center of the Christian faith.

The crucifixion.

I mean, The Passion of the Christ can easily be considered a horror film; which of those things does it not have? The disciples lost hope, they were terrified of what would happen to them now. There was blood and gore and violence, and when Jesus died, don’t forget, many dead people got up and walked out of their tombs. Plus, literal darkness covered the land and the curtain in the temple tore by itself.

You don’t have Christianity without horror.

But why should Christians fill their minds with this stuff?

Well, ‘should’ may be a strong word. I don’t know if anyone should do anything like this, especially if it produces nightmares or anything of the sort. That can’t be good for our mental, or probably physical health. 

But if you can handle them, I think the occasional horror film is good for the psyche. 

The creators of The Conjuring series are Christians and said that they wanted to make those films to remind people of the reality of the spiritual world. And if you talk to many people who saw those films, they succeeded. 

Again, I’m not saying that all horror films are good and worth watching. Some are just ‘torture porn,’ and others are just lame and replete with easy jump scares — those don’t teach anyone about the ominous nature of the universe. But the good ones do. 

One of my favorites is A Ghost Story, because it reinforces human mortality and demonstrates just how long time is, versus the brevity of our lives. It’s haunting, pun intended, because it has lingered in my mind for years since I first saw it. 

Don’t confuse symbolism with reality. 

I think much of what people fear or label as ‘dark or evil’ is just symbolism.

For instance, goat horns and upside-down stars may trigger tremors in some people and make them think something is instantly dark and anti-God. 

Are they, or have they just been presented to us that way over a long history of symbols and collective imagination? Who invented 5-point stars…was it not God? Who gets to decide that if we rotate them 45 degrees, they’re suddenly evil?

Same with goats: How would you feel is someone decided that your horns looked like satan, the angel cast out of heaven? 

What about 666? Oh, you mean the number that is FROM THE BIBLE and refers to Caesar, not satan? (Read the post about it here)

We could go down the list of all the symbolism and how they are ‘dark and evil,’ but unless you’re actually using Ouja boards and summoning demons, I think you’ll be ok. 

So? 

I think horror has a lot to teach the Christian who can bear it. There is truth in it which is often missing from other genres of entertainment. The world is a dark place, and God Himself has entered into our darkness, so we shouldn’t fear it. 

Plus, do you really think an episode of Friends is any more godly or less dark? Is satan not equally happy that they’re all sleeping together and pursuing selfish hedonism and individualism above all else?

We’ve lost sight of what is truly dark and become a confused people. I’m not saying don’t watch Friends, just watch everything with your brain turned on, including horror. 

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Day 16 of 100 blogs