Is Horror Bad for Christians?

[Solus Christus]

I was wondering if horror like in Stoker’s Dracula (1897) book and movies like Alien (1979) is unsuitable for a Christian? 
 

I wrestle with enjoying horror, and triumph over terrors in stories and the possible influences that can be in said stories. 
 

I would be thankful for any input. 

[SACREDWARRIOR]

Hello,

 I am a long time HORROR GENRE enthusiast...and like you after i was saved in 1993 struggled with my interest....in the end I cleaned up what watching what convicted me most... the explicit SEX, AND LANGUAGE found in many of the modern movies and books.

 I don't feel you can across the board state that all movies SUSPENSE-HORROR-MYSTERY-SCIENCE FICTION etc...should be avoided...however I see from a scriptural point of view the principles to make good judgements in our LICENSE....

 Dark Fantasy or HORROR, is nothing more than a persons exploit of fear of the unknown or unusual.....no different than COMEDY-SATIRE-FANTASY - SCIENCE FICTION and so on.

 so many though these days, unlike the past generations, have become so graphic and exploitive with pornographic and extreme imagery that I think you have to be discerning at the cinema.....

THE BATTLE RAGES TIL THE LION ROARS!!

Clarence

[Starise]

 Overall horror isn’t an uplifting genre. After watching a horror movie ask yourself how it made you feel. The things that interest us about horror appeal to our fallen nature.

Big difference between older horror movies and the new horror movies.In many of these movies there are strong demonic/occult themes. 
 

The Bible tells us to think on these kinds of things.

 Philippians 4:8 King James Version (KJV) Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

[Neighbor]

"Can't unring a bell". 

Once viewed, seen and or heard, the subject is there for as long as the mind still operates. 

There is enough real horror going on without inviting more  as fantasy to torture the mind's memory bank. One really needs no more.

In addition;  I do not know for sure whether movies imitate real life or vice versa, but I do know what is portrayed on screen does have evil influence that encourages further imitation of it  by some who then go and do what evils they have viewed being  portrayed on screen.

The aftermath of that imitation is absolute horror; horror that  to this day I cannot clear from my own mind's memory bank.

 

[Solus Christus]

It is strange how Jaws, a horror film about a man eating shark is now the news these days as sharks attack people in boats and etc. Jaws was even based on a true story in New Jersey. 
 

For me, I like how Horror makes you face how strong is your faith? When a monster or terror or horror confronts you, will you succumb or confront it?
 

Dracula was defeated by a crucifix, holy water, and a stake. In Dracula 2000 there was a neat twist about that Dracula is someone Jesus knew. But the allure of Dracula seems devilish. 
 

I was a major fan of the Alien films, but H. R. Giger who designed The Xenomorph was in the occult, knew Alister Crowley (Major Occultist),  made the painting of famous long skulled phallic monster (Xenomorph) for a Satanic book (Necronomicon, the original book written by H. P. Lovecraft) and scared Sigourney Weaver when he was on set. The whole life cycle of the alien is demonic and graphic, a worst nightmare. Giger admits being inspired by Egyptian mummies, occult, and a creepy & twisted paintings of Christ’s crucifixion merged with Furies goddesses by Francis Bacon. 
 

John Carpenter’s The Thing is really part of Apocalypse trilogy with Prince of Darkness including the blood of Satan. 
 

So I can affirm occultism elements seem to be behind most horror. Is it possible horror was a way occultists and Satanists were able to express themselves? Science Fiction being softer version of horror. 

Edited August 1, 2023 by Solus Christus

[AnOrangeCat]

40 minutes ago, SACREDWARRIOR said:

 I don't feel you can across the board state that all movies SUSPENSE-HORROR-MYSTERY-SCIENCE FICTION etc...should be avoided...however I see from a scriptural point of view the principles to make good judgements in our LICENSE....

 Dark Fantasy or HORROR, is nothing more than a persons exploit of fear of the unknown or unusual.....no different than COMEDY-SATIRE-FANTASY - SCIENCE FICTION and so on.

 so many though these days, unlike the past generations, have become so graphic and exploitive with pornographic and extreme imagery that I think you have to be discerning at the cinema.....

I agree with this. I'm a bit of a horror fan myself and actually grew up on it because my parents thought it was okay for kids in the single digit age range to watch. But being older and wiser now I agree it can be a difficult genre to navigate as a Christian. At least in my own case the elements that drew me to it the most seem largely long gone. In horror I often saw good against evil, morality tales, creative and interesting ideas, and a gloomy atmosphere that really resonated with me. But at least to my eyes it seems different now, more focused on shock value and without any sense of morality.

[Solus Christus]

2 minutes ago, AnOrangeCat said:

I agree with this. I'm a bit of a horror fan myself and actually grew up on it because my parents thought it was okay for kids in the single digit age range to watch. But being older and wiser now I agree it can be a difficult genre to navigate as a Christian. At least in my own case the elements that drew me to it the most seem largely long gone. In horror I often saw good against evil, morality tales, creative and interesting ideas, and a gloomy atmosphere that really resonated with me. But at least to my eyes it seems different now, more focused on shock value and without any sense of morality.

I am thankful I am not the only Christian having trouble navigating horror. 
 

It’s easy to say boycott it all. But Signs, A Quiet Place, and others have major Christian messages. 

[FJK]

I really think it depends on your real motives for watching it, whatever it is in your secret innermost being that draws you to them.

I've quit watching them for the most part since I don't need heightened and aroused emotional states to make me feel fully alive anymore, and I also sometimes tend to burst out in laughter at scenes that seem to terrify others.

Simple blood and gore stuff is of no interest to me, I don't understand why it would anyone.

FWIW, the vampire stuff has a message to it most people simply fail to grasp  The story of the vampire is a personified story of evil and demons showing how they work, along with how you avoid them and avoid their entering your life and consuming you, an actual lesson you can apply in your life.

This is how I view the subject.

[AnOrangeCat]

21 minutes ago, Solus Christus said:

For me, I like how Horror makes you face how strong is your faith? When a monster or terror or horror confronts you, will you succumb or confront it?
 

Dracula was defeated by a crucifix, holy water, and a stake. In Dracula 2000 there was a neat twist about that Dracula is someone Jesus knew. But the allure of Dracula seems devilish. 

That's an interesting perspective. I'm largely with SACREDWARRIOR that we have license. The catch is that we need to exercise sound judgment, and without reading potentially spoiler laden reviews it can be difficult to see that. I get the Dracula appeal too, and I'm okay with that. It's the kind of thing that can serve to remind us that Satan can and does appear as an angel of light. Oddly I was thinking Philippians 4:8 too. In your case and mine the genre can turn our thoughts toward God, which IMO is what the verse is about. It's a good verse to use as part of a check list for secular entertainment, along with seeing if the entertainment in question runs counter to the Bible.

Another very important caveat is where Paul talks about eating food sacrificed to idols in I Corinthians 8. He reminds the Corinthians that the idols are powerless. There's only one God and He reigns supreme, no contest, so with that in mind he said there was no innate harm in eating the food. But he also said to be cautious that it doesn't cause others to stumble, because to do so would be a sin against Christ. I think it's good to keep in mind when we do things at our discretion, and it parallels horror in a way too. Yeah, back in the day there was a lot of food at the Greek/Roman temples, but there was also occult, orgies, ritual prostitution, and so on. It definitely presents a temptation, and much like people who might think if they see a Christian eating food at the temple then everything else there that goes on must be okay we can end up getting people to think similar about horror as a whole.

31 minutes ago, Solus Christus said:

So I can affirm occultism elements seem to be behind most horror. Is it possible horror was a way occultists and Satanists were able to express themselves? Science Fiction being softer version of horror. 

These days, sure. I could see it, but it's also a trope and the way the genre has developed, perhaps naturally. A lot of early horror had religious elements because of how Christianity impacted folklore and pagan beliefs, essentially showing that God trumps the local bogeymen. But I think as more people moved away from religion we saw a lot of instances where the villains who would have been repelled by crosses or displays of faith in the past just weren't affected by them. That reflects both a change in values and a desire to ramp up the horror value by making the villain seem more powerful. I find that there's an element of truth to that because human weakness and doubt can and do enter the picture with our own struggles and we don't always get quick answers to our real world trials. To a certain extent I think it's also possible that horror film makers capitalized on America taking Satan more seriously in the past and looked into the occult to make it seem more "authentic", but that ended up a slippery slope.

Thanks for the topic, too!

[AnOrangeCat]

3 minutes ago, FJK said:

I've quit watching them for the most part since I don't need heightened and aroused emotional states to make me feel fully alive anymore, and I also sometimes tend to burst out in laughter at scenes that seem to terrify others.

Your post as a whole really resonated with me but especially the laughing. I've ended up giggling at some stuff that probably wasn't intended to be funny at times, too.