The Horror Genre

I'm definitely a lover of horror, with a horror book, movie, or video game is a work with a general atmosphere intended to arouse a sense of fear.  I've reviewed some horror games and movies on my blog, like Dementium Remastered, Resident Evil: Revelations, Until Dawn, House, The Witch, It, and the Saw series.  I do not hide the fact that I appreciate and enjoy the horror genre!  Not everyone shares this subjective appreciation for the genre, and there's nothing wrong with that, yet some Christians label horror sinful.  I'm going to explain why this is a thoroughly mistaken notion.

Philippians 4:8 is often held up as a common Internet objection to Christian participation in the horror genre, a verse that tells us to think on what is pure and lovely, and so on.  But this verse, if actually applied the way the objectors want, would prohibit reading many parts of the Bible, reflecting on the hideous nature of sin, or using other genres of entertainment.  If horror stories involving demonic activity or serial killers are too dark, then it follows that portions of the Bible that record demonic activity, murder, or gang rape must also be illegitimate.  This is similar to one of the major errors of those who claim that erotic media is inherently sinful--if true, that would mean that reading Song of Songs is sinful, which means that reading the Bible can be a sinful thing, which totally contradicts the possibility of the Bible being a document that is true and good.

Then there's the fact that the Bible condemns those who add to its moral teachings (Deuteronomy 4:2, Matthew 15:3-9), for there is no sin outside of what is condemned in at least some way by the Bible (Romans 7:7, 1 John 3:4).  To dislike horror or wish to avoid horror movies, novels, or games is not problematic, but making extra-Biblical condemnations of horror is prohibited by the Bible itself.  At that point someone has fallaciously mistaken a personal preference for an objective moral obligation.

Actually, Christianity, a religion featuring malevolent entities like demons, is not a worldview distant from horror.  Christians who view horror as sinful probably don't seriously consider the Biblical accounts of demonic possession, or the terrors of fallen human nature unleashed without any goodness holding them back.  Contrary to what some might imagine, Christian theology and storytelling holds the potential for some deeply chilling horror tales, yet the reluctance of many Christians to interact with the genre (not authors like Dekker or Peretti or filmmakers like Scott Derrickson, though) stymies the actualization of these possibilities.

Horror, more so than some other genres, often emphasizes a moralism inherent to its stories.  For instance, the Saw series (although the Saw movies are more horror-thrillers than pure horror films) is deeply moralistic and philosophical, although the exact worldviews of the characters in it are often enormously irrational and unbiblical.  The titular character of the newest movie in the series, Jigsaw, serves as both a villain and a protagonist within the story structure (he is certainly not a good person by Biblical standards though), and he is the mouthpiece for ideas about cherishing human life and choosing to turn away from addictions and cruelty (ironically).  Moralism is entirely Biblical, to the extent that the moral claims being defended/made align with the moral teachings of Scripture.  A great deal of the Bible is devoted to moralistic condemnation of certain behaviors and attitudes.

I would love for Christians to produce quality horror stories!  But whether or not horror ever becomes a popular genre in mainstream Christian entertainment (and whether or not Christian entertainment as a whole ever increases its general quality), it is erroneous to say that it is sinful to make, view, or enjoy horror.  Fellow Christian horror lovers are free to love horror as I do!