Watching horror is a sin, right? Wrong! I'll explain why horror has the best potential to explore biblical themes in fiction.

The reason why Christians should watch horror is not what you think.

Is watching horror really a sin?

Since the horror genre didn't exist at the time of the 10 Commandments, we have to do some sleuthing. 'Tis the season, anyway.

There are two main objections Christians bring up:
1. Horror is demonic
2. We're supposed to meditate on what is true, good, and lovely (Phil. 4:8).

The first one is partially true, while the second is accurate, but not for the reason you think.

"Horror is demonic" is really a way of saying "dark topics make me uncomfortable, and I'd really like to not talk about this right now."

Why?

1. The Bible explores dark topics
2. God does not shy away from gritty details
3. If God can show dark or macabre things, it cannot be a sin.

But there's a big caveat to that last point. The reason God shows dark things in Scripture is to illuminate our own sinfulness.

If the point of showing darkness in the Bible is to illuminate our sin and need for God, then surely it isn't a sin to read the account of the concubine in Judges 19 or the depravity of Sodom and Gomorrah. We're talking broad concepts here, not pornographic detail. If there's one thing God does not do, regardless of the dark topic, he does not go into gratuitous detail.

Now for the "true, good and lovely" part. Did you know this is actually the biggest argument for horror?

*Laughs maniacally*

Time for theology.

In order for something to be true, doesn't that imply we must know the whole truth? What merit would the story of Sodom be to us if we didn't understand why God rained fire and brimstone upon it? Without knowing the depravity, debauchery, and utter wickedness of its people, God's punishment makes zero sense.

So you see, Phil. 4:8 is not a call to ignore darkness, but to meditate on truth and goodness. Yes, that means focusing on beauty and the joy of the Lord.

But it also means confronting darkness. Truth is two halves: the Good News and the Bad.

Jesus told dark stories, too.

Think of the parable of the wedding feast. It goes something like this:

A king hosts a wedding for his son (a stand-in for Jesus) and calls for the servants to bring those invited. But they refuse, killing his servants that were sent to invite them. The king, furious then "sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."

The king then invites the surrounding people in their stead. One man enters without a wedding garment (which was a flagrant disregard for the occasion), and the king says, "Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Dang.

So why does Jesus tell stories with such dark details?

1. It illustrates a lesson he wants us to learn
2. Gritty details capture our attention

Jesus embeds a lesson into the story. But he first and foremost tells a story.

Second, the dark and macabre naturally captures our attention. Why? I think because we instinctually have a draw toward the supernatural. We are, after all, spiritual beings.

But here's the funky thing. The horror genre is quite possibly the best genre to explore spiritual warfare.

See where I'm going?

In a genre filled with ghosts, ghouls, and forces of darkness, it naturally makes sense that there would be Goodness to oppose those forces.

Is that a free pass for all horror? Certainly not. The genre has a reputation for a reason, BUT this does not account for its Christian roots.

Yes you read that correctly, lol.

The Christian roots of horror (whaaat?)

The three Christian authors that made horror tropes that are here to this day:
1. Dante Alighieri
2. Bram Stoker
3. Mary Shelley

Putting aside their personal lives for a second, the stories these three wrote display explicit Christian values.

Just one example: the vampire (oooh)!

In the original novel, Dracula is posed as the antithesis to Jesus Christ. Jesus sacrificed his blood to save us, but Dracula sacrifices (drinks) the blood of others to give himself immortaliy.

Throughout the novel, Characters frequently use crucifixes and invoke Christian principles or prayer as weapons against the vampire.

Bet you didn't see that one a-comin'.

Is there depraved content in the horror genre? Yep. Does it have the potential for kick-butt Christian stories? Heck yeah.

That's precisely what I hope to do with my own films, and I'm excited for you to be a part of this.

In the very near future, I will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund it. I want to bring this film to life with you as a co-creator.

More details will be forthcoming, but until then...

A few movie recs for the spooky season (clean content, no B.S.)
1. Ringu (1998, all-time favorite)
2. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (based on a true story, EXCELLENT Christian themes).

P.S. I just released a Patreon episode on this topic called Is Watching Horror a Sin? How I made a Christian horror film. Tune in here.​

Yours,

Ryder Harnett