The Christian and Horror Movies

While you are considering horror movies, I think you should also consider Robin Williams movies. I cannot think of anything worse or more frightening than another Robin Williams movie. He hasn't had a bad movie since, well, his last movie.

 

Oy!

Just think about his *first* movie, "Popeye". Among other things, it featured Shelley Duvall as "Olive".

Ugh...ugh...ugh...ugh.

 

Hey! I liked Popeye. That was a great movie (based on a broadway musical, no less).

Eric

 

The horror genre, IMHO, should be treated by the Christian as any other genre. If the content is gratuitous, then it should be avoided. If it's not, then it can be enjoyed.

I certainly enjoyed Stephen King's 'The Shining' (both versions). I have the original Frankenstein on DVD, and I gotta tell you, for as old as that movie is, it scares the begeezes out of me. I tend to avoid movies like Friday the 13th Part 142. Then there's Mel Brooks "Young Frankenstein" which is mostly comedic, but appropriate for viewing by all but the youngest family members.

But by far, the scariest movie I've seen to date is "Showgirls".

 

In our last church we had a couple that had been saved literally out of Satanism. They had been in the military in the Philippines where they really go into it. When they got saved they MAJORLY struggled (especially the wife) with Halloween and with Horror movies. She would go on Horror movie binges, go rent 5 or 6 and watch them back-to-back. It was every bit as much a struggle as some (many) people have with porn. So I try to keep away from the horror movies and don't let my kids watch them.

 

Excuse me, but I'm amazed anyone has to ASK about something like this.

You like horror? You'll LOVE hell! Come on, folks! Where is our focus? Where is our life? Where is our heart?

With horror movies? They glorify our Lord and Savior?

yeah....right...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR TIME? WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE OPPORTUNITIES THE LORD HAS GIVEN YOU?

In case anyone hasn't yet gotten my point, horror movies mock life, love, caring. They glorify death, threats, violence.

I'll tell you what, you guys. The next time you want to go to a horror movie, or watch one on TV, pray about it first. If the Holy Spirit leads you to watch it, I'll shut up.

 

Well I guess there goes the NEWS!... And brethren that is not only horror that is reality!... Brother Glen

 

Helen said:

Excuse me, but I'm amazed anyone has to ASK about something like this.

Charles Williams, a friend of C. S. Lewis and one of the Inklings (with Lewis, Tolkien, Barfield and Sayer) wrote horror novels.

You could arguably say the same thing about Lewis himself - That Hideous Strength, the third book in his Space Trilogy, was a sharp departure from the science fiction of the first two books into something more gothic. In fact, the first time I read The Last Battle as a child, I was scared stiff by the first appearance of Tash - the illustration at that part of the book sent shivers up my spine every time I turned to that page for ages afterward, as well. I don't know whether Lewis intended to chill his readers, but he succeeded nonetheless.

And what about Frank Peretti's books? They fit firmly into the horror genre as well, and I'm not talking about the atrocious writing.

There's a world of moral difference between one of Williams' supernatural thrillers and, say, The Exorcist or The Blair Witch Project, but it doesn't seem to me that there is anything wrong Biblically with the horror genre in itself. As someone has already pointed out, rapture thrillers are a cottage industry for Christian writers, and the good-vs-evil theme is as sharply pronounced in horror lit as anywhere else.

[ October 31, 2002, 08:08 PM: Message edited by: Ransom ]

 

Now Guy...and Gals,

"Aliens" is a Horror Movie..Imagine the perfect Alien

Man against alien..and the only thing that can save mankind...is Dumb luck.

But you never Know.....

Come on now..shootum-ups and cop shows..westerns, murder mysteries..
Too close to reality..thats really not for me..But a complete hypthetical totally fiction,
couldnt imagine it to be real..alien vs human...yeh!

So Far From Reality..It Cant be True

Aliens...The Movie

Me2

 

Who cares about horror? Any vain babbling is to be shunned.

 

WOW! Something I actually agree with Preach on!!!

 

If a movie were made about the book of Revelaton, would it fall under the HORROR classification? If it would, then why should we read a horror book?

For that matter, are movies which have been based on the Bible 'horror' movies... depicting the crucifixion, the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea, the destruction of the temple of Dagon by Samson, the raining of fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.... ?

[ November 01, 2002, 02:25 AM: Message edited by: ChristianCynic ]

 

Without voicing an opinion on the horror genre as a whole, I can tell you my wife and I saw "The Ring" last weekend. Now there's a movie that will wake you up and make you spill your popcorn.

 

Oh boy....again I can't believe we are even arguing for or against horror...anything!!!!!

What is wrong with christians today, why do we call evil good, and good evil???Why , why , why?

Phillipians 4:8 " 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."

Psalm 101:3 " I will set no WICKED thing before mine eyes : I HATE the WORK of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me."

Plain, and simple,,,,how can I set the evil of murder, hate, occult, satanism, revelries, etc...before my eyes....it will cleave to you! It is rebellion , plain and simple.

1John 2:15" Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

I challenge anyone to find me any scriptures that support watching evil for entertainment is sanctified by God, and edifying to the building up of God's church.....

 

Anything that glorifies the devil is against God. I had read a couple of years ago a so-called "christian" fiction novel. I didn't get past the 30th page. This book depicted demons screaming "Nyahh. nyahh! Come and get me". Actually, I saw the demons acting like a caricature of Garfield, or Bart Simpson. This book was also sympathetic to the so-called "bigtory" of the homosexual lifestyle. This book, along with the Left Behind series, spends most of it's time wallowing in how disgusting demons are, transcedental meditation and out of body experiences (in the Left Behind series). These people call themselves "christian" authors? They spend more time describing the devil and his atrocities, than they do glorifiying God's power and authority. One of Frank Peretti's more recent books (I think it was titled "resurrection" or something) had the audacity to describe, in length, that we will be having sex in heaven. THAT is horror. I call it horror because it was a statement made by a supposed "christian" who should know better than to mock God by making such a blasphemous, and perverse statement.

As far as horror movie viewing by Christians, think about this: Let's say there is a new movie coming out soon that has Christian undertones. It is also filled with Druidic worship, copious drug use, lengthy nude scenes/sex scenes, and alot of swearing. Now, is it REALLY mature to believe that it is RIGHT for a saved Christian to expect to be unscathed by watching this movie? You'd be exposed to the sex, the satanic worship, the de-humanizing of the characters, the cussing, you'd learn how to summon evil spirits, supposedly to "help" you ward off evil? Is the GORE of decapitated body members just another way of praising Jesus? How about the sex? Two unmarried people having intercourse HARDLY glorifies God. Correct me if I am veering away from God's Word when I state that we are NOT to participate in the world's ways (in this case, horror movies). We are IN the world, but we ARE NOT to partake in it's decadent, debaucherous, and sinful activities. LAs time I checked (yesterday), watching a horror movie falls in the category of adopting the world's ways and practices, much like the Christimas Tree or hunting for easter eggs. There really is NO argument: If you are a Christian, you need to refrain from watching horror movies. If I murdered another person,(the operative word here is murder), should I get away with it because I may claim I did it in the name of God, much like the terrorists on September 11th, 2001. "Islam: a peaceful way of life, where you can kill those who won't worship allah, and you can cry oppression whilst beating your wives to a bloody pulp because they simply wanted to get a drink of water".

And, in reply to the guy(or gal) who praised the film, "Nosferatu":shame on you for applauding such a satanic movie. To have "Sympathy For The Devil" is to be in league with him. The devil deserves no sympathy or pity. I unfortunatley have seen the film, the original, and a couple of re-makes, and I am ashamed I did. Those films are atrocious, and only GLORIFY satan, as do ALL horror films.

Get a grip, people. If you can't tell the difference between good and evil (by that I mean GOD'S definition), you need to know Jesus a lot better than you profess to.

 

So does your average Chick Tract.

It's called "character development" and it's a perfectly legitimate part of the writing process.

Not a big fan of Perretti's and didn't read the book, so I don't know the context on which it was said, but remember, it's fiction.

I'm sure he was writing it in the context of fiction and not as any sort of doctrinal affirmation.

Depends on the movie and the individual Christian watching it.

You mean like in Song of Solomon?

No doubt that some of the things in movies today are bad but, ideally, if you're a Christian, you'd be able to discern what is real and what is not.

No. That's not it's purpose.

There's an awful lot of gore in the Bible that doesn't necessarily praise Jesus.

That's porno, which is a whole different subject.

No, you're not veering away from it, exactly, but it does seem that you're reading some things into to fit your agenda.

Now if you were to say that we weren't to be involved in the things mentioned in the movie, then you might have a point.

Last time I checked, it didn't.

Why a horror movie more than some other kind of movie?

Of course there's an argument and a darned good one, too.

The Bible doesn't say "don't watch horror movies", either in fact or in principle.

Now, I can understand that some movies are not conducive to some Christian's walk's with God, but the Bible also grants different believers different degrees of liberty and I'm not sure it's up to you to decide which liberties are for which Christian.

Yes. Your murdering someone and the hijacker's murdering 3,000 people are exactly the same thing as watching a movie.

I must have missed that part of Adam's post where he expressed sympathy for the Devil (perhaps you're confusing him with Keith Richards).

All I saw in his post was that he praised the technical aspects (specifically, the cinimatography) of the film.

I find it hard to belive that you've seen "ALL horror films"

If you can't tell the difference between reality and fiction, you need to know a good doctor.