Last week, a man with what appeared to be an open wound on his face walked in and casually ordered a latte in my local coffee shop. His cheek, ear, and eyebrow were flayed. It looked like skin grafts from a motorcycle accident. Looking at his wound was difficult, but looking away was equally challenging.
Also last week, we moved into a new house. At night, we opened a drawer and discovered a live cockroach amongst our Tupperware. Our sleep was troubled by the imagery of a colony living in and under our bungalow. (Thankfully, it was a one-off.)
Horror exists in real life, in the minor ways mentioned above, and in far worse ways, as in war, serial killings, and chronic illness. As Christians, we know supernatural horror, as in demon possession, also exists.
However, in recent decades, some Christians have objected to movies that instill horror. So, what does the Bible say about horror movies? Should you watch them or avoid them? In what ways might they be dangerous?
I will argue the Christian worldview leaves room for horror as part of the redemption of the world—and so, horror movies can be engaged with by Christians. Whether to watch horror movies is a matter of Spirit-guided conscience, but generally, watching them isn’t sinful. In fact, seen through the lens of Christ and interpreted biblically, they can draw us closer to the Lord and glorify him.
What are horror movies?
As with any genre of film, it’s not easy to give a precise definition of what qualifies as a horror movie. A good place to start is that horror movies aim to create a sense of dread or fear in the viewer. They may be redemptive or hopeless, morally rich or pointless entertainment, commercial or artistic, badly written or well directed, but all horror movies are designed to instill horror. The Los Angeles Film School provides ten popular subgenres: Demonic, paranormal, monster, slasher, zombie, gore, witchcraft, vampire, psychological, or comedy-horror.
I’ve argued before that horror is like a sense of wonder: it opens us to new possibilities, including darkness, danger, or pain. But unlike wonder, horror repels us rather than attracts us. With this in mind, let’s consider whether horror shows up in the Bible.
There are horrific things in the Bible
The Bible does not shy away from evil or abomination, violence or demons, monsters or the supernatural. Even ghosts and necromancers are mentioned in the Bible (1 Samuel 28:3-25). Each of the following stories would make a compelling horror movie if faithfully and imaginatively depicted on screen:
- The flood wreaks horrific havoc on the earth, destroying all humanity and animal life except for Noah and his family (Genesis 6-9). The pre-flood earth is depicted as a collapsed civilization of violence and corruption.
- The sons of Korah, who led a rebellion against Moses, were swallowed by the ground in an eerie and macabre event (Numbers 16).
And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” And fire came out from the Lᴏʀᴅ and consumed the 250 men offering the incense. (Numbers 16:31–35)
- Yahweh challenged the gods of Egypt by bringing ten plagues on Egypt—breaking the will of Pharaoh to free the Israelite slaves. If any one of the plagues were shown on screen, it would count as horror. The Shining (1980) has nothing on the Nile turning to blood (Exodus 7-12).
- Job is beset by death, violence, illness, and calamity on all sides due to oppression, a test by Satan. In many ways, the book of Job sounds like the plot of a horror movie.
- The Final Judgment and hell are, of course, nightmare fuel. In particular, the vivid, powerful vision of John of the end times, with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, dragons, monsters, what seem like zombies, and horrifying angelic beings with animal parts for eyes all over, certainly instills a sense of holy horror.
Graphic acts of violence are depicted as well.
- Jeal, a prophetess of Israel, drives a tent peg through a man’s skull (Judges 4:21).
- Ehud assassinated the Moabite king Eglon by sticking a dagger deep into his blubber—leaving the knife behind in the king’s morbid fat (Judges 3:20-23).
- Judges 19:22-33 tells of an all-night gang rape and torture of a woman; her husband cuts her body into twelve pieces and sends the body parts across Israel.
There are many tales of spiritual darkness and demonology.
- In the Gospels, a man possessed of a “legion” of demons confronts Jesus. He dwells in a graveyard and frequently cuts himself. He’s so strong, he breaks chains and can’t be bound. Jesus casts the demons into a herd of pigs, and they rush to throw themselves off a cliff and drown themselves (Mark 5:1-20).
And we could go on. Horrific violence is described in the Bible, as are the monstrous, demonic, ghastly, occult, magical, and hellish. Many instances of horror are associated with God’s judgment and holiness. Other times, they are tragic outplayings of the Fall or sin.
So, the Christian worldview accommodates horror. What about art depicting horror?
The horrific in Christian art
Christians have countless times depicted horrific things in art. Particularly literature. Some of the greatest works in the Western Christian literary canon feature horror. Inferno, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Picture of Dorian Gray are all examples of perennial Western fiction, and all include at least themes of Christianity and horror.
Dr. Bryan P. Stone, the Dean of Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, has shown extensively how “Christianity has shaped the construction of horror in Western cinema.” It’s easy to see why. The foundation of so many film horrors arrives with Christian themes baked in.
This Present Darkness by Christian author Frank Peretti is a classic novel about demons descending on a small town. C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters is a collection of letters between demons. Also in the 20th century, Southern Gothic writers like Flannery O’Connor and Toni Morrison explored their own Christian faith and the supernatural in connection to the horrors of slavery.
These examples readily come to mind, but there are countless more to choose from. Many works of art beyond literature, such as paintings, instill horror through a Christian prism. Two years ago, I was struck by John Martin’s Pandemonium, 1841, at the Louvre.
Arguably, The Great American Revival owed some of its success to horror.
Personally, I find the famous (or infamous) sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” difficult to stomach. But it seemed to instill a sense of horror of hell and Christ’s judgment for God’s glory. That sermon helped kickstart an American revival through a sense of reverent fear and, arguably, horror.
Is it a sin to create art with horror? Not necessarily.
I recommend Josh Porter’s book With All Its Teeth: Sex, Violence, Profanity, and the Death of Christian Art. He argues convincingly that when Christians create or engage with art of all kinds, we must rely on the influence of the Holy Spirit and, to some degree, personal conscience. This has its limits, of course—pornography comes to mind. But in general, the profane can be used to glorify God in art of all kinds, including movies, because the profane reflects the truth of the fallen state of the world.
Horror movies and Christian themes
So, many horror movies engage with Christian themes. On one end of the spectrum is Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ (2004). In my view, it stands as probably the greatest explicitly Christian film ever created. It’s a gruesome film, depicting the death of Christ in agonizing length and detail. My Dad made sure it was the first R-rated movie I ever saw.
Other, less explicitly Christian, movies still explore themes of spirituality and religion.
Consider a movie like Sinners (2025). On its surface, Coogler’s massively successful, original film is a vampire movie, but it’s so much more than that—an exploration of music, culture, religion, immortality, sin, oppression, and, of course, race in America. I’m not saying Sinners is a “Christian” movie. But I think it’s significant that the post-credit scene is a flashback of a main character singing “This Little Light of Mine.”
Then there are non-Christian films like The Babadook (2014), which use a monster to symbolically explore the weight of ignored grief, loss, and madness. Obsession (2025), a comedy horror, could help us think about the nature of desire, lust, and the dark wishes of the human heart. The Shining (1980) is a ghost movie, but it also explores the horrors of isolation. Backrooms (2026) explores alienation and losing a sense of place.
These are not Christian movies, and have few Christian themes, but they are still entertaining, well-made, and explore important themes. I’ll speak more to this later.
So, Christians have created art that horrifies, and horror movies, whether made by secular filmmakers or Christian ones, often explore religious themes. This alone doesn’t make them “good,” but it can make them profitable to reflect on.
Fear, horror, God, and The Exorcist
As biblical scholar and horror enthusiast Dr. Brandon R. Grafius writes, “Hope and fear are intertwined with each other and impossible to separate.” Without fear, we have no reason to hope for something positive in the future—that which we have not yet seen. In today’s ever-changing world, anxiety and general fear continue to rise. Horror movies explore the depths of these fears, and could point us to the power of redemption.
Horror can help us (1) grapple with fears and the unknown, (2) explore questions of faith, and (3) turn to Jesus to be our fortress and deliverer from evil. As an example, I’d like to turn to one of the most famous horror movies—The Exorcist (1973).
The Exorcist is a brutally scary and frighteningly brutal film about a girl who is possessed by a demon. Much of the film centers on a priest wrestling with his faith and the limitations of science and medicine in the face of supernatural possession. The two Catholic priests were finally brought in to exorcise her and enter a battle with the demon.
Now, is The Exorcist un-Christian because it displays demonic possession as horrific, real, and supernatural? I leave it as an open question, but I wager not.
That said, The Exorcist certainly misses some key biblical truths.
For example, the name of Jesus is more powerful than the film shows. Rather than struggling with the demon, I think Christ’s power would overcome it in the twinkling of an eye.
The point is not that The Exorcist is infallible; only the Bible is infallible. But I believe we can, as Christians, accept The Exorcist in the realm of the canon of Christian art—just as we can accept The Passion of the Christ.
It’s important to note that I’m not arguing you should watch The Exorcist, and I’m definitely not saying you need to like it! I’m making a more limited point: whether you watch The Exorcist should be a matter of careful conviction from the Holy Spirit. And there are spiritual dangers associated with horror movies.
The spiritual dangers of horror movies
There are several ways horror movies can inhibit us from walking with Christ. I humbly present four ways this might be the case.
First, ungodly curiosity into darkness.
There is the temptation, when exposed to spiritual darkness, to enter it. I once heard the Bible gives us all the details we need about demonology to fight darkness, but not enough to satisfy our curiosity.
This is a common reason brought up not to watch horror movies. However, I believe it’s often overblown. Most horror movies explicitly make the evil things bad. I wager after watching Midsommar (2019), you would not be tempted to join a Swedish cult!
Second, many horrors include sexually explicit scenes.
Modern films are less likely to include sex just for its own sake, but it’s always worth checking out Plugged In to weed out sex scenes (Obsession, The Exorcist, Midsommar, and Sinners include at least some sexual content).
Third, there is the risk of being overwhelmed with anxiety and fear.
For Christians who find horror movies plague their hearts, minds, and souls with anxiety, overwhelming fear, distracting nightmares, and more, you should avoid them—absolutely.
Remember, Christ the King is our protector and savior, and in his name we have power over the forces of darkness. If horror movies prevent you from “[taking] every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5), avoid them.
Finally, the most common trap, I think, is superstition.
In Obsession, a vintage wish-willow toy makes one wish come true, but to the extreme. In The Exorcist, a Ouji board is tied to the demonic, holy water sizzles on the possessed girl, and a small pendant of Joseph protects a priest from possession.
I am not advocating using Ouija boards (don’t!), but I wager demons might prefer us to be obsessed about random items, tokens, and toys rather than deal with temptation and sin. Films are creative endeavors, not the inspired word of God—although he can certainly speak to us through them. But if our imagination becomes captivated by superstition, we might be more concerned with Tarot cards than genuine spiritual darkness in our communities.
Spiritual darkness doesn’t always look like you expect. Jonathan Pokluda (known as “JP”) is the pastor of Harriss Creek Baptist Church. He recounts his grappling with the demonic in Your Story Has a Villain.
JP traveled to places more associated with spiritual warfare, but didn’t experience anything supernatural. Then, in a high-end country club in the US, he experienced an encounter with demonic oppression. A man with khakis, a polo, and a visor struck up a conversation with JP.
The man explained that he struggled to pray—almost physically struggled. As though a force prevented him from it. JP prayed over him, and right there, in a country club, the man cried out, bent over, his arms flew wildly around, he growled deeply, and he gave all the signs of being exorcized of demonic oppression. After a few moments, he returned to his right mind and could pray!
I put this story here to say that spiritual darkness doesn’t always look the way you expect it to. There’s a risk that horror movies can distract us with the superficial, superstitious, and demonic-adjacent rather than engage against true powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12).
Engagement with the arts—yes, even horror
Art, including film, can lead us to God in a few ways. First, films can point us to Christ through their truth and beauty. Second, we can come to Christ by critiquing the art, noticing how it’s untrue and misses the mark. Third, we can come to Christ by contemplating a film’s themes, getting a deeper understanding of our complex world. All of these ways to Christ can be done through art made by Christians and non-Christians.
Just as with ideas, we accept what is true and aligned with the gospel and the Bible, and reject what is bad. And this practice of artistic engagement (not passive consumption) can clarify our worldview and strengthen our faith. For more, consider Art and the Bible by Francis Schaeffer, Art and Faith, by Makoto Fujimura, Biblical Critical Theory by Christopher Watkin, or With All Its Teeth by Josh Porter.
Some horror movies, though certainly not all, can become worthy objects of this artistic engagement. God can use them to renew our minds, reminding us of both sin and darkness and of Christ’s power and light.
Horror movies maybe no one should see
So, what horror movies should you see or not see? I can’t answer that simply. This is not a relativist response—it’s a question of biblical wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit.
However, consider the following: some horror movies are gratuitously gory, with an almost pornographic focus on violence. Many Christians who object to horror movies probably have these in mind: the Saw movies (2004-2023), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), or maybe It (2017), to name a few. Perhaps some horror movies cross a line into gratuitousness and seem unfit for anyone’s consumption.
Outside of these, Horror movies have the unique ability to show how humans can persevere in the face of great evil. They can also be great sources of redemption, powerful tales of good overcoming evil. As James says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). And we can hold fast to Christ’s promise: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27).
Indeed, as Paul says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
Three reasons not to see a horror movie
There are three reasons not to see horror movies. The first is if you’re convicted by Spirit, knowing that you are prone to temptations of despair, ungodly superstition, or doubting the promises of Christ to save you. Additionally, it is good not to cause a brother or sister to stumble, who might be tempted to anxiety or despair. “Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.” (Romans 14:13)
Second, you believe a horror movie is so gratuitous or indulgent of evil as to offer nothing of positive value. Where this line should be drawn is not easy to say, but I think there are horror movies that no Christian should see.
The third reason not to see a horror movie: you just don’t want to. To repeat an earlier point, this essay is not about telling you to watch horror movies; rather, it is about not counting them all as sinful.
Conclusion
The Christian worldview has space for the dark, horrific, and macabre. To deny these realities is to deny a spiritual darkness, sin, and depravity. To dwell in that same darkness is another kind of temptation. If horror movies do tempt you to despair, fear, or to remain in darkness, then I counsel against them.
If, however, you can engage with them as art—as explorations of the dark side of this fallen world—then they might be uplifting to you—reminding you that no matter how horrific the world is, Christ will redeem it.
I’ll quote from Romans 8, at length, to close:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. (Romans 8:18–24)
Whether you watch horror movies or feel convicted not to see them, how can you rest in the truth that “this present darkness” is nothing compared to the glory of Christ’s New Heaven and New Earth?
How can you rest in his salvation today?
