Up until a few months ago, horror was my favorite genre. I discovered it as a teenager, and the attraction grew into my adult years. I listened to horror podcasts, did voice acting, and wrote horror stories. One day it all changed.

I woke up to pray and immediately felt that something was off in the content I had watched the night before. In a very clear way, I believe God told me that it is wrong to watch horror. It came unexpectedly; I wasn’t considering it beforehand, and the day before I was enjoying it. At first this saddened me. What would I do without horror? But when I believe God is speaking to me, I listen. In the weeks that followed I made it a priority to consider why horror is wrong.

Horror depicts evil triumphing as the standard. We Christians know this is not the truth, as God gained victory when he defeated sin and death with his own death and resurrection. Horror also often depicts an evil thing as a good thing (a serial killer who kills serial killers) or a good thing as an evil thing (an evil priest), confusing those who are not solid in their moral convictions and desensitizing those who are.

Life isn’t perfect. Surely God doesn’t want us only to watch films where nothing goes wrong? Our filmmaking should be sincere, but if we are putting entertainment into our brains that says “evil triumphs” with such intense imagery of graphic violence, sex, and oppressive themes, what does that do to us?

When we view horror, we are intentionally entering into a world where evil reigns. Do you really think God wants us to entertain the concept of evil triumphing for fun? Here are five reasons horror is no longer for me — and you should reconsider it as well.

Horror changes my view of myself. My upbringing left me feeling like there was something intrinsically wrong with me. This feeling came to a head in my 30s when I had to quit my job due to anxiety. Therapy helped me understand where these thoughts were coming from and how to deal with them. Horror wasn’t the catalyst for this; my life experiences dictated my low view of myself, but I believe horror elongated my healing in this area, conditioned me to live in a state of worry, and deprived me of feeling hope and peace.
Horror changes my view of God. I have a hard time imagining that God wants to work powerfully in my life because why would he? The darkness feels inevitable, more real than reality. In horror there is no savior; if so, it’s someone who usually has to sin to win. Thoughts like God can help me but he probably won’t rob me of faith in God to do something I can’t. Watching horror and violence in film dulls down our imagery of what happened to Christ on the cross, turning violence similar to the crucifixion into something we view for “a bit of fun.” The devil must love this.
Horror changes my view of the world. I’m out for a morning run, and suddenly I’m having a day-nightmare of a guy running toward me, raping me, and leaving me for dead. One could argue that someone who doesn’t watch horror may have these thoughts from time to time, but I’ll bet they are much less descriptive and much less believable to the man who fills his head with wholesome entertainment. I have digested more entertainment where evil triumphs than where good does. How can this not affect the way I see the world? I’ve always been hesitant to try new things because horror gives me a big list of all the things that can go wrong. Real or not, my mind perceives it so.
Horror changes my view of the evil one. Horror films make me think about the devil, just like prayer makes me think about God. Horror stories are Satan’s parables. If you asked the devil to tell you a made-up story, would it not sound a lot like the plot of a horror film? Many Christians have justified going to horror films for fun because the stories are made up. Think about it. Satan can’t come into your life as powerfully as you see him do in films unless you invite him, so he has managed to get away with it by calling it “fake.” And we open up our minds to graphic, evil scenarios. God used men to write the Bible to share his word, and Satan uses men to craft evil stories to put evil on our minds and get us to enjoy it.
It desensitizes. From the pulpit, priests used to discourage congregations from seeing inappropriate films. Why don’t we see this now? We’ve become desensitized. People usually refer to their own desensitization as an inevitable reality they haven’t really pondered. Just because watching someone get decapitated doesn’t make you react, that doesn’t make it OK to watch. The measuring stick is what God wants, not what we think we can handle. The more we watch horror, the more we normalize a world with no savior. Suddenly we’re OK with it in our orbit, and the devil gets to work.

In recent horror film “Obsession,” the main character Nikki bashes her best friend’s head in with a brick for 15-20 seconds. According to Reddit, the unrated, festival version included an extra 20 seconds of extended impacts and sound effects before filmmakers trimmed it down to secure the R rating. How do we think this is OK to watch?

It is easy to convince myself that I am watching a particular film for the sake of learning a lesson from the story or creation of it. If a film’s content has the potential to be detrimental to my relationship with Jesus, it is not worth watching, no matter the small amount of “good” it contains. I’ve yet to meet anyone who, unprompted or not, shares a profound experience they had processing their feelings watching a horror film. There are many other avenues God has given us. Justifying evil is a part of our fallen nature, made easier if the people in our social circles don’t question it or, worse, celebrate it.

Would Jesus go to the theater and watch the horror film “Obsession” with you? Would he buy popcorn, recline with you, and laugh awkwardly as Nikki vomits on herself in a lovesick, possessed haze? What would Jesus do in the scene when Nikki repeatedly bashes her best friend Sarah’s head into a brick? Would Jesus look away when you see the remains of Sarah’s face? What would Jesus say to you when the film is over? Do you honestly believe that God wants you to watch a film like this? If I picture Jesus beside me, it becomes the easiest decision to decline watching horror, even if I have a disordered desire for it.

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Emma Kruse (Fradd) is an Australian Catholic musician who lives in Minnesota with her husband and two children. She is passionate about the truth, good coffee, and board games.

This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.

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The Real Reason Christians Should Stop Watching Horror