Why God Writes Horror (And Why We Should Too)

As a Christian and a storyteller, I regularly find myself in conversations about appropriate uses of darkness, terror, and violence in stories. At times, I’m fielding questions about my own books from anxious mothers. At others, the conversation is with creators — filmmakers or novelists — normally aiming to strike a healthy (and commercially viable) balance in their work. And, of course, there is also a type of male reader or viewer who tends to bring up the topic with bedrock loyalty to all things dark and grim, the more horrific, the better. I’ve had variations of this conversation for two decades now, and I don’t expect them to stop any time soon. So, how should Christian creators and consumers handle darkness in storytelling?

Earlier this week, Allie Beth Stuckey took a shot at horror and scary stories. Bees in the hive, formerly known as Twitter, began to buzz, and my phone and inbox heard all about it. After all, I don’t just write scary stories; I write scary stories for children (ages 8-80). Surely, I must be offended? No. Of course not.