Christians are afraid of horror movies. Here's why.

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Comment below what you'd like to see next!

[@ryanzod6986]

I find that becoming a Christian has enhanced my enjoyment of some Horror. I now always look at Horror stories from a biblical viewpoint. Of course I stay away from the ones that have a truly Anti Christ message.

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Good point

[@Conner_A]

Yeah scream is my favorite horror movie, and I actually dressed up as the scream killer for Halloween because I bought the costume to make a short film for my film class. But there is a recent horror movie called maxxxine that glorifies drug use, unbiblical sex, and portrays Christian's as both stupid bigots and evil murderous monsters. It's about what the message of the movie is

[@ManFromThePits]

The issue with the Horror genre is that by its very nature, it tends to glorify evil; evil has to be presented as something imposing and powerful, or it is no longer scary. There are some ways around this, I won't lie, but by and large horror is about putting disturbing things on display (not always graphic), and and as people become desensitized to fear, they crave more and more disturbing content - which leads into making evil more and more imposing to satisfy that craving. And I say this as someone who has written horror.

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

I'm afraid I can't disagree. I've seen the effects of someone who is constantly engrossed in grotesque horror movies firsthand. I think suspense and horror can be useful tools, but we need to rethink the way it's been used just for the shock factor.

[@ManFromThePits]

@@RyderTheOmniscient Agreed. I've seen some fantastic horror films that employed deep characters and thoughtful writing to build atmosphere and suspense - mainly from the 70's and earlier, when graphic violence wasn't as accepted. Low budgets and cheap effects, carefully and artfully used; just tonight I saw a silent movie from 2005 based on "The Call of Cthulhu"; no gore, minimal blood, and no CGI whatsoever, yet the exceptional talent of the production crew made incredible use of what they did show. Modern horror is just a gore-fest, and modern horror fans just seem addicted to blood-and-murder-porn. The TV Miniseries adaption of Stephen King's IT, compared to the theatrical films, is a prime example; the original TV-Movies, with their 1980's effects, never showed any blood or gore, yet created one of the most iconic films of the decade. Then you have the modern version, where NOTHING is left to the imagination... and the modern Pennywise just comes off as a try-hard wannabe compared to Tim Curry.

[@ChaiKitty7779]

There’s an author who writes Christian Horror novels, Frank Peretti, I would soooo watch a film based off of on of his books. Look him up, you’ll love his books.

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Love his Present Darkness series!

[@ChaiKitty7779]

There’s also the oath.

[@FaithfulHorrorhound]

I'm a Christian scare actor who, it seems, is very VERY good at terrifying people. I was raised on scary stuff and grew to love theater. Therefore, God gave me the talent and tools to grow into what I do now.

[@Haleywambam]

Love this idea and concept. Have you checked our Wendigoon??? I could totally see you two collaborating on something awesome!

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

I haven't heard of that channel before. I will check it out!

[@Haleywambam]

@@RyderTheOmniscient he’s a fellow Christian and into the horror/terror genre and good stories and such. Really cool dude.

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing :)

[@jordanpease3329]

Okay, you've earned my subscription! Even your idea that Gore can be used well (and often is in the Bible's narrative I might add) is just a chef's kiss. I have often felt alone as a Christian so I really appreciate this. When my fellow churchgoers wonder how I can like horror entertainment, I often tell them that my favorite horror story is about two priests who perform a failed exorcism and then they are stripped and beaten. When they tell me how awful that is, I tell them that the story is found in Acts chapter 19. Life without God is terrifying! The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and this is why many of the parables of Christ could be described as cautionary tales of horror.

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Every tool in the visual medium has to be used carefully, and gore is no exception. Thank you for watching!

[@hpgwellscraft]

Horror can definitely be Christian since most horror uses Christian lore anyway. Take out the profanity, nudity, and gore and youre golden. I've heard more than once that Jason Voorhees basically represents the old testament hand of God, punishing wickedness. Annabelle Comes Home also comes to mind. I actually got through the whole movie before I realized that it has no nudity OR gore, though I forget whether it has profanity or not. I don't believe it does. I would consider that movie a standard for Christian horror.

[@MountainMXOfficial]

Thanks for the sneak peak, amazing video as always!

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Yeah man. Thanks :)

[@Gabriel_Wangai]

Im interested in your thoughts on movies like Alien Romulus, predator etc. can you find the message in this? Especially alien where the antagonist is basically an animal. Also, what would count as glorifying evil? Would the way thanos snd joker have been on film be glorifying evil?

[@Segadrome]

I believe one of the best examples of Christian horror would have to be Angel Hare. A analog horror web series about a literal guardian angel using a cartoon character to communicate with a child through the TV.

[@thebesttylerintheworld6463]

Absolutely love how this turned out! I’m looking forward to the new horror series :D

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Thank you! 😄

[@BenefitsSketch]

Fr Fr this video bussin' 😂😮😲😲 this video hits different 😀😁🤑 no cap no cap

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Glad you enjoyed lol

[@deedledragon]

Yoooo this is so awesome and really well done (someone really cool must've helped edit the script haha) Super impressed 😎

[@thebesttylerintheworld6463]

Yeah the editors are probably super epic

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

It was a fun project :)

[@ChillGuy_0777]

I have had even recent problems with entertainment effecting my spiritual life music, channels, the internet in general at times. I’ve found the internet to be a very scary place that can really mess up your head but I’m so glad I found a Christian channel like this✝️

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

100% man. The eye is the window to the soul and we must be vigilant to discern what affects us the wrong way.

[@teknosqurl8154]

I've often felt a little alone in my enjoyment of horror movies, both from secular people and Christians. While I understand the, uh, stigma? I guess? From the 70/80's slashers using nudity and shock value (obviously not something a Christian would like) to films like Saw revelling in the gore without just payoff. But I've found my belief in God influencing my love of horror films quite deeply, and viewing them from that perspective really enriching. So many horror films are just better with a Christian perspective in mind, and many, intentionally or not, ARE Christian films regardless. It Follows Event Horizon The Void Evil Dead In The Mouth of Madness

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Good stories use Christian principles, agreed. With horror movies, I personally draw the line at things like Hereditary. Films that leave a gross feeling and and are steeped in death are not beneficial, regardless if we're watching with a Christian worldview or not. The eye is the window to the soul, right? I'm not saying horror is bad; I enjoyed the first two seasons of Walking Dead and the original Ringu, but horror is one of those genres that can get gross if one is not careful.

[@MyNamesMarch]

Great video, and great points! On the topic of Christian Horror, I think "Nefarious" is of particular note. I haven't watched it personally, but many theologians have praised it as one of the most accurate depictions of Demonic Possession in film, and audiences have widely reviewed it incredibly well (though critics, naturally, criticized). And also on the topic, I recently read an old essay by G.K. Chesterton on the topic titled "The Nightmare". Its a really quick read, and he provides a fantastic and well-written look on the good and proper Christian approach to horror/terror. I highly recommend reading it, and I'd post a link to it but KZbin seems to snipe any comment with links That said, its in the public domain and very easy to find online!

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Thank you for sharing that! I thought Nefarious was a step in the right direction, and the demonic possession scenes were certainly disconcerting.

[@Hinkl0075]

Wow! This is so well made. Great thoughts and research done on horror movies and how Christians can incorporate it to make a quality movie🙉

[@Pumpkinshireharbor]

We need to embrace genre in the Christian movie space. Horror western sci fi I’m watching Stargate and Farscape lately. Imagine if there was a show like that that handled deep theology and doctrine in an open ended Star Trek way where you don’t allways get a real answer. Like the problem of evil. Why God let’s bad things happen to good people. No cozy rose book of Bible charts answer for that one. I wonder if a show that opens Christians eyes to big challenging questions can even be sold in our modern age of evangelical non denomination minded Christians who are locked into a dogmatic denomination.

[@riosmithe9527]

This is a great idea... I believe if you delve into a pivotal concept on the mind, it may proquest philosophy into a rational outlet for Christian faith and undementional horror concepts. Many commitments Ryder

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

The horror genre has been poorly used in many aspects, but Christians can absolutely use this as an opportunity to promote sensational material. There is a big gap left in the film industry and somebody is going to fill it, either Christians or non-theists.

[@Catclakat]

Love your insight on this! Great video and definitely something that should be discussed :D Personally, excessive gore seems to be a weak way to "shock" the viewers but not as thought out or provoking as true psychological terror/horror. Your statements about Christian worldview was spot on and I really enjoyed the video

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Gore is a prominent issue in the minds of many Christians. I stated in the video that gore can be used to emphasize points, but there is a line one has to balance between too much and just enough to communicate the message.

[@Catclakat]

Agree 100%@@RyderTheOmniscient

[@timcastletv]

As someone who grew up reading Frank Peretti, Bill Myers, and Ted Dekker, I love the Christian horror genre. Nefarious is great, scary, and reasonably Biblically sound movie. I have always been aware that Christians tend to, and probably should, avoid movies with excessive amounts of nudity, gore, or positive depictions of evil or demonic forces, however this Halloween I was introduced to a new set of Christians that I didn't think were real: Those who think scary things are, by nature, evil. They oppose Halloween in general, not because of Celtic roots or some of the evil things that witches or Satanists do on that night, but for celebrating fear in general. I say there are parts of the Bible that are pretty scary. The entire book of Revelation is pretty scary. I don't think we should avoid reading it because it's scary.

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

100% Loved Frank Peretti's Present Darkness series. A good example of portraying deep evil (demons) without glorifying it.

[@zekelerossignol7590]

Could you clarify with an example (e.g. what a Christian zombie film should be like?)

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

There aren't many "Christian zombie films" because it simply hasn't been done. Not a horror film, but The Book of Eli is an excellent film with Christian themes.

[@markcobuzzi826]

@@RyderTheOmniscient *Here are two potential examples of how one can put Christian commentaries into horror movies with zombies:* *1.)* While Bishop Robert Barron may be reaching with this example, I remember when he once reviewed the "World War Z" movie and used its synopsis to help convey a Jesus Christ analogy. *2.)* This one would be more of a "monster movie with zombies in it" rather than specifically a "zombie movie", and this is an idea I came up with in my head rather than an official piece of media that exists. Occasionally, I try to write down some notes about how I would envision an ideal movie series adaptation of Capcom's "Resident Evil" video games. While compiling some ideas for how I would build upon the stories of RE1+RE2, one significant area where I put my own spin on the story was how RE2's antagonist-turned-monster William Birkin would be set up and (re)characterized. I wanted to deconstruct the "Mad Scientist Playing God" tropes a bit, while also reconstructing it in a way the conveys the same themes in a more original and previously unexplored way. *The rest of it below is just paragraphs of extra details...* For example, rather than portraying William like the High Evolutionary in GotG Vol. 3, who thinks himself God, I thought of portraying William as a religious man viewing himself as God's servant. As my version of his backstory is revealed, he starts off as a more well-intentioned person, who believes his scientific genius is a gift God gave him, so that he could be God's instrument to do his work. He would explicitly state that he considers any act of God a miracle, whether it is by direct divine intervention or him acting through humans. I also gave him more benevolent intentions for originally wanting to create the G-Virus (which is different from the T-Virus responsible for most monsters like the zombies, Lickers, supersized animals, Tyrant supersoldiers, etc.). I had William and his wife Annette originally want to make the G-Virus, as a means to grant humans potent regenerative abilities, which could heal amputees, allow paralytics to walk again, reduce the need for organ transplants, and provide an alternative to embryonic stem cells. However, the evil head of the Umbrella Corps. lures him deeper into the company's criminal activities (and I had Umbrella's leader Ozwell E. Spencer retain his characterization from the games, akin to the High Evolutionary). William is coerced into using his genius for Spencer's malevolent intentions, especially with threats to his wife and daughter. William gives in, due to his fear of standing up to Umbrella and Spencer dangling the promise that William will still be allowed to create his G-Virus. This drives William Birkin further into complicity with Umbrella, inhumane experimentation, fear, self-loathing, and a toxic sunk-cost mindset. William later admits he fell for the two lies, that he would be "protecting" his family with his compliance, plus that completing the G-Virus was his best chance to make up for the bad things he did. The latter makes him continue being complicit, yet his increasingly horrible actions make him more desperate to redeem himself, which makes him misguidedly more desperate to finish the G-Virus at all costs. In keeping with RE2's story, I have William eventually try to rebel against Umbrella, seek protection by the authorities, and throw Umbrella under the bus (though, I had his intentions there be more a desire to redeem himself too). Also like in the video game, however, William Birkin's rebellion accidentally causes a T-Virus outbreak in Raccoon City and he injects himself with his G-Virus to survive Umbrella's attempt on his life. While his G-Virus initially saves him and makes him superhuman, William eventually takes too much damage at once, causing his regenerative powers to go haywire, which turns him into an endlessly-regenerating body horror monstrosity. After all of that, his G-Virus ends in disaster. The last thing William leaves behind is a confession tape, where he reveals Umbrella's agenda, while also admitting his own complicity and how he ultimately cannot redeem himself by his own efforts. He begs for his daughter to be saved and allowed to live on without being haunted by his "sins". To further add a sympathetic element and buildup to a plot point played with in RE6, I had William's daughter Sherry be missing her right hand and relying on a prosthetic. This would be another reason Birkin would want to make the G-Virus. In keeping with RE2 and RE6, Sherry ends up being infected with the G-Virus and gaining regenerative powers (which I would show regenerating her hand). She mysteriously never malforms like her father, but there is still the fear that it could happen to her too. Near the end, Sherry is shown observing a painting of a Saint John Damascene miraculously having his severed hand restored. One question raised near the end is whether Sherry never became malformed because the G-Virus could actually "work", whether it was a divine miracle that saved her, or somehow both.

[@themagicpickle69]

Hi it's me again I really did find it a bit bad when you said a slasher like Michael Myers could cause a person to actually kill people makes me remember that scream was changed by the network because they believed people would do something like it even though scream is pointed out the lack of empathy in horror movies back then people outside of the final girl never really had personalities but scream tried to make you feel bad for who is being killed such as Casey Becker in the opening near the end of her life the music playing knowing her parents could have saved her if she didn't lose her voice then her mom screaming at her hanging body I don't see how anyone would want to end anyone's life the idea of horror affecting life was mention in scream 2 SPOILER for scream 2: one of the killers plan is to be caught and blame the movies and at the end of every scream trust me I've seen all of them 200 times the killers all die. TLDR: I hate the idea horror can influence real life

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Yes, it's interesting how movies can subtly influence our thinking. That's why I find it hard to _completely_ relax during a show because there could always be a hidden agenda.

[@Aaaaaaazriel]

❤

[@yamibakura8597]

This is a fairly good video, though I find your concern over gore to be interesting. I understand that presenting such things in a gratuitous nature cheapens them, but to me it is not a moral issue- merely one of taste and quality. One of the things that bad writers love to do most of all is to throw in distractions such as excessive violence or gore, sex, etc to distract from the fact that their story is lacking in things that are actually interesting. Also, you should check out the writings of E. Michael Jones on the horror genre and slasher movies. In his opinion, slashers movies were a direct response to the Sexual Revolution. Consider the sudden outbreak of venereal disease that happens in the late 60s to early 70s and just a few years later, Alien, a horror movie drenched in imagery drawn from rape, sexuality and venereal disease comes out. Slashers movies are similar, conveying the message that engaging in promiscuous behavior leads to destruction. Why is it that slasher villains always kill those people who have sex? It's not exactly subtle, but it is a pattern that can't really be explained any other way.

[@RyderTheOmniscient]

Thank you for your thoughts. Gore can certainly be a matter of taste and quality--some people are disgusted by it and others enjoy it--however as you said, excessive gore can draw away from the story, and that's where I think it is a mistake. I enjoyed season 1 & 2 of Walking Dead, and there is lots of gore, but it isn't pointless. It's when it is pointless that there is an issue. One thing I would have to disagree on is that things like sex can be a matter of taste only. Sexual performances on screen add nothing to the story but pleasure and fan-service. If it really was pivotal for the story, things of that nature can be implied, not directly shown. Coming from a Christian perspective, sex is meant to be confined to a marital relationship only, not for outside eyes. If there was a couple having sex in public, would you stare and try to 'enjoy' their act? Probably not. Filmic sexual acts are the same thing, it's merely on a screen.

[@yamibakura8597]

@@RyderTheOmniscient No, I agree with you on sex. My point is that bad writers add it usually for no reason, other than either to 1) distract from the lack of engaging content and 2) because they think that adding it will inherently make the story better, deeper or more mature.