Others will look at all the problems the genre comes with and steer well clear. Some people will never watch a horror movie, and they’ll never want to. Horror is a complicated genre, to be sure. They remind us that while terrors (real and imagined) do sometimes haunt us, there’s a God who can deal with such monsters. Spiritual EffectsĪnd some-dealing as they do most explicitly with good and evil, with light and darkness-remind us of a greater truth. A Quiet Place, which I’d classify as a horror flick, features enough strong elements in it to even earn a place on our “ Best Movies for Adults” list back in 2019. But if it wasn’t, its cautionary fables warning against technological excess would sound a lot like we at Plugged In might say.Īnd some horror stories can even inspire as they scare. The Netflix series Black Mirror is just filled with problematic content. But for me, the most impactful was actually a little-seen horror movie called Relic. We’ve seen a lot of impactful movies about Alzheimer’s and dementia lately (one of which, The Father, earned Anthony Hopkins an Oscar). The Babadook is not only a really creepy, bothersome movie: It’s a purposeful take on mental illness. Warnings and ConcernsĪnd the beat goes on. The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, made in 1956, is seen as a Cold War Metaphor-the “body snatchers” being stand-ins for the soul-sucking communist threat. It was something that its creators in Japan had tragically some experience with. Godzilla was originally a cautionary tale against nuclear power and war. Early movies built around Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula (including 1922’s Nosferatu) reminded us of realities-and evils-that science often underplayed and has no ability to combat. Frankenstein, made in 1931, reminded us to not turn science into a god itself. Some believed that science, not faith, held all the answers. In the 1920s and 30s, science and technology were radically transforming the world. But many tap into fears we have, individually or collectively, and perhaps help us to grapple with them. Also, they aim to earn a few million bucks from unwitting teens. Sure, some horror flicks are just an excuse to unleash a few jump scares. So in an unexpected way, horror movies give me language, and a frame of reference, that help me communicate more clearly what I feel.Īnd sometimes, those movies can even be a tool to process the real-life horrors I might be facing-to look at issues and problems in a different way.įolks in the business of making horror movies often understand that dynamic-and honestly, they always have. Family issues can make my world shake like a cheap disaster pic. Deadlines can feel like a shark circling in the water. Many a problem can find comparisons in fright flicks. Of course this dynamic isn’t just isolated to issues of mental illness. It can feel, at times, like a haunted house: Something other is stalking the hallways of your mind. Sucking away your ability to enjoy what you used to enjoy, to isolate you from those who love you. Something that takes over your ability to think and act as you’d like, that turns you into something that you’re not. It can feel, at times, like cinematic-style possession. When I describe what depression’s like to someone, I often compare it to the horror movie tropes I’ve seen. But other films, movies that we’d never be able to give a Plugged In family stamp of approval to, have helped in their own weird ways, too. Some movies, such the The Lord of the Rings films, can inspire people like me-and really, anyone going through tough stuff-to push through. And I’ve written in this very space about how movies are a strange, but often strangely encouraging, part of that journey. I’ve dealt with depression for much of my life. So, yes, it can be difficult for Plugged In to say, “Yes, take the kiddies to Halloween 34: The Bride of Halloween!” There are movies with a demonic or ghostly hook that might encourage an unhealthy fascination with the occult. And they cause me a little unease during dark, quiet nights.) And then, of course, there’s the supernatural aspect that lots of Christians steer well clear of. (Some movies I saw as a kid are still with me all those years later. We know that those images can stick with you for a while-even a lifetime. In addition, most horror movies try to scare through some pretty problematic content and disturbing images. Better to walk out inspired to be a better person than be inspired to check the back seat of your car for serial killers, right? Understanding the Appeal of Horror Moviesįirst of all, the purpose of a horror movie is to scare you, right? That’s probably not the moviegoing experience we’d be likely to encourage.
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