Is it sinful for Christians to watch horror movies?

Horror movies and TV shows are everywhere in the month of October. It is the most popular time of year to turn on the latest entry in what has become a major genre in filmmaking.

Yet, some Christians are horrified at the popularity of horror.

Is it sinful for Christians to enjoy such scary films?

From the Church's point of view, there is no official prohibition of the horror genre. This means that watching a horror movie largely rests on a person's personal discernment.

Steven D. Greydanus explains that, "[t]he grotesque, the macabre, and the frightful have an abiding place in human imagination and culture — a place that Christian sensibility has historically not seen fit to reject or condemn, at least entirely."

At the same time, this does not mean that all horror is good for a Christian soul to consume. Many films will display scenes of excessive violence, ones that are can make some people throw-up.

Additionally, some horror films praise the occult and satanic, holding them up as valid paths for anyone to follow.

We can't deny the fact that "we are what we eat," and that if we are obsessed with horror and fill our lives with it, our souls will inevitably be changed by it.

Greydanus writes a similar advisory, "As with many other things, I would not recommend horror as a major staple of one’s diet, any more than violent war films or other fare that depicts extreme suffering or is highly traumatic. Such fare should be taken in moderation, just as the films themselves must exercise restraint in dealing with their subject matter."

A little bit of horror can be fine, but if it starts to change who you are and if you begin to really fear Satan, thinking that he is more powerful than God, then it may be good to stop watching.

As with all things, prayer and discernment is important, as well as advice from a trusted spiritual advisor.