Is it possible?

[FishWithOutFeet]

What do you think? Is it possible to write a Christian horror novel? I love horror novels and Thrillers. However, in most cases the bad guy wins. Plus the bad guys tends to do horrible things, and it dabbles with the dark side. So is it morally possible? :rolleyes:

[wgjones3]

Yes..........

[Merry]

What? Horror is probably the most conservative, goodvs evil genre in existance.

[FishWithOutFeet]

True, but in many cases it involves demonics. Plus, if you look at many of the horror flicks, rarely does the good guy win. And when he does, they always have a sequel where the bad dude comes back. I guess the better question is, is it morally possible to write a horror book where the good guy never wins?

[wgjones3]

Again, yes.

[FishWithOutFeet]

Again, yes.

again with the yes, care to explain your view on it? I started the thread to talk about it. I dont claim to have the answer, just looking for a discussion. !thumbsup!

[MysticFire]

Yes. Frank Peretti wrote ''The Oath'', which this monster was made up from people's sins, I think...
There was this one book I read called ''Driven'' by W.G Griffith, but that made be a little too....deep. I know there's a second one to it, though I've never read it...the first one was very creepy...From what I hear, the second book isn't as graphic as the first...
But yes, it's quite possible to make a Christian horror. I like a little bit of horror myself and, to me, a Christian horror can be better than a movie. It's different, it's unpredictable, and they're doing something better than running around screamining and allowing themselves to get sliced and diced. Give me some people who can actually fight!
Preferably females, cuz they're always sobbing and acting like they don't have a clue, and you got some wanna-ba macho male trying to save the day and ends up making it worse. The woman's got a brain..make her use it.

[wgjones3]

A Christian book is one written from a Christian worldview. That doesn't mean it follows any set formula. As Derek Gilbert once remarked on his podcast, the idea isn't necessarily to write a feel good story, the idea is to write fiction which takes place in a world where God exists, where Jesus Christ died for the redemption of mankind, and where the supernatural forces that exist are forces already alluded to in the Bible--angels, demons, Nehalem, etc...

A lot of popular horror movies revolve around religious imagery anyway (I actually wrote an undergrad thesis about this). There's a particularly strong Catholic theme in many horror movies (The Exorcist, End of Days, etc...). Perhaps this stems from a perceived mysticism revolving around the Catholic rites, I don't know. But the groundwork for mixing religion and horror has already been laid by the secular world. What hasn't been done, to my knowledge, is the incorporation of thematic horror elements within a Christian worldview.

So the real question is, what defines horror? There are probably a half million answers to that but the heart of it is, horror is whatever frightens us. In It, that was a killer clown. In Ringu, it was a strange videotape that mysteriously brought death to those who watched it. In The Blackstone Chronicles, it was the evil aura of objects taken from an asylum where patients were tortured, raped, and killed--an avenging spirit, so to speak. In Frankenstein, it was the monster who was borne of a desire to cheat death, that ultimately took the life of everyone its creator loved. In all three of these examples, the ultimate fright is the death that comes from some bizarre, supernatural medium.

Can a Christian write horror? Why not? But to do so, there has to be a deep understanding of human psychology. You wouldn't be able to create a very effective slasher story where everyone gets chopped up and they spend the whole book running for their lives unless you dove deep into the psychology of the hunted. Imagine a story where a group of people are hunted by a violent killer. One by one, they're killed. Let's say they're all on an island, that there's no hope of escape. The Christian worldview would be expressed through the reactions of the victims. Maybe one of them is a priest. Maybe all of them were Christians and their situation forces them to reexamine their spirituality. The circumstances draw some to depend on God, to pray and finally come to a point where they know that no matter what happens, their soul is safe and they will be in heaven when they die. But then you have some whose reliance on God was only a comfort thing, that when they realize there is no magical escape, they turn on God. They deny God. They shed their faith and look for another way out. That would make for a compelling examination of human motivation.

The idea that the hero dies isn't amoral. Heroes die every day. The death of John Coffee in The Green Mile was a very monumental moment in the story. Imagine if it had been used as a catalyst to draw the characters closer to Christ. Look at the stories of the Martyrs who went to their deaths rejoicing that they would soon be with Christ, an unexpected reaction that actually drew people into the church. The same could be applied to horror.

I could go on but I've said too much. The bottom line is, it's all in the handling, the delivery. The only two books I've ever read which I consider remotely scary are The Haunting of Hill House and The Shining; in both books, the scare comes more from psychology than a supernatural boogieman. And there's no reason why a Christian writer couldn't capitalize on that psychology too.

[FishWithOutFeet]

Is it harder to write one? I would feel a responsibility to be biblically accurate. Then again, I dont think a monster made up of all our sins is really accurate. Hmmmmmm. Any other ideas? :D

[FishWithOutFeet]

Can a Christian write horror? Why not? But to do so, there has to be a deep understanding of human psychology. You wouldn't be able to create a very effective slasher story where everyone gets chopped up and they spend the whole book running for their lives unless you dove deep into the psychology of the hunted. Imagine a story where a group of people are hunted by a violent killer. One by one, they're killed. Let's say they're all on an island, that there's no hope of escape. The Christian worldview would be expressed through the reactions of the victims. Maybe one of them is a priest. Maybe all of them were Christians and their situation forces them to reexamine their spirituality. The circumstances draw some to depend on God, to pray and finally come to a point where they know that no matter what happens, their soul is safe and they will be in heaven when they die. But then you have some whose reliance on God was only a comfort thing, that when they realize there is no magical escape, they turn on God. They deny God. They shed their faith and look for another way out. That would make for a compelling examination of human motivation.


VERY well put!!

[MysticFire]

Well, not all our sins exactly, but...Oh, it's been awhile since I've read this...this one town did something horrible that created it...and now, when someone does something...they get this black spot over their heart, which draws the creature and it eats them, to be blunt. (As I said, it's been awhile.)
I don't think it'd be hard to write a horror. As wg said, it's from a Christian viewpoint. How a Christian would handle it or, if not a Christian, how something so horrible would drive someone to the point to realize there is a God and He's the only one who can save them.
Speaking of, there was this one book..."Chyatoka" (sp? It was a long name and I believe it was Indian, I'm not sure. I read that book...Christmas before last, I think) It was about a bunch of demons in this one person terrorzing people.
If you want to know more about it, I'm sure I can look it up...but spelling is not one of my strong points.
It was a short book, and I was a little disappointed in that, but it was...decent, not one of the best. It depends on a person's taste, I suppose.

[wgjones3]

Thanks, FishWithoutFeet.

I know she's uber busy, but Merry was a horror writer before she was saved, and she's still very, very good at it. She's really changed my view on the genre as a whole. Once you get access to the fiction workshop, be sure to check out her story, "Bless the Children (http://4Believers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3642)."

Here's another story she wrote, which is posted at Infuze magazine (registration is required to read it; however, it's worth it--the whole site is awesome): http://www.infuzemag.com/creative/stories/archives/2005/03/ellie_by_michel.html

Ellie isn't quite a horror story, but you can see the roots of it there.

[Dustin]

Just knock yourself out trying to write a christian horror. I know adventually you will figure out how to write one.
Personally I have no idea where to begin with writing horror. Especially horror that contains Moral values.

[Sylviane]

The word "horror" is defined as an intense, painful feeling of repugnance and fear (dictionary.com)
Horror movies are made with the primary purpose of spreading fear or the sensation of fear.

If you make a horror film, what would the message be? My response is that you can make one if it portrays actual facts described in the Bible, like hell; and a movie in which the devil is the bad guy and he is overcome sometime before the end.

I can't however, see myself watching a horror movie, even if it's Christian.

I wonder why you like such strange things???

[Merry]

I saw Jones mentioned 'Bless the Children' here so I should tell you I recently sent it off to a secular horror magazine. I am still chuckling because I received a letter from them which basically said they don't know what to do with it yet. Apparently, it was well received, but they are actually struggling with the issue of 'tastefullness.' LOL!!! Question: when do horror mag's worry about tastefulness? When the subject is abortion.

I think, in the end, they will take it and I think that would be a good thing. And not just because of the check, but because this was written with a secular audience in mind. Just in case there is anyone out there who thinks abortion is a good idea, then hopefully Globs amorality and suffocationg bitterness would help give them reason to think otherwise.

And I think that is one of the good things about using horror, it can be a great way to teach without preaching. Any sin taken to a logical conclusion ends up some place terrifying, so it also works as a show, don't tell process. Take that 'formula' and you could probably write a decent short story tonight.

While it is certainly worthwhile to spend time writing works for our fellow Christians (we all need the encouragement, and thank God for those who have that gift to encourage) it is the unsaved, (and perhaps some slumbering Christians) who need to be awakened to the true nature of sin before they wind up earning their terrible wage. Hmmm 'A Christmas Carol' comes to mind. (Betcha didn't know that's considered horror...ghosts supernatural stuff...the Grim Reaper...and CHANGE...) I realize Hollywood does some rather pointless things when it comes to horror, but they obtain the same pointlessness when it comes to relationships, love, anything really, so Holly wood isn't a good measure of the genre.