God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. –2 Timothy 1:7

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. –Philippians 4:8

If in doubt, cast it out. –Win Worley

Horror is demonic, because it is fear-driven. This is my second try with it. I’ve been binging on the AMC Fear Fest with non-stop horror movies. This is the second time I’ve heard animal sounds growling in my mind, along with other strange scary sounds. I had this happen several times last night after watching Halloween. This is not meant to condemn that one isolated single horror movie, but I believe the entire horror genre. The last time this happened, I was on an It binge and it made me throw my It book out. I also had a pen knock off my desk by itself nearby the It book. I know it appears strict or legalistic, but I’m not going to take risks with my mind, or my children’s minds, just for the sake of watching a thrilling horror movie. If demonic, negative paranormal side-effects HAVE to happen from watching horror movies, then they are not worth me spending my time on. I was also hearing scary voices, as well as hearing “I am the greatest” in my mind, when I was thinking about writing a horror script for movie studios. Many horror makers are agnostics and atheists (Stephen King and John Carpenter for example), so they can brush away these negative paranormal things if they happen to them. I can’t. I will have to re-focus my writing ability towards theology again, but this time pseudonymously, because I’ve found that writing and YouTubing creates a conflict of interest with businessmen.

Horror is a word for intense fear. Fear for the sake of fear is not within God’s will, I am now convinced. While God would not have us be cowardly, at the same time, God “has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). But the devil is a spirit of fear; and it is through the spirit of fear that he throws people’s minds out of whack; and puts them into mental hospitals. I’ve been aware for many years that books on spiritual warfare and deliverance tend to recommend against watching horror films, because they are linked as a cause for hauntings and demonic oppression of the mind (e.g., Derek Prince’s They Shall Expel Demons, pp. 107, 125, 235). They are not as dangerous as Ouija boards in their link with demon possession, but I have personally experienced a cause-and-effect reaction between horror and negative paranormal phenomena. When I was in 5th or 6th grade it happened; and recently on June 21, 2020 (after buying the It book and watching all of the It movies) and October 4, 2020 (after watching a Halloween marathon on AMC). I’m just sharing my experiences here. I don’t think this should be a rule for everyone; all of this is highly subjective and based on experience. But maybe you’d be validated if you were going through the same things. That’s why I thought I’d share all of this.


UPDATE – 10/17/20

Why I’m Giving Up Horror: Part 2: Demon Centered Horror

I think I’m going to revise my view on horror just a bit. Its not my objective to rain on anyone’s parade of thrills and chills during this season. Often, people see horror as a thing of fun and harmless entertainment. Honestly, I’ve always been a bit of a morbid child; and even now tend to gravitate towards the macabre, even when I tell jokes. But just to clarify, this year I have personally experienced demonic growling in my mind, a pen knocking off my desk, and nightmares, directly following the watching of It, Halloween, and a show on the Travel Channel called Portals to Hell. My primary objective is to avoid the kind of demonic oppression that can clearly come as side-effects from watching things like this. At this point, in revision, I think condemning the entire horror genre is a bit too strict, but I am led to believe that demon-centered horror is what should be off limits for the Christian. Even in the movie Halloween, the killer Michael Myers is somehow demonically empowered, because he just can’t be killed…he keeps coming back. In all the shows that contributed to me experiencing oppression on any level–in all of them–a demon of some type was at the center of the horror film, as part of plotline. I think that demon-focused horror is the problem; and if anything, it is this sort of film type that seems to tell the devil and his minions all around us, “Hey you guys, come on in, the water’s fine. I’m entertained by you. I am using the devil as my entertainment for the time being.”

In other words, what I am getting at is this: I don’t think horror, per se, is the sin, so much as devil-entertainment is the sin. Its like in the Ten Commandments, when God said, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). I wonder if when we watch movies that are demon-focused, like The Exorcist or The Conjuring, that we are in a sense, worshipping the devil. I mean, we’re definitely giving him plenty of attention, if not admiration of his demonic powers. We might reason, yes, but the Catholic element in these movies displays God’s power at work too–yes, but the objective of these movies is to display the devil’s power, and to produce a fear of those powers at work. And in God’s eyes, in the devil’s eyes, watching demon-centered horror might actually be in spirit a form of devil worship. The Greek gods Deimos and Phobos where the gods of terror and panic: they were gods of fear, and they were worshipped as real spiritual entities by the ancient Greeks. The name Phobos is where psychology gets its word for phobias. I see no reason why watching demon-centered horror movies–no reason at all–why movies like that would not announce to fear spirits like these to make themselves at home in your house; and to then mess with your mind, with your thoughts, your dreams, and your personal belongings…and your children.

My current view is that while movies like Psycho (1960) or The Silence of the Lambs (1991) would fall into the horror category, they do not however, fall into the supernatural horror genre or the demon-focused horror category. They are horror, or maybe thrillers, or suspense movies. They are scary movies about serial killers. But they are not demon-focused horror movies about ghosts, goblins, Satan, and demons. Maybe thrillers are not the healthiest things to watch all the time, they could produce edginess or anxiety. Movies like The Thing (1982), The Blob (1988), and The Fly (1986)–all scary, thrilling science fiction movies, which cross into the horror genre–these might not be the best things to watch before going to bed. But I think that a person’s mind is much less at risk of demonic oppression, evil voices, and ghost activity when it comes to watching thrillers and sci-fi movies. Demon movies however, for personal reasons, I am choosing to steer clear of; and I think other Christians should too. Because nobody wants to hear the devil’s voice at 11:30pm when they are trying to lay down and get some sleep.