Are Horror Movies Bad?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Daughter_of_The_King
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Roseeurekacross said:
What did he describe its potential as? And what horror movies have already done?
Click to expand...
I forget all the exact details. I do remember that he was a fan of The Exorcist. Beyond that, I just remember him having an overall positive, though cautious, view of the genre. It was on a relatively recent episode, and given how frequently the same question is asked here, it’s hard to not take note of his generally positive view of it.
 
It’s an HBO production. People specifically subscribe to HBO knowing they have different rules. From what I remember, the amount of sex / nudity dropped significantly in the later (more recent) seasons.
 
Ratings here are very meaningful, and especially given that streaming and gaming is the new technology. We don’t have DVD / video hire stores anymore.
All genres are so much more accessible. There is a new dialogue on just what social media platforms are, and if they should be censoring content or not, and why.

Swearing and nudity don’t rate an R rating here, they might get an MA, nature audience only.

Your last sentence describes perfectly how desensitised western culture is becoming to violence and horror, and in part that’s due to the atrocities of the 20 th century, ( the most violent in history) and the impact of tv and film since it’s inception and growth through that century.

Regardless of the seen or unseen, horror has a definitive meaning, intense fear, dread, repulsion, dismal, depression. Repulsion.
The horror genre exists to insert these meanings into its art.

The only fear a Christian is called to have is that of a God. Which in turn negates the activity of the horror genre. However , people turn to horror movies for their adrenaline soaked dose of intense fear and loathing and dread. The cult of horror.
 
Unfortunately it would also be easy to take his meaning out of context, without the text.
 
Just like with the Exorcist, a priest was consulted and involved in the making of The Nun, so I’m not sure that it’s flat out wrong. It may be bad for some people, but just because a movie has a satanic element does not mean that it does not have anything of value. The Passion of the Christ also has quite a few demonic/satanic moments, but good ultimately prevails just like in some mainstream horror films.
 
But the Passion of Christ isn’t a horror movie or satanic by nature. There is a positive lesson to take from it. The Nun is anti-Catholic in that they use sacramentals scandalously. While there are positive lessons such as the devil is real and his threats are real, I think it was theatricated
 
Last edited:
Hmmm. Not in and of themselves bad, but if you know there are things in the movie that may tempt you to do something wrong then avoid it. I love the horror genre but wouldn’t let a little kid watch something too extreme. Usually horror is about the danger of evil and the triumph of good over bad. Don’t overthink it
 
Horror moves are excellent in terms of suspense but there is no lesson to be gained from them. Think Hannibal if you have seen it, the sequel of Silence of the Lambs. What positive “good over bad” is there to be gained? Its pure entertainment. Which is fine but you have to know what you are watching it for
 
I would classify The Passion Of The Christ as a horror movie. It depicts the horror of crucifixion in a very graphic manner.
 
For genre, I would classify it as horror.

I cannot imagine who would find it romantic.
 
Well not an arousal-romantic movie. But the overall concept and narrative is spiritually-romantic. But either way, no need to derail the thread. Apologies
 
The truth is the rating system always has been erratic. Even at the beginning of it in the late 60s, there were Gs with swear words, some violence, even a flash of non-sexual nudity. And on the opposite end of the spectrum, there are some Rs that received that rating for a few extra strong words that share the same rating with films that are dark to the core with sex, nudity, violence, and much, much language.
 
I completely agree. I find ratings systems to be inherently unreliable for a variety of reasons, including subjectivity of whoever is doing the rating, the inevitable horse-trading and gamesmanship by filmmakers and studios wanting to achieve a certain rating, and scope creep over time so that a movie that gets a certain rating in year A might get a totally different rating in year (A + 10).

I can generally tell by a short summary of a movie plot and a couple of reviews and the trailer whether this is something I want to look at. And given the number of blogs and moviespoiler sites, it’s not hard to find descriptions of just about every movie under the sun nowadays.
 
Bad acting, bad plots, bad make up…but just another form of entertainment.
 
Roseeurekacross said:
Unfortunately it would also be easy to take his meaning out of context, without the text.
Click to expand...
OK, I managed to track it down. It was the first question in his most recent Q&A episode. The question starts at 3:47. He gives a very quick, “No, I think there’s nothing wrong with it [liking horror movies]” but expands on it. The major points:
  • Not every movie is for everyone
  • He really likes The Exorcist but won’t send everyone to see the movie
  • Horror is good for exploring real evil and seeing that it can be defeated. (This was based on him agreeing with the viewer’s point.)
  • Horror is a genre that has been used in Catholic art throughout history.
  • The genre can be used to “scare us straight”.
  • Discusses “limit experiences”, how horror fits into them, and how God can be better encountered in such experiences. You’ll need to listen to get everything.
  • Says horror can have religious overtones. He notes Stephen King’s own take on horror, and he also points to Bram Stoker’s Dracula as “distinctly Catholic in its sensibilities”.
  • Concludes with a summary of his previous points and adds that he thinks a well-grounded religious person can “appreciate” what horror offers.
 
In my opinion (and that’s all it is) The Passion of the Christ is gratuitously violent with subject matter that is sacred.

Not everything that happens is fit for viewing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top