Are Horror Movies Bad?

[tomarin]

I would say most are bad (as in bad quality and unlikely to actually be frightening).

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I think most movies in general are bad quality and do not accomplish their goals of being frightening or funny or whatever (as opposed to movies that are bad quality, but still fun to watch, sometimes because they are so badly made it’s funny).

That’s why it’s fun to ferret out the movies that are actually good quality and/ or interesting/ enjoyable for me to watch.

 

[IWantGod]

Recently I was told that horor movies are bad and can invite demons in. Is this true, that they’re bad?

Some types of media can have an influential effect on a state of mind, especially if it’s a damaged mind to begin with. The question is does it tempt you to do evil and are you likely to succumb to such an evil. Movies in general are not intrinsically evil. The portrayal of evil is not an evil in it’s self. But if by watching that you find yourself having an impulse to express it in real life, then you should try to avoid it.

 

[IWantGod]

That’s why it’s fun to ferret out the movies that are actually good quality and/ or interesting/ enjoyable for me to watch.

The art of real film making and story telling is becoming a rare commodity. I’m forced to look for foreign movies, might even start watching black and white movies.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

might even start watching black and white movies.

Many of the old black and white movies are among the best, including the horror movies.
Check out “Vampyr”, “Vredens Dag” (aka Day of Wrath), “Carnival of Souls”, and the original “Night of the Living Dead”.

 

[Catholicwife32]

Recently I was told that horor movies are bad and can invite demons in. Is this true, that they’re bad?

Most horror film cliches actually stem from the lives of the saints. The virgin protagonist who defeats the monster is stolen from tales of the lives of the saints. It did get adjusted.

There was a book written by the self-proclaimed official exorcist in Rome, but it’s important his role was self-proclaimed. His book became popular and he condemned horror movies and Harry Potter, etc.

I spoke to a Marionite Catholic priest who’d assisted at some exorcisms. He discouraged us from being so afraid. Live a sacramental life and don’t worry about the devil. You’re giving him too much credit. Possession isn’t a sin. It usually is rooted in people being superstitious and is more common in developing countries where people are less educated.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

It’s important that we as Catholics recognize that even in our Western developed countries, there are activities we can engage in that do open portals through which demons can menace us. The most common one I hear about is Ouija boards, and I would also be wary of any kind of Satanic worship, even if the person doing it isn’t taking it seriously. I think so-called “white witchcraft”, tarot and other forms of divination can also be dangerous at least for certain people. Unfortunately there’s a tendency in the West to assume that because we are well educated, we don’t have to worry about this stuff at all because it’s all “superstition” and that can put us in danger if we don’t realize when we are going too far.

However, simply watching a movie or reading a book is a passive activity that shouldn’t open any bad doorways. What it can do is just scare the peewodden out of the reader or watcher, who then based on their own emotions will think demons are coming to get them. When I was much younger I read “Michelle Remembers”, which purported to be the true memoir of a woman who remembered as an adult that she had undergone Satanic ritual abuse as a child. That book scared me plenty and made me feel a bit uneasy about the devil. It was later revealed as a big fictional money-grabbing hoax.