Have you ever questioned whether Christians should watch horror movies or not? Here’s the dirty truth.
I grew up with watching horror movies as the norm. It was fairly uncommon to meet anyone when I was young who didn’t watch horror movies, even in the Christian community. When I’d have sleepovers with my friends, horror movies were always the thrill to get everyone afraid during the night.
Out of all of the horror movies that made it to the “big screen” in the 80s, I’d say I’d watched 75%-80% of them all. Strangely enough, I was very tolerant of them, and none truly scared me (that I recall). As kids, we thought it was fun, as did the adults, but as time went on, my perspective began to change.
It wasn’t until roughly around 20 years ago that I saw a trailer of a horror movie where a seemingly dead woman came crawling out of a television screen. The way she moved her body while exiting the television appeared far too familiar for me, as it was certainly bestial and diabolic.
You see, when I was a little girl, I’d witness real-life circumstances almost completely identical to the woman in that movie trailer. It often occurred at the Pentecostal church I attended in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Instances like this typically occurred during deep praise & worship, intense sermons or at alter calls.
So when I saw that trailer, I automatically realized something: somebody knew something. Whoever wrote that film was either exposed to the demonic realm or investigated it because it rang true. It was too real, yet surreal at the same time.
That’s when it clicked! Horror movies are demonically influenced. How so? Where does fear come from? Where does horror originate? That’s right–hell and the devil.
God specifically tells us that fear does not come from Him. Horror especially doesn’t come from Him.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
I quit watching horror movies and programs entirely after coming to the realization of everything I’m about to share with you in this article. If it has anything to do with horror, I now have nothing to do with it.
What You Invite Can Bring About Curses
What we allow in our habitat and what we allow our eyes to see can very well open the door to the divine or demonic realm. The choice is ours.
One thing that I’ve learned from watching horror movies, is that much of it rings true in some form or another. For instance, in vampire movies, it is well-known that vampires aren’t allowed to enter a home without an invitation. Again, somebody knows something!
Demonic spirits are not allowed into a born-again Christian’s home without some sort of an invitation! Do you see the parallel?
How does a Christian give the demonic realm the invitation into their home or environment? The answer is by what they bring into it. For instance, if you take someone’s car and park it in your driveway, will that person not attempt to come onto your property to get what belongs to them? Or if someone finds out you have a piece of artwork they’ve created resting on your living room bookshelf, would you not expect a visitation for their confiscation?
When we bring things that belong to the enemy into our homes, expect a visit. I’ve found that the devil likes to send his little minions to linger around what belongs to him.
I’ve shared this with many Christians. Most of them let it soak in, others challenged me. I often always heard back from those who challenged me…as they were quite surprised by what they came to realize.
I touch on this very subject in my book, I Saw God last Night, as this is something I’m very passionate about warning the body of Christ about.
The Darkest Dark: A House of Horror Movies
Years ago, I spoke with a professing Christian who had an addiction to watching horror movies. They had a vast collection of them stored neatly in their bedroom.
I warned this person that watching horror films, let alone even having them in their home is an open, legal invitation in the spiritual realm for the demonic realm. They responded with, “I’m a Christian. The devil can’t touch me. Plus, there are no demons in my house.“
“How do you know?“, I asked.
This person couldn’t answer, because they didn’t know. All they had been taught in church and theology school were basic religious studies. They weren’t taught about the literal power of God, the supernatural realm, nor the power we have in Jesus Christ once we are His child, or how to apply it. Yet, all of this is mentioned in the same Bible most Christians read, but the Word of God must be digested, not only read.
Anyway, I explained to this person that as a born-again Christian, demons cannot possess you, but they can, in fact, oppress you. (A perfect example is God’s servant, Job.) I then explained that unexplainable situations in their personal life could be caused by demonic oppression, such as: unrelenting depression, mysterious illnesses, a stronghold of procrastination, unexplainable lack, constant rejection, etc. Having those videos in their home could be the root for the oppression they suffered…if any.
The devil and his minions are very clever and conniving; they’re even patient enough to become “sleeper cells” in one’s home, abiding there, waiting to a more opportune time to manifest. I have seen this occur. People (including Christians) bring in the occult, witchcraft, or horror items into their home and confess to experiencing absolutely nothing, until one day…BAMMM!!! Mysteriously, all hell breaks loose (almost literally) with them mentally, physically, financially, or personally, and the only thing that points to the root cause was what they invited into their atmosphere and/or living space.
Back to the story, this person took what I said to heart (or, sort of). So when they returned home, instead of watching one of their horror movies as they’d usually would, almost nightly, they put something else on television. Days went by and they held up pretty well with not watching those horror films. Until one night, as this person was laying in bed at night, they opened their eyes to see “the darkest dark” they had ever seen!
I asked if it was because all of their lights were turned off and curtains closed. They said, “No. I’ve never seen that type of dark before. It was darker than dark, hovering over me. Then a red, untied ribbon appeared floating in front of me.“
I could tell by the way they were telling me this that it frightened them. It was evident to them that it was a demonic spirit or multiple. So, I asked them what they did afterward. They said that they jumped up, opened their door, pointed their finger, and yelled, “Hey you! Get out of here!“
“Did you use the name of Jesus when ordering it to leave?“, I asked.
“No“, they answered
“Well, then the demonic spirits didn’t leave. Demons fear the name of Jesus and can only be cast out using that name and nothing else. There’s literal power in that name!“, I stressed.
“Oh.”
After that conversation, I thought to myself that the demonic spirits in the bedroom were probably snickering to themselves whispering, “Shhh…let’s act like we’re gone.”
This person made an attempt to stop, and when they did, demonic spirits tormented them. Therefore, this person assumed if they started watching those types of movies again, the torment would stop. So they began watching horror movies again, and the tormenting spirits stopped hounding them, or so this person thought. What this person actually did was appease those spirits so they wouldn’t scare them anymore.
No evil spirit could ever be cast out of anything, anyone or anywhere, without one using the name of Jesus. One may ask, “How would I know if something is from God or not?” The answer is simple, and it works: If it flees at the name of Jesus, it’s not from God.
I recommend reading the article I wrote a few years ago called, “Learn From Stupidity”. It sort of piggybacks off this story, pertaining to a time when someone visited our home, bringing in horror films with them.
Unexplained Illness
I once heard a story I will never forget: There was a little girl who always got stomachaches. Her Christian parents took her to the doctors for it often. They did blood work, examinations, everything they could think of or research, but the doctors were stumped. They had no clue what was wrong with the little girl. Her parents felt helpless.
So one day, they invited a person over who they knew had a personal relationship with the Lord, knew the power of God, and who was a prayer warrior. The parents further explained their little girl’s symptoms and how doctors did know what was wrong with her.
When they were through giving this prayer warrior the “run-through”, the first thing the prayer warrior asked was if they had anything of the occult in their home.
They said, “No”.
Then the prayer warrior went through a long list of what could possibly be in their home. When then asked about horror movies, the father stopped and said, “Yes. I love horror movies. I have a huge collection upstairs.“
“Get rid of them! That’s it.“
The little girl’s parents were desperate and would do anything to save their daughter from the anguish she was experiencing. So the father purged their entire house of every single movie that had the genre of horror in it.
Would you believe it? Almost instantaneously, when the horror movies were extracted from this family’s home, their little girl was completely healed!
Her father felt terribly guilty, apologizing to his little girl and wife, knowing that his obsession with horror movies was what caused their daughter’s past unexplained illness, but thanked God for her healing and revelation.
An Exorcist At the Theater
Oftentimes, I don’t like to mention certain movies by name if I know it’s pertaining to satanism and the occult, as it often entices people to watch it, but I’ll have to make an exception for this one, as it made international news.
The Conjuring 2 movie came out in 2016, and much like the first, thousands of people reported experiencing “unusual circumstances” after viewing the film. By the next year, it was reported that 37 people died directly after watching the movie.
It was also reported that many people became demon-possessed in theaters while watching the film (please use caution and prayer if you decide to watch the incident in this link), which called for priests to wait out theater doors if anyone needed an exorcist. Note: Please do not watch this film or anything like it, if tempted.
What To Make of It All
I hear this phrase all of the time from Christians, “I’m protected because the Holy Spirit is with me since I’m saved.” They’re absolutely correct…to an extent. Many of them abuse the love and protection God has given them, not realizing that God is a gentleman and will step aside if we ask Him to.
If Jesus warns us not to do something, yet we do it anyway, then something bad happens, were we not protected? We were, but we rebelled and the Lord compares rebellion to witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23). In rebellion, we also open that door that shouldn’t be opened. God sometimes even considers it as rejection.
Up to date, the only people who’ve attempted to challenge me on the opposition of Christians watching horror movies (let alone anyone, at all) have been…Christians! Shocked? But, they’ve always come back to me with a story afterward confirming what I’d warned them about.
Here’s a little secret: If you share the truth of something with someone who has never heard it before, and it sounds crazy enough to them, they will never forget it! They’ll remember you one day and thank you.
Deuteronomy 7:26 clearly states:
“You shall not bring an abomination into your house, lest you become cursed like it, but you must absolutely detest and abhor it, for it is a cursed thing.”
Deuteronomy 7:26
“Well, what if I just go somewhere else and watch it?”, some may ask. The Word of God encourages us not to set anything wicked before our eyes (Psalm 101:3). Oftentimes, an invitation is not only an invitation into your home but into your life or spirit.
No matter where you give the enemy an invitation, demonic spirits can and will follow you. 1 Peter 5:8 states, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Don’t give the devil an inch of your life!
So, to answer the question, “Should should Christians watch Horror Movies? The answer is a firm, “No!” You cannot be the light in a dark world if you infiltrate yourself with darkness. No one will see your good deeds and the Father won’t be glorified through your actions (Matt. 6:22; Matt. 5 14-16.)
There are many more things of the satanic realm or occult that can oppress the life of a Christian, but this article is solely focused on the dangers of watching horror movies.