October is nearly over, and autumn is all around. It has become customary at this time of year, when the leaves are falling from the trees and nature seems to put off the look of life, to turn towards stories that frighten us. There is an understandable instinct among Christians to object to the horror genre in principle, since so much of scripture counsels against fear. Horror, however, can serve higher purposes than simply terrifying its audience.
First, there is nothing inherently wrong with the human emotion of fear. Our lives are good, and the instinct to preserve them from danger serves a proper end. Like the rest of our wounded nature, however, this instinct can become disordered. As St Thomas Aquinas explains, fear becomes sinful when it leads us to abandon a greater good to avoid a lesser evil: when, for instance, we betray the truth to preserve our comfort or even our lives. Christ Himself experienced anguish in Gethsemane, yet submitted perfectly to His Father’s will. Courage does not require us to feel nothing in the face of danger; it requires us to act rightly despite our fear. We should ultimately dread the corruption of our souls more than the destruction of our bodies, as Our Lord teaches in Matthew 10:28. A good horror story can help us imaginatively confront this distinction, showing us both what is worth fearing and what is worth suffering to defend.
