Morality of watching horror films?

[Brother Adam]

I'll admit once in a while I like a good fright, but I never really thought about the moral implications of watching horror films. Now, I don't go for anything when there is drug use, nudity, overt sexual scenes (except in very rare cases like Schindler's List but that isn't horror), but movies like Nosferatu, Night of the Living Dead, the Sixth Sense seem to be fun movies, but is there something sinful about watching the depiction humans get hacked apart, blown up, or otherwise tormented for a good scare? What about movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th, or even Cube?

[Birgitta Noel]

Hmmm, interesting question. Even though I don't like horror movies....

My first instinct would be to say, nothing wrong.

My second is, ummmm, guilty pleasure? Like watching Will and Grace, or watching Blind Date (which is like watching a train wreck and makes me weep for humanity).

My third is, I'm really not sure. Is it harmess fun? Well, yes, for us. For serial killers no. But, as someone said before, we can't protect against all possible sins that might occur....

So, I dunno. Does it make us devalue human life? What about action films, not Saving Private Ryan, but Rambo? Is it like gratuitous violence? Gratuitous horror? Then again sometimes "he just needed killin" in the action films. Does it matter if they're horror like Hitchcock vs. Friday the 13th ?

This is a great question!

[RC_]

In most horror films, the violence is not protrayed as a good thing, although the gratutious sexual content et al. is...


Nosferatu, Night if the Living Dead (even Return of the Living Dead), Sixth Sence, the Others, Earnest Scared Stupid, Alien, The Screaming Skull, Plan 9 from Outer space, etc. are all good fun movies.

[Nathan]

Horror films are not, of course, inherently "bad." And there are many different kinds of horror films.

I think there [i]are[/i] certainly horror films that are not good for the spirit -- the [i]Friday the 13th[/i] series and its many mindlessly gory imitators come to mind, even though I do like to indulge in them every once in awhile, because I think they can be a lot of fun -- but I also think that there are many action films and comedies that aren't good for the spirit, also.

I dunno.

I guess I believe that partaking in the mindless blood 'n' guts T&A slasher films is probably sinful if you're doing it all the time. That is, if you're "abusing" it. It's like smoking; smoking is bad for you, but it isn't a sin unless you abuse it -- having a cigarette socially, every couple weeks or so, is not sinning.

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='RC_' date='Sep 13 2005, 01:15 AM']In most horror films, the violence is not protrayed as a good thing, although the gratutious sexual content et al. is...
Nosferatu, Night if the Living Dead (even Return of the Living Dead), Sixth Sence, the Others, Earnest Scared Stupid, Alien, The Screaming Skull, Plan 9 from Outer space, etc. are all good fun movies.
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I'd like to meet the person who was ever frightened by Plan 9 From Outter Space... My children could put on a better production than that.

[Nathan]

Gotta love the coagulated milk. :

[Jaime]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Sep 13 2005, 06:33 AM']I'd like to meet the person who was ever frightened by Plan 9 From Outter Space... My children could put on a better production than that.     
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But your kids are geniuses!!

[Sojourner]

[quote name='hot stuff' date='Sep 13 2005, 07:32 AM']But your kids are geniuses!!
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It's true. It's really not a fair comparison.

[homeschoolmom]

Okay. But even a normal nine year old can tell that Plan 9 is a little lacking in production value...

[toledo_jesus]

hm, if you're worried about watching humans get hacked apart, look at your Bible. I mean, Maccabees reads like an action movie, and that's ok.
Horror movies don't serve much purpose beyond entertainment, though. Which is just fine as long as you leave them as entertainment. The last scary movie I watched that actually worked on me was Saw. Creepy. I find gratuitous violence instills in me a kind of blase attitude. I prefer psychological thrillers with a dash of gore.
Night of the Living Dead scared me. For real, I was totally on edge the first time I watched it.

[Sojourner]

My friend Matt dragged me to see whatever the new George Romero zombie movie was ... it wasn't scary, really, just gross. Although I was a little on edge after the fact, which led to a humorous parking garage moment.

But I don't really think horror movies are necessarily morally repugnant.

[homeschoolmom]

I just wish that they wouldn't put ads for them during regular prime time shows.... I was watching... I don't remember something benign like "Extreme Makeover-- Home Addition" (which my kids love) and an ad for "Emily Rose" came on and I couldn't find the remote. So I had to tell HSdaughter to go upstairs NOW! I just wish they were more thoughtful about that kind of stuff...

[Sojourner]

[quote name='homeschoolmom' date='Sep 13 2005, 08:09 AM']I just wish that they wouldn't put ads for them during regular prime time shows.... I was watching... I don't remember something benign like "Extreme Makeover-- Home Addition" (which my kids love) and an ad for "Emily Rose" came on and I couldn't find the remote. So I had to tell HSdaughter to go upstairs NOW! I just wish they were more thoughtful about that kind of stuff...
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I agree with that. That preview was kind of scary, too.

One of my friends who came to dinner the other evening had watched that movie, and so it sparked a long discussion about demon possession and exorcism and the supernatural. It was interesting. But I'm still not going to watch that movie.

[Brother Adam]

yeah i donno. doesn't seem dignified watching slasher movies... after all we are Catholic and uphold the dignity of the human person. :

But I guess I see 'suspense' type horror movies to be okay. I just used to watch horror movies alot, a cult following, so much so Halloween was almost a religious day way back before I was even Baptist

[Sojourner]

I don't see anything wrong with suspense movies, although you do have a point about the dignity thing in slasher films. I don't really like watching those anyway.

Suspense movies can be really fun, in that deliciously scary kind of way.

[Laudate_Dominum]

The genre is not instrinsically evil, but I'd say particular horror films are not worth watching. Subjecting oneself to extremely evil and perverse themes is not a very wholesome form of entertaining. Makes me think of my signature:

Occupy your minds with good thoughts, or the enemy will fill them with bad ones. Unoccupied, they cannot be.
-- St Thomas More

But certainly there are movies within the horror/suspense genre that are totally cool. I never gravitate toward that section of the video store so I guess I don't really know much about the particulars. I do know that Nightmare on Elm street gave me crazy nightmares when I was a little kid.

[Paladin D]

I prefer horror films that rely more on suspense, I'm not really into the gore.

[White Knight]

I think some of the more [b]"realistic horror films"[/b] are [b]"morality indanger alerts"[/b] movies like Halloween in a sense are pretty realistic, despite some of the unrealistic material in it, However, people can In Real Life, walk around with a butcher knive or gun with a mask on and go on a killing spree, unfortunately this probally happens way too much.


How often do victims not see their murderer's faces before they die?

So in a sense this is extremely realistic and likely, and it sould be classified as a Morality Indanger Alert, Because its still wrong in ever way.


Also Horror films are ment only to scare folks, and were not suspost to embrace fear, but other step over it and smash it into the ground, Because Perfect Love cast out Fear. and if you aren't afraid in any horror film, then they cease to have a propose.


Horror films are suspost to scare you, if they dont then you conqerored them, they don't conqeor you.