Fall 2021 up to evil and leads us astray. Yet Dr. Eckel argued that the reality of evil is something every believer must grapple with. “My concern for the Christian is that you understand that this reality exists, and you can’t simply bypass it as if to say it doesn’t exist and it’s not important.,” said Dr. Eckel. I asked him if we needed to be careful to keep a balance between the light and darkness in what we choose to watch. He corrected me almost immediately, telling me not to use the word “balance.” Rather, he argued, there is tension between light and darkness; as soon as you turn on a light, the dark immediately vanishes. Light always wins. In the same way, God always conquers evil, and evil can never truly win. We know that because God tells us so in His Word. That idea makes horror even more of a potential evangelistic tool because the light of our worldview will only shine brighter in dark places, as Paul tells us in Phillipians 2:15. Case in point, the Hayes brothers, the writers of the first two “Conjuring” movies and both followers of Jesus, said in an interview, “What we’ve tried to do is create films with redemption. They have happy endings. There’s no sex. There’s no violence. There’s no swearing. It’s rated R because it’s a very scary story that happened to real people. This movie is not about glorifying evil, but it’s about the triumph of good over evil”. This philosophy of framing horror stories as desperate struggles between good and evil has become more prevalent in recent years. Personally, I avoided horror movies for years, but then I took Dr. Eckel’s course on Gothic Horror Literature in high school. His class pushed me to explore the genre more, and I have found some incredible films that tell not only amazing stories but also demonstrate valuable moral lessons and give nuanced commentary. Films such as “Get Out,” “The First Purge” and “Upgrade” are films in this genre that surprised me with what they had to say about human nature, morality and society. As Christians, watching such films can help us not only understand the culture we are witnessing to but also better understand ourselves and our need for Christ. Dr. Eckel recognizes that some horror filmmakers take it too far, condemning certain types of horror movies for being gratuitous. He pointed to the “Saw” films as examples of violence for violence’s sake. While he believes that violence can be an important part of telling a story or conveying a message, it becomes gratuitous without that distinct purpose. In the end, Dr. Eckel recognizes that horror isn’t for everyone. His argument isn’t that everyone should become horror fans overnight but that Christians should recognize opportunities for evangelism, artistic expression and the furtherance of the 05 Kingdom that horror films present. And if there are Christians who are drawn to this genre, they should have the support of the Christian community rather than feeling pushed to the fringes. As Dr. Eckel put it, “Everybody’s got their opportunities that they have to invest in the lives of other people, and this is just one arena.” Sam Acosta is a Junior Theatre Comprehensive Major and an A&E writer for Cedars. He likes spending his time watching movies, drinking Dr. Pepper and writing plays.
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