Is “Christian Horror” Becoming a Trend?

Just when I was beginning to think “edgy Christian fiction” is an oxymoron, something has caught my eye…

It’s a trend toward “Christian horror.” Okay, that’s not the term we like to use. The horror genre is usually equated with occult-laden splatter flicks aimed at indiscriminate teens or uncivilized adults. Whether or not that distinction is totally accurate, Christians tend to favor “thriller” or “supernatural suspense” as the term of choice and distance themselves from being labeled as “horror writers.”

It was refreshing to hear one acquisitions editor from a Christian publishing house recently admit that the distinction between “horror” and “supernatural suspense” is purely semantical. Nevertheless, there is increasing evidence that Christian authors are skirting that line, pushing the proverbial envelop, and challenging the traditional boundaries between Christian Fiction and the horror genre. Some of that evidence includes:

• Eric Wilson’s Undead Trilogy — slated for October release; it includes, of all things, vampires!
• Sta Akra — Sta Akra is Greek for “on the edge” — a group of nine successful Christian authors like Tim Downs, T.L. Hines, Bob Liparulo, and Melanie Wells, pushing toward more “edgy” Christian Fiction.
• Kathy Mackel’s “Christian Chillers” — it’s a term she’s coined to re-frame the “Christian horror” category.
• Anne Rice‘s upcoming “Christian vampire” story — As reported in Time magazine earlier this year, in an article entitled Lestat Lives. Ms. Rice says the story will be “redemptive” (in keeping with her recent conversion to Catholicism).
• Coach’s Midnight Diner — Described as “A hardboiled anthology of horror, mystery, and paranormal fiction” with a Christian spin. As an editor of the mag, I can attest that the next issue will be bigger, better, and more creepy, than the first! Booyah!
• Fear and Trembling — an e-zine sponsored by the folks at Double-Edged Publishing showcasing “horror and dark fiction” that “will not offend traditional Christian values.”

Okay, so it’s not earth-shattering, but things like this give me hope that the ocean liner that is Christian Fiction is slowly changing course (at least, broadening her horizons).

Maybe I’m in the minority, but when it comes to fiction I have little qualms about splicing the terms “Christian” and “horror.” After all, some of the basic staples of Hollywood-ized horror (see: sin, evil, the Seven Deadlies, the Devil, Hell and their associated torments), find their roots in Scripture. The Bible is replete with demons, wailing and gnashing of teeth, the slaughter of children, human sacrifice, souls in eternal anguish, and blood. Heck, Dante’s Inferno contains some of the most macabre, disturbing images in Christian literature.

No doubt one of the main reasons we Christian authors distance ourselves from the horror genre is the disproportionate amount of crap found there. But there’s a big difference between pointless gorefests like Saw, Hostel, and The Hills Have Eyes, and the supernatural and psychological terror of films like The Exorcist, The Sixth Sense, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Likewise, there’s a decided dissimilarity between the “horror” of Dean Koontz, Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti, and the Texas Chainsaw Massacres of the world.

If any genre is ripe for the Christian imagination, it is “horror.”

Whether or not we are trending toward something new in Christian Fiction has yet to be seen. But I would personally be excited about believers claiming — or re-claiming — a place in the discussion.

Tags: christian horror, christian fiction