Commentary: The Beauty of the Grotesque

Mention that you are both Christian and a fan of horror, and folks often react with shock.  Eyes widen,  jaws drop, and all that lovely stuff.

   Yup, that's the look.

Now maybe some small part of this has to do with the fact that horror and gratuitous nudity are often thought to go hand in hand.  Yes, if I had a dollar for every time I've explained, "But I don't like that part," I'd have...well, about 10 dollars or so, since I'm not constantly revealing my love of horror to new people who don't already know that, but you know what I mean:  That some people think that if you like a genre or a movie, you must like everything that goes with it, and obviously in modern horror there are certain things, whether it's racy sex or just bitter and cynical implications, that don't exactly scream "Christian."

But I think that this suspicion of Christians enjoying horror runs deeper than that, that there is something more basic behind the shock people feel if a devoutly religious movie goer reveals a love of watching monsters and maniacs chasing their prey (um, fictionally, of course).    It's simple.  People wonder what business Christians, with our talk of love and light, have watching the horror genre, which is not exactly known for its wealth of sunshine and kittens; "What fellowship has darkness with light?" and all that.  

Now, I could respond that some horror works have inspirational themes, that there is artistic merit and beauty to the cinematography, or that certain rare films reach farther than scares and into the world of philosophy and "meaning of life" statements.  That's all true; but let's be honest.  Most horror fans, even among Christians, enjoy even those stories or movies that are derivative, dark, or make no particular statement at all.  

How can we justify this? 

Because scary stories and gritty tales are an expression of our sense that God doesn't make mistakes.  

Wait, what?!

Okay, let me explain with an anecdote.  Once upon a time, there was a fellow (me, in case you're wondering) who was browsing a religious forum.  He clicked on a topic that seemed pleasant enough, about the "beauty of God's creation," where people were free to talk about how the existence of cute critters and beautiful scenery reinforces the belief in God.  Then, into this pleasant stroll through cyberspace, wandered a wise guy who posted a giant picture of a huge tarantula, like right up in its big-and-clearly-ticked-off-about-to-eat-you grill, evidently taken at point blank range by a brave, brave photographer who didn't fear getting his hands bitten off.  

The wise guy's argument, of course, was "Well then how do you explain things like this?"  Fortunately, someone else in the conversation, after giving Mr. Wise Guy a well-deserved reprimand on the part of all the arachnophobes (no, he didn't give a warning before the picture, and yes, he was probably mean and sadistic and giggling with glee on the other end of cyberspace), said that yes, in its own way, even that was beautiful.  And that is what horror is all about:  Recognizing the beauty of the things that give us the heebie jeebies, and celebrating the existence of all that goes bump in the night...because, even if things like gargantuan spiders and fish with faces straight out of an H. P. Lovecraft story are the cause of sleepless nights and endless paranoia, some part of us recognizes that it's good that they exist.  Somehow, even if we don't like scary things, God created them, and some part of the human person recognizes that they "fit" into this world.  

True enough, there are ugly things in horror stories that we shouldn't celebrate literally.  Murder, witchcraft, and man's inhumanity to man are obviously not God's creations, and are results of the Fall that we should mourn, not celebrate.  And horror that delves rather explicitly into these things should probably be in the "has a redeeming or at least meaningful message" category.  But it's just as true that in many horror films, even the human maniacs are more like forces of nature than evil people.  Jason Vorhees is more of an animal in human form, than a man.  The killers in Dario Argento's vintage films are often not even shown until the end, further detaching them from humanity.  

So no matter whether the scary thing in a movie or book is a human or a monster, they often represent our fears of scary things that happen naturally:  Beasts and abominable looking nasties that make you wonder if God Himself doesn't like telling scary stories, and he titles them "hellgrammites" and "angler fish", etc. etc.  Horror brings us face to face, in a "safe" way, with the fact that on some level we like the thrill that comes from knowing scary things are out there.  It makes us feel more alive somehow.  It makes the world more interesting.  In other words, we recognize the "beauty" of them.  It's a different kind of beauty than, say, rainbows and prairies, but it's there in its own way.  In fact, the very people who insist that Christians shouldn't enjoy scary things are only agreeing with that internet wise guy who thought the existence of scary, "ugly" things is incompatible with the existence of a good God.

So the next time you hear someone say:  "I just don't see why a Christian would enjoy watching something dark like horror," you can think to yourself "I just don't see how a Christian could think that God messed up when He made the dark and scary things" and enjoy your movie guilt free.  And then, go hug a puppy or something to fend off the nightmares.  Or not...if you're brave enough...or scared of puppies.

                                                             

Movie Review: Playback

Every once in a blood-moon horror is graced with a true masterpiece. Something that either redefines the genre, or reminds us why we fell in love with the old ghoul in the first place. Sadly, Playback is not one of those works. No, no. Playback is the kind of film that reminds us that Hollywood typically has no idea what it's doing when it comes to what makes great horror.

Playback's story centers around a group of teens, led by the dashing young Julian, (played by Johnny Pacar , who, by the way, actually played his role pretty well) researching a decades old massacre that occurred in their town. And by researching, I mean, making an offensive indie horror film of it for their journalism class. Admittedly, the murders were bizarre and pretty creepy: Harlan Diehl filmed the murder of his parents and topless step-sister in their small, rundown farm house, the cops arriving just in time for him to finish off his topless step-sister, but sparing her newborn baby. Did I mention the step-sister is topless? You've been warned!

Sadly, the original video is the best part of the movie horror-wise, and it's over pretty quickly. Now, as you might expect, digging up old, bloody history like this doesn't sit well with any of the older folks, particularly Julian's mom. But Julian, ever the hardened journalist, keeps digging deeper. He enlists the help of creepy tech-geek Quinn (portrayed by Toby Hemingway), but when Quinn uncovers some of the original tapes, the spirit of Harlan Diehl, somehow trapped within the film, possesses him. Quinn's descent into madness is swift, as he gains the ability to reach into the minds of others through cameras and will them to do his bidding. As you can imagine, things get pretty ridiculous from there, the the movie begins to feel more like dark science fiction than horror.

My biggest complaint, however, is about the only Christian character in the film, Deedee (played by the lovely Jennifer Missoni). (And by Christian, I mean she is considered "innocent" [or naive] and wears a cross. . .which the director feels the need to emphasize) No, no, thank God, she isn't your typical Hollywood bigot-Christian. She doesn't stone any gays or molest any little boys. It's just. . .she's a complete idiot. I want to say airhead to be a little more lenient. . .but idiot seems more than appropriate. And of course, a film about mind-control wouldn't miss out on a chance to have a hot Christian chick do a strip-tease for a pervy cop. (Yes, there's a perverted cop who plays a fairly pointless role . . . and yes, he's played by Christian Slater . . . oh Slater, what happened?) All that said, Deedee isn't necessarily an unlikable character either. . .nope. . .just dumb.

Deedee's clueless expression after being asked her age

The film wasn't an entire letdown though. The acting is pretty good, and while uninspired (Deedee), the characters are all quirky and interesting enough that you want them to survive. And I'll admit, the last fifteen or so minutes of the film did have me on edge -- there's some good suspense there if you're willing to wait for it.

In the end this was a kind of fun movie to watch, but nothing new or notable. . .oh, and did I mention the topless step-sister?

Overall Score: 2 out of 5

Movie Review: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

If you're a fan of horror and dark fantasy, and you haven't heard of Guillermo del Toro, you may just be a hermit. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) I'm tempted to end the review here by saying: "This is a Del Toro movie. Watch it." But since we're here, I might as well give you some details.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark tells the story of a cute but creepy little girl named Sally (played by Bailee Madison), when she moves in with her estranged father and his girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes) who are in the midst of renovating a lovely rustic mansion. The mansion once belonged to a famous painter . . . who went mad. Of course the history of the place is quite a bit more colorful (and gory) than just that, but I bet you already figured that out. And guess what? They all three get to live there while they're working! -- what could possibly go wrong?

It isn't long before Sally hears the walls calling her name, calling her into the basement to play. What's in the basement, you ask? Something that shouldn't exist. Something very hungry, that has been locked away since the house's former caretaker met his untimely end. But I won't spoil it for you.

Don't be Afraid of the Dark is darkly enchanting from start to finish. Those looking for atmosphere will not be disappointed.

More than that, the film focuses plays on the feelings of isolation, frustration, and general disillusionment felt by any child who has gone through having their parents divorce -- and that's where it really shines. We love Sally, but more than that, we feel sorry for her. She's forced into a new home and life, she may just be getting a new "mom," and on top of all that, something in her new home-sweet-home wants to eat her.

There are some fairly creepy moments in this movie, although fans of grittier stuff won't find much to appreciate in the film's more whimsical execution. The only truly disappointing moment in the film comes in the form of a twist at the very end. It isn't that it was contrived. . .just that I had to go online to figure out what it meant!

The movie is Christian safe (as far as horror can be "safe"). Nothing blasphemous. No on-screen sex. Very little swearing. I'm not suggesting you let your six-year-old watch it, (oh God, please, don't) but you'd be hard-pressed to find anything offensive here.

Overall? Watch this movie. You won't regret it.

Overall Score: 5 out of 5