tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22105457.post7456293186337510568..comments2024-02-22T17:07:38.225-08:00Comments on Diary of an Arts Pastor: The old horror moviesw. david o. taylorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08048604209388355706noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22105457.post-48141966504171538182010-11-02T07:45:30.078-07:002010-11-02T07:45:30.078-07:00Thanks, Tamara. Grace to you and your kids.Thanks, Tamara. Grace to you and your kids.w. david o. taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08048604209388355706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22105457.post-60690330097346323692010-11-01T13:52:54.655-07:002010-11-01T13:52:54.655-07:00so, so helpful, David (and Greg and Laurel!) Than...so, so helpful, David (and Greg and Laurel!) Thank you, again, for helping me to grow in my ability to discern. Especially as I scramble every day to help my children to do the same!tamarahillmurphy.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04557381125830169728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22105457.post-55291010123938846012010-10-31T16:27:24.857-07:002010-10-31T16:27:24.857-07:00Greg, you're right on there. It's such a f...Greg, you're right on there. It's such a fine line between "exposing" evil through innately artistic means and glorying in that evil. I don't imagine it's easy to do. I also guess it's difficult for artists who make horror films or write horror novels to know that they cannot control how their audiences will receive the work.w. david o. taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08048604209388355706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22105457.post-88911198347342378952010-10-29T14:22:53.737-07:002010-10-29T14:22:53.737-07:00My struggle is when I get the distinct impression ...My struggle is when I get the distinct impression that a director, or writer, or cinematographer is taking particular delight in the torture, exploitation, or destruction of the human body. When it's really bad, I start to feel more than a little sick. But, when I get the feeling that the director is as heartbroken as I, then he/she has earned a sympathetic audience in me. Indeed the existence of evil and terror is part of the narrative we all live in, and it's difficult to depict evil without... well... depicting evil.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12798018342131596359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22105457.post-2920288374553917182010-10-29T12:20:59.297-07:002010-10-29T12:20:59.297-07:00Well said, Laurel, well said indeed.Well said, Laurel, well said indeed.w. david o. taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08048604209388355706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22105457.post-73072414437147650872010-10-29T12:13:52.858-07:002010-10-29T12:13:52.858-07:00That was a VERY interesting article, very thought-...That was a VERY interesting article, very thought-provoking. Personally, I do not care for horror movies - but that's because I've got a very acute visual memory, and find that I cannot easily let go of disturbing imagery. (Or, in a nutshell, "What has been seen cannot be unseen.") (I still have quite clear images stuck in my mind from seeing 'The Manitou' back in junior high at a friend's house.) Still, I don't think of the horror genre as evil in and of itself, just as I do not think of a particular style of art or literature as evil. It's a framework to share ideas, a form of communication; it's what you make of it. It can be used for good or ill. I appreciate the strong good/evil dichotomy in many horror movies I've read about and the very few I've seen, but I still can't bear to watch them myself (or to read horror novels, for that matter). My husband, however, has no trouble reading Dean Koontz. <br /><br />I'm glad to read such an insightful, interesting discussion of the idea of Christians and horror movies. I especially appreciate the reference to ancient and medieval art and literature dealing with horror. Many cathedrals and other great works of art contain imagery of hell that is just as demented and disturbing as any more recent visual depiction of evil and chaos. Dante's Inferno is equally laden with horror imagery. More power to Christians who can use horror movies (and literature and art) for good and for God's purposes.Laurelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04643361492814168664noreply@blogger.com