If you like watching horror films, you’re already a theologian, according to Ryan Duns, S.J.
In his latest book, Theology of Horror: The Hidden Depth of Popular Films, Duns, Theology Department Chair at Marquette University, STM ’14, and BC ’18, uses the lens of horror to explore deeper questions about religious belief. The book weaves together narratives and symbols from horror films with theological and philosophical perspectives.
“Take a film like The Purge,” Duns said. “With The Purge, we have certain social dynamics that we can see in our everyday lives of establishing the status quo. At times, it can be by exploiting the poor and the vulnerable, by making them the scapegoats of society.”
In Theology of Horror, Duns aims to help readers see beyond just the temporal thrill of these films.
“A popular film can make some really powerful points, but you have to open your eyes to see it, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” Duns said.
The connection between theology and horror films, according to Duns, is even stronger in films featuring supernatural and religious elements, such as The Conjuring.
Theology of Horror argues that when someone experiences fear from horror movies, they subconsciously accept the possibility of evil forces entering the world to perform injustices. But reciprocally, they allow for the possibility of unseen, loving forces to have a presence on Earth as well.
“Is this unseen, supernatural force really out to colonize the Earth and bring about the damnation of the people, or is that unseen force life-giving, bestowing, encouraging, loving, and gives you the capacity to hang on in the face of opposition?” Duns said.
Deirdre Dempsey, director of graduate studies and professor at Marquette University, emphasized that Duns’ unique approach toward theology allows young people to talk about different characteristics of the supernatural.
“There are all these people out there, many of them young, who gravitate towards horror films, and this book is an attempt to talk to them about the transcendent,” Dempsey said. “Horror films often call us to a dark transcendent, right? But if there’s a dark transcendent, there’s also the opposite.”
Though Duns is both a theologian and a horror film lover, he said his insights are also rooted in his experiences as an educator, where he noticed that horror was one of the most popular genres among his students. If reflected upon correctly, Duns said horror films can be a powerful tool to spread faith among young adults.
“When I’m teaching first-year students, it is, without fail, the most popular genre of film,” Duns said. “Young adults between the ages of, say, 16 and 28 are the most likely to be unaffiliated or to disaffiliate from a religion.”
Jacob DiNicola, a former student of Duns, praised Duns’ ability to foster insightful discussions among readers. DiNicola specifically noted that the book is written in a welcoming fashion that invites readers from all different backgrounds.
“He really goes above and beyond to make sure that everyone truly understands the material in a very judgment-free and inviting way,” DiNicola said.
In fact, Duns said he took extra steps to make sure that Theology of Horror is easily digestible for young adults and college students. In order to accomplish this goal, Duns invited DiNicola to read over his work and made sure it was understandable to him.
“He wanted to make sure that the book made sense to me and those of my age demographic,” DiNicola said.
The production of the book, however, did not come without challenges. Duns pointed out that it was initially difficult to establish the connection between horror films and theology. Because many consider horror films to be the work of the Antichrist, Duns said biases against these films can turn away many religious people.
Additionally, Duns said it was difficult to identify meaningful horror pieces from the countless horror arts we see today.
“There are lots of books on religion and horror, and some of them are really good, a lot of them are not,” Duns said. “So, there was a lot of material on the surface, but when it came to teasing out the real deep theological ideas, not so much so.”
Ultimately, Theology of Horror is not just a content-rich theology book, but also an invitation to combine entertainment with the complexity of faith. Duns said the book enables readers to learn theology individually by teaching them how to see faith in their everyday lives.
“I want them to think theologically,” Duns said. “Using something like a horror film is an unorthodox starting point, but it gives the students an opportunity to start finding their own voices and to use their theological imaginations in fun ways.”
Specifically in relation to how fear affects us, Duns said he is eager to continue exploring how fear manifests itself within both the spiritual world and humans.
“Fear is all over the place,” Duns said. “But how does fear work spiritually and in us?”
Duns is also planning on furthering his work on theology and horror by eventually writing a follow-up to Theology of Horror.
“I want to do a follow-up to this book because I think I could even make it more fun now that I have the style for it,” Duns said.
Theology of Horror is marketed towards horror-film lovers, anyone grappling with the intersection of faith and fear, and those who are curious about theology. In a time when horror films are so prevalent in society, Duns said the genre can serve as powerful catalysts for spiritual growth.
“The spirit is among us, reconciling the world, us to one another and to God, even though it is opposed by the forces of darkness and evil, that good will win, light will triumph over darkness, that the resurrection is the truth,” Duns said. “Horror movies—when looked at the right way—give you a different way of thinking about the question of evil and about the limits and the importance of human flesh.”
