Information Related to "To See or Not to See: That New Horror Film"
| Audio/Video |
It's Saturday night and your friends are trying to decide how to spend the evening. Will it be a few games of bowling or a trip to the local pizza place or hamburger joint that's always open past midnight?
"Why don't we go see that movie that just opened?" suggests one of your friends. "You know, the one with the awesome special effects and the creepy plot. I hear it's supposed to be the scariest movie of the year!" A few teens begin to nod in approval.
You stand in your circle of friends, unsure of how to respond. Yes, the movie is supposed to be terrifying—so scary, in fact, that there have been warnings about it in local papers. You even overheard a young couple at church discussing the degrading quality of such popular horror films. Still, somehow the positive response from your peers makes it sound appealing. What should you do?
With each new movie release, Hollywood's quest for more advanced special effects and gorier plots seems to escalate. Movie producers and screenwriters know no limit to the infinite "creative potential" they possess, pushing the envelope a little further with each new film.
How can we be more aware of media influences and respond to less-than-godly ideas and storylines? Satan's power keeps growing in all areas of society, pervading films today in particular. Making a decision as simple as what movie to watch might seem trivial to some, but the main idea of this controversial debate is powerful—what we let into our minds determines what we will think about and dwell on, and shapes our thoughts and actions.
How can we dwell on the crude and horrific images Hollywood offers, when God wants us to meditate and focus on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous and of good report (Philippians 4:8)?
Related Information on UCG Sites:
Table of Contents that includes "To See or Not to See: That New Horror Film"
Other Articles by Leslie Schwartz
Re-published from an earlier version
Standards: