SciFi, Horror & Fantasy

If there really is a God, and His truth really is written on everyone's heart (Romans 2:14-15) it should come as no surprise that He would make His presence known through scifi, horror and fantasy.

For me, much of the appeal of science fiction can be summed up in X-Files FBI Agent Fox Mulder's two mantras: "The Truth is Out There" and "I Want to Believe". Living in a world that explains everything scientifically, we long for answers to the questions which have puzzled sentient beings from the beginning of time: "Who am I?" and "Why are we here?" As advanced as we are, we inwardly desire to be proven wrong about living in a closed system; whether through contact with aliens or with God Himself.

Star Trek's Search for God

From the original series: the Bread and Circuses episode takes place on a planet with a parallel history to Earth. At the time of their visit, the planet has 20th Century technology but on this planet the Roman government never fell. One of the seeming paradoxes to Capt. Kirk and crew is the band of "Sun Worshipers" who seem oddly out of place in such a technologically advanced society. Lt. Uhura solves the puzzle when she explains that it is not the sun in the sky they worship; but the Son of God.
Star Trek the motion picture as well as Star Trek V: The Final Frontier were both about the Enterprise being hijacked to search for the Creator. In the case of the first movie, it was V-ger looking for it's Maker. In Star Trek V, it was Spock's half-brother, who had been exiled from Vulcan for choosing emotion over logic, leading the crew of the Enterprise beyond the Great Barrier in his quest to find God.
The new series continue to explore the relationship between personal faith in some kind of supreme being (e.g. the deep spirituality of the Bajorans on Deep Space Nine).

The Force which Surrounds, Penetrates and Binds the Star Wars Universe

The Star Wars Universe is much like post-modern society, with the average creature dismissing the ways of the Jedi as archaic and superstitious. When we first meet Luke Skywalker, he has little knowledge of Jedi knights, much less "The Force" which surrounds and penetrates us and binds the galaxy together. (Shades of Colossians 1:17!) Han Solo, on the other hand, is too sophisticated and worldly-wise to believe such superstitions. But by Return of the Jedi, both characters have become true believers (and Luke a full-blown Jedi knight).
There is redemption in this movie on a number of levels: the most obvious being Darth Vader; but also on a smaller level Luke's conversion from a farm boy to a Jedi knight and Han Solo from a bootlegging rogue to a hero.
The spiritual aspect was very intentional. In an interview with Bill Moyers, Star Wars creator George Lucas said: "I put the Force into the movies to try to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young people. More belief in God than in any particular religious system. I mean, the real issue is to start asking the questions. Having enough interest in the mysteries of life to start asking the questions... 'Is there a God or is there not a God?' The worst part for me is when you ask a young person 'Is there a God?' and they just say 'I dunno.' I mean, I think you should have an opinion about that." (Quoted from the WONDER web page)

The real issue is to start asking the questions. Is there a God or is there not a God? I think you should have an opinion about that. George Lucas - creator of Star Wars

The Gospel According to E.T.

E.T. was not of this world, but came from the sky...
He had remarkable powers, bringing the dead back to life and healing the sick and wounded...
He died in the place of another and came to life again...
Eventually he returned to the skies from whence he came...
The original movie posters featured E.T.'s finger touching Elliott's finger; reminiscent of the Michelangelo painting in the Sistine Chapel of God's finger touching Adam's finger...

moon phases

In the very least, our fascination with aliens and cultures from outside our world is motivated by our need for a higher being, or higher intelligence, that can help us make sense of our own lives in our own world. We search the skies and look to the stars full of questions, and the Very One who created the heavens anxiously awaits to provide us the answers.

Click here for my thoughts on the first MATRIX movie.

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It's alive, alive...in the name of God now I know what it's like to be God!

While many modern "Horror Movies" are mere shock and gore, the early films in the genre did an excellent job of addressing the ongoing battle between Good and Evil; and the consequences of bad choices like joining up with the wrong side.

Now I know what it feels like to be God! DR. FRANKENSTEIN

Dr. Frankenstein tries to play God and fails miserably! His "creation" isn't made ex-nihilo, but out of God's leftovers...and it winds up a complete mess. Man is NOT God, and our attempts to become God always backfire. No matter how technologically advanced we become, we will always be light-years away from Deity.

"To die, to be really dead, that must be glorious. There are far worse things awaiting man than death." DRACULA

Dracula makes a deal with the devil that results in near-immortality...but at what price? Doomed to wander the earth only at night, forced to take lives to sustain his own, knowing that if and when he finally does die he will be damned for all time and beyond hope of redemption. While some of the more "modern" vampire movies have tried to remove the fear of God and holy things from vampires, Bram Stoker's original is full of imagery which parallels Biblical teachings on demons: e.g. Dracula fears the crucifix and holy water (symbolic of Christ, in whom even demons believe and tremble), he can only enter your home if he is invited, he is forced to live in darkness and shadows and he can never experience true love.

"Even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers by night
may become a wolf when the wolf's bane blooms and the autumn moon is bright"

The Wolfman battles with his own nature...torn between the man he wants to be and the evil creature that lurks within, every now and then finding its way out. This is like our struggle within our own hearts between our desire to do good and our actual actions which are often pretty wicked (see Romans chap. 7). As righteous, disciplined and religious as we may be, we all have the potential within us to do great evil to our neighbors and to ourselves. God save us!

In the classic horror movies, Good always triumphed over Evil. This has changed somewhat in recent movies: Good usually wins, but the last scene often has Evil still lurking...still waiting...not quite dead yet.

While this may be a reflection of a cynical generation (or just an open door to film a sequel?), it also reflects the Biblical reality that Evil will never be fully crushed in this world until Messiah returns and finally puts things right.

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"We want something else which can hardly be put into words � to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. That is why we have peopled air and earth and water with gods and goddesses and nymphs and elves." C.S. Lewis

The worlds of fantasy found in Aslan's Narnia, the Hobbit's Middle Earth and Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry allow us to view ourselves and our all-too-common situations in a removed, heroic and far more adventurous setting.

"Is he quite safe?" asked Lucy "Course he isn't safe" replied Mr. Beaver "But he is good."
from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, at face-value, is a children's story; but under the surface you will find one of the greatest allegories of the 20th Century. Along with Peter, Susan, Edmund, Lucy, Eustace and Jill, you will discover truths universal both to our world as well as Narnia. In a world of witches, elves, talking animals, dwarves, fawns, centaurs and nature-spirits we meet Aslan - Son of the Emperor over the Sea. And in meeting Aslan, we see Jesus in a new light.

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.
Gandalf to Frodo in The Fellowship of the Ring

The heroes in the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings wrestle with temptations, difficult choices, fear of the unknown, their individual sense of purpose and simply getting through life one-day-at-a-time. Though not written as allegory, the triumph of good over evil in J.R.R. Tolkien's books gives hope to all of us as we wander the dark valleys and scorched plains of our own personal destiny.

If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is Love.
Dumbledore to Harry Potter in The Sorcerer's Stone

The witches, sorcerers and magic-filled world of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series taps into our hunger for the supernatural in our own lives; not by spells and incantations but by answered prayer and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

In a world that explains everything scientifically we escape the prison of logic by entering the world of fantasy. Magic attracts us because our modern world tells us: "All you see is all there is"; but deep inside we long for so much more.

Those of us who have entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ have found another dimension which the secular world doesn't see: a world of demons and angels and a Being who reaches into our neat little lives and stirs things up. The fantasy world is a reflection of this truth: "All we see is NOT all there is"---there is a much bigger universe out there just waiting to be discovered!

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For further reading and exploration, check out these fine web sites:

Imaginarium

Horror, SciFi, monsters, comic books, toys, models, DVD & film reviews & so much other kewl stuff!

Hollywood Jesus

Visual movie reviews, with explorations into the deeper more profound meaning behind film, music and pop culture. This particular link explores the Christian overtones in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Check Out Christian Fandom's Pages on Horror and Other Genres!

Into the Wardrobe...
Explore the worlds of C.S. Lewis

X-Philes for Christ

Exploring the Spiritual Side of the FOX Television Series The X-Files

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Re-live the Glory Days of Horror TV Shows - and Check Out the Current Hosts of Horror!

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Below are some of my favorite Horror, SciFi & Fantasy films and authors. (Some of the films could fit in more than one category.) pastorZ Dead to the World - Alive in Christ
Favorite Horror Movies
The Abominable Dr. Phibes, The Amityville Horror, Army of Darkness, The Birds, Blade, The Brain that Wouldn't Die, Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Bucket of Blood, Carnival of Souls (1962), Carrie, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Creepshow, The Crow, Dawn of the Dead, Death Race 2000, Dementia 13, Dracula (1931), Dr. Phibes Rises Again, Edward Scissorhands, Evil Dead I & II, The Exorcist, The Fly (1958), The Fog, Frankenstein (1931), Freaks (1932), From Dusk Till Dawn, Godzilla (1954), Halloween, House of Wax (1953), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), The Invisible Man (1933), Interview with a Vampire, The Killer Shrews, King Kong (1933), The Last Man on Earth (1964), Little Shop of Horrors (1960), Lord of Illusions, The Lost Boys, The Mummy (1932), The Mummy (1999), Night of the Living Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, Nosferatu, The Omen, Pet Semetary, The Pit and the Pendulum, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Psycho, Return of the Living Dead, Ringu, Ringu II, Salem's Lot, Shaun of the Dead, The Shining, Silence of the Lambs, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Thing (1951), The Wolf Man (1941) I love ALL of the classic Universal monsters, the old "B" horror movies (esp. the Roger Corman flicks), much of the Japanese monster genre (Gozilla, Gamera, Mothra, etc.), the old Hammer Horror movies starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, and most of Paramount's Full Moon video series (Reanimator, Subspecies, Puppet Master, etc.)

Favorite Horror Authors
Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Anne Rice, Mary Shelly, Bram Stoker

If there really is a God, and His truth really is written on everyone's heart (Romans 2:14-15) it should come as no surprise that He would make His presence known through scifi, horror and fantasy.

Star Trek's Search for God

The Force which Surrounds, Penetrates and Binds the Star Wars Universe

The Gospel According to E.T.

"We want something else which can hardly be put into words � to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it. That is why we have peopled air and earth and water with gods and goddesses and nymphs and elves." C.S. Lewis

For further reading and exploration, check out these fine web sites:

Favorite Horror Movies

Favorite Horror Authors

Favorite SciFi Movies

Favorite SciFi Authors

Favorite Fantasy Movies

Favorite Fantasy Authors