Theology and Horror: Explorations of the Dark Religious Imagination

by Brandon R. Grafius (Contributor), John W. Morehead (Editor), Mark Richard Adams (Contributor)

Scholars of religion have begun to explore horror and the monstrous, not only within the confines of the biblical text or the traditions of religion, but also as they proliferate into popular culture. This exploration emerges from what has long been present in horror: an engagement with the same questions that animate religious thought - questions about the nature of the divine, humanity's place in the universe, the distribution of justice, and what it means to live a good life, among many others. Such exploration often involves a theological conversation. Theology and Horror: Explorations of the Dark Religious Imagination pursues questions regarding non-physical realities, spaces where both divinity and horror dwell. Through an exploration of theology and horror, the contributors explore how questions of spirituality, divinity, and religious structures are raised, complicated, and even sometimes answered (at least partially) by works of horror.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction

250 pages, Hardcover

First published March 2, 2021

About the author

Brandon R. Grafius is associate professor of biblical studies and academic dean at Ecumenical Theological Seminary. He has published widely on the intersection between horror and religion, including academic monographs and popular magazines such as Sojourners and The Christian Century. He is currently working on an academic monograph for Oxford University Press, and co-editing The Oxford Handbook of Biblical Monsters.

Reviews

[Wayne Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I found Theology and Horror to be a fairly interesting read. However, be forewarned; the quality of the articles included in this anthology vary wildly, ranging from profoundly insightful to utterly incomprehensible. In other words, the good articles are REALLY good, but the bad articles are REALLY bad. Still its worth checking out, especially if you happen to be a diehard horror fan, a theology nerd, or both (like me).