Is it okay for a Christian to watch horror / scary movies?

from the old testament

• The Old Testament provides principles about what kind of content believers should focus on and what to avoid. For example, Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." Believers must be careful about what they expose themselves to as it affects their inner life.
• The Old Testament also forbids involvement with practices like witchcraft, necromancy, or any form of occult (Deuteronomy 18:10-12), which often inspire horror media. While watching movies isn’t the same, exposure to such themes can influence thoughts and emotions.
• Leviticus 20:7-8 calls God’s people to be holy and set apart, avoiding influences that could defile their character or relationship with God.

from the new testament

• Our true enemy is a spiritual one whose goal is to "steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). The evil depicted in many horror movies happens in real life. As such, we would do well to discern if the content we watch will be beneficial to ourselves in our spiritual walk or not.
• We should consider if it will be profitable to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to watch horror films with them (Romans 14:13).
• Honoring God should be our goal, even in our entertainment choices (1 Corinthians 10:31).
• Just because we have the freedom to watch horror films doesn’t mean that it is wise to. What we do should “build up” the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:23); nothing should dominate us (1 Corinthians 6:12). Our aim should be to do everything for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). While there are some Christian movie producers who intend to show the spiritual battle—the evil of this age and the need for Jesus—most horror movies are interested in just frightening the audience.
• Ephesians 5:11-17 says, "Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. … Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." This passage presents many points to consider when discerning if it is wise or unwise to watch horror films.
• Our enemy is spiritual (Ephesians 6:12). When a movie attempts to use the enemy's actions as entertainment, we should ask ourselves if we are taking evil too lightly. We are to stand firm against Satan by the power of Christ (Ephesians 6:10-18). If horror movies inspire us to a fascination with such evil, we should reconsider watching them.
• Most horror movies do not inspire us to the uplifting thoughts mentioned in Philippians 4:8. As such, we should find entertainment that does.
• Paul told the Thessalonians, "we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory" (1 Thessalonians 2:12). Concerning horror movies, we can ask ourselves, “Is this helping, hindering, or having no effect on me walking in a manner worthy of God?” as we form our personal conviction on the matter.
• We should be on guard against the Devil, who is always looking to ensnare and destroy who he can (1 Peter 5:8-9). Do the messages from horror movies align with our enemy’s attempts at deceit? If the answer is yes, we should find Christ-centered content to watch instead.
• Deciding to live for God or for the things of the world is the central question of our daily lives. First John 2:15-17 says, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

implications for today

As the horror movie genre expands, it seems that the blood, gore, violence, and shock increases. The more we become desensitized to depravity, the more it takes to shock our seared conscience and provide "entertainment." Most horror movies are intended to activate a fear response and give the audience a rush, and many such movies depict supernatural elements, including demonic possession, spiritual activity, and evil incarnate, as fascinating rather than sinful. Watching horror films is a matter of personal conviction (Romans 14:1-6), we should be well-informed of the Bible’s stance on what we are told to think on, which is "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable,” and “if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,” we should “think about these things" (Philippians 4:8). Plenty of movies can inspire us to think on such things—but it is unlikely that most, if not all, horror films will.