Scared by the Bible: The Roots of Horror in Scripture

by Brandon R. Grafius

“…Grafius’s unflinching examination of biblical horror forces readers to reckon with the uncanny and unknowable.”  –Los Angeles Review of Books 

“The result is a wide-ranging exploration of the Bible’s strangest, scariest corners.”  –Publishers Weekly

“Grafius uses his extensive knowledge of horror films to tease out horror tropes from the Bible . . . this book is thought-provoking.” –Library Journal

You may know the Bible as a testament of faith. But within this sacred book are also the world’s first horror stories.

Conventional wisdom has it that the origins of the horror genre are found in the nineteenth century, in works like Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In this paradigm-shaking new book, Bible scholar and cultural historian Brandon Grafius argues that the Bible is, among other things, the world’s first work of horror literature. 
 
The tropes and themes that we find in slasher movies, body horror, folk horror and zombie apocalypses were kickstarted by the Bible. Before Godzilla, there were the monsters arising from the sea in the book of Daniel. Before The Wicker Man, there was the folk horror violence of the book of Judges. And before The Fly, Leviticus and Paul understood that our bodies are untrustworthy. Sometimes, the Bible has decided that the best way to help us understand the world in new ways is to scare us.
 
Grafius’s book is a revelatory work of biblical scholarship as well as a cultural analysis of the contemporary horror genre. It is a book that will make readers revise how they see the Bible and impact how they consume horror literature and cinema. It is guaranteed to make them wiser consumers of both.
 

235 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2025

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

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a believer, who’s always enjoyed horror books and movies, but felt guilty by them, this book seemed right up my alley. There are indeed horrors in the Bible and much on paper and the silver screen have been inspired by it. There are a lot of good points in here, but a lot have been missed as well. I guess I was kind of hoping for Brandon to go through the whole bible and do comparisons. There’s definitely some good stuff here, and I enjoy the movie talk and most of the biblical inspirations…I guess I just wanted more, including some humor. Overall I do feel less bad about what I watch and may point some sceptic commentators towards this book.

Thanks to the author for an advance copy to read.

[Keifer Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really intrigued by the idea of exploring horror elements in the Bible, and I think the author approached it with care and creativity. With that being said, I found myself losing interest about a quarter of the way in and couldn’t quite pinpoint why. The writing wasn’t bad, and the premise is definitely unique—it just didn’t hold my attention the way I’d hoped.

This might be a better fit for readers who enjoy theological analysis blended with horror themes or more academic discussions of biblical stories. It just couldn’t hold my attention. I feel like it might have been a case of “right book, wrong time” so I will try my best to pick it up again in the future!

[Laura Newsholme · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of very interesting discussion in this book, some of which I found quite convincing and some of which, not so much. I enjoyed the exploration of cosmic horror as it relates to the Bible and thought that the author did a good job of 'campfire tale'-ing the Bible passages, but I found the monster discussion a bit of a stretch and would have enjoyed the book more had the balance between horror and Bible been more even.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Gildergreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book marries two of my favorite studies, and it does so beautifully. As a person who was raised Christian and no longer uses that title, I've always loved listening to Biblical scholars and their takes, and I think that this has got to be my all time favorite. This book is funny, insightful, and fascinating, and I'd recommend it to literally anyone interested in a unique take on Biblical study through the lens of horror.

[Ella Droste · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay sooo the concept here? Totally cool. Horror meets the Bible? Like, yes please, sign me up. And there are moments where it really does hit, connecting ancient texts with horror tropes we all know. But tbh, it didn’t keep me hooked the whole way through. Some parts felt stretched, and I found myself wanting more depth or maybe just a bit more energy. It wasn’t bad by any means, just not the mind-blowing ride I thought it would be. Still, if you’re into theology with a spooky twist, it might click better for you.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!