Score

Although I voted for it (Dracula, #7), I'm not altogether sure it fits the bill, so to speak.

I think so because of the important role sacramental imagery plays in the work--not only the cross, but also the Eucharistic host having such a negative effect on vampires. Dracula is envisioned as unholy, a being cursed of God, as are all vampires. While I wouldn't call Dracula a Christian novel, it is a novel that has soaked up the world of Catholic Christianity.

Michael wrote: "I think so because of the important role sacramental imagery plays in the work--not only the cross, but also the Eucharistic host having such a negative effect on vampires. Dracula is envisioned as..."

That is probably one of the most insightful analysis I have seen on this site. Bravo!

Thank you!

Would you class Pinner's "Ritual" (inspiration for The Wicker Man) as theological horror?

I know some writers do label it such--it does have a religious theme, and in a sense could be labeled "theological." Probably the clearest example of theological horror is Blatty's THE EXORCIST and LEGION. I suppose Frank Peretti's "supernatural thrillers" would count as well--he's quite a good writer compared to many Evangelicals, as is Ted Dekker. A writer does not have to agree with my particular theology for a book to be "theological horror." An interesting question is whether there is a distinction between "religious horror" and "theological horror."

Doesn't it depend how you class "theological"?
Personally, I would say that "horror" is defined as a work the creates a sense of dread or unease.
However theological? Maybe uses religious paraphernalia or characters (The Devil, God, Romans/Greek/Sikh pantheons).
Just my two yen worth.

"Horror" produces "a sense of dread or unease" due to some kind of "monster"--that monster need not, though it can be, supernatural. Noel Carroll, in his classic work, THE PHILOSOPHY OF HORROR, argues that the monster is also seen as "unclean," which can include, in some stories, the notion of "unholy." Not all horror is theological; most is not these days. Let me again use THE EXORCIST as a paradigm example of theological horror. The author, William Peter Blatty, is a devout, traditional Roman Catholic. The theme of the novel is existential dread over the nothingness of death and whether demons can be evidence of a spiritual realm. If there are demons, there is no intellectual bar to believing in other spiritual beings such as God, and thus no barrier to believing in life after death. This theme is also found in LEGION--the fear of death being nothingness, permanent non-consciousness, permeates the book. Another thing that comes across, especially in LEGION, is Blatty's interest in the work of the French Jesuit scholar and theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Blatty knew the late Father Tom King at Georgetown, who was a scholar in Teilhard's work (and whom I had the privilege of meeting at a conference--I had no place to stay, so I slept in a sleeping bag in Fr. King's office!). Another influence was the real-life exorcism of a boy--I believe this occurred in the late 1940s. Blatty's Catholic theology and obsession with the existential horror of death as well as the possibility of deliverance from death reflects, clearly, Christian (and in his case, Roman Catholic) theology.

Can anyone recommend any theological-horror not based on Judaeo-Christian tradition?

Thomas wrote: "Can anyone recommend any theological-horror not based on Judaeo-Christian tradition?"

Probably some of the Buddhist-influenced ghost stories, such as Ju-On, would be the closest to "theological horror" in Buddhism. If you can find some books similar to Asian horror movies about ghosts, you would find a strong doctrine of karma. I have found that some of the movies, especially Thai horror, strongly emphasize reincarnation. Other than the Ring series and Ju-on, I'm not familiar with more books from a similar perspective.

George wrote: "Michael wrote: "I think so because of the important role sacramental imagery plays in the work--not only the cross, but also the Eucharistic host having such a negative effect on vampires. Dracula ..."

I thought so too! Amazing review Mitchell!