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Christian filmmakers should take notes from the grit of serial killer thrillers. While faith-based movies often preach positive messages, they frequently ignore the harsh truths of our fallen world—the very realities Scripture doesn’t shy away from. Andrew Klavan hits the nail on the head: real art stares into the darkness to reveal God’s light.
Take classics like The Silence of the Lambs or Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. These stories don’t sugarcoat evil—they force audiences to confront it head-on. Yet, in that tension, they expose deeper truths about guilt, justice, and redemption. Christian films too often feel shallow because they avoid the messiness of sin.
The Bible itself is raw. Cain’s murder of Abel isn’t a sanitized Sunday school lesson—it’s a brutal act of jealousy. Great art mirrors this honesty. Movies like Halloween may terrify, but they also show the battle between good and evil in a way that resonates. Christian cinema could learn to stop fearing the dark and start using it to highlight the brilliance of grace.
Klavan’s point is clear: avoiding darkness denies the reality of the human condition. Faith isn’t a fairy tale—it’s a fight. Films that gloss over struggle make faith seem weak. When artists tackle hard truths, like Hitchcock or Dostoevsky, they create stories that stick with you.
Christian movies often lack memorable villains or real stakes. Serial killer films thrive on moral complexity. They show that evil exists—and so does the capacity for courage. Faith-based films need antagonists that aren’t cartoonish. Real evil demands real heroes.
Redemption means nothing without a fall. The Prodigal Son’s story only matters because he hit rock bottom. Christian films should let their characters wrestle with genuine brokenness. Audiences connect with flaws, not plastic perfection.
Klavan’s message isn’t about glorifying darkness—it’s about trusting God’s light to shine brighter. Art that ignores sin can’t fully celebrate salvation. Films like God’s Not Dead often feel hollow because they skip the struggle. Truth shines brighter in the dark.
In the end, it’s about honesty. Christians know the world is broken—their stories should too. By embracing the tension between sin and redemption, filmmakers can create art that’s not just pious, but powerful. That’s how you reach hearts, not just preach to the choir.
