Scared by the Bible, Brandon R. Grafius
Scared by the Bible, Brandon R. Grafius
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Scared by the Bible
The Roots of Horror in Scripture

Author: Brandon R. Grafius

Narrator: Brandon Pollock

Unabridged: 5 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/28/2026

Synopsis

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 listeners 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.

About Brandon R. Grafius

Brandon R. Grafius is associate professor of biblical studies at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, where he teaches Old Testament and Hebrew. A film reviewer and columnist as well as a religion scholar, he is a frequent podcast guest often speaking about films, horror, and religion. His books include Reading the Bible with Horror, a Grawemeyer Award nominee, and a handbook on the film The Witch. He lives in Mason, Michigan, with his wife and two children.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Charles on April 24, 2026

When something scary enter’s your bible story, don’t run upstairs I became aware of Grafius’ work through a favorite podcast of mine, The Fear of God podcast, where I heard him share incredibly insightful reflections on the Christian faith and the horror genre. Scared By the Bible did not disappoint,......more

Goodreads review by Rob on May 21, 2025

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......more

Goodreads review by Keifer on July 11, 2025

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......more

Goodreads review by Laura on April 30, 2025

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......more

Goodreads review by Gildergreen on September 14, 2025

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......more

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