Why Supernatural Horror Might Make You Think Of God | Sarah Iles Johnston | TEDxOhioStateUniversity

Supernatural horror fiction is consistently among the top-selling genres, indicating how deeply it fascinates our culture. In her talk, Dr. Sarah Iles Johnston delves into the genre to show how it provokes us to ponder questions that are traditionally considered ‘religious’. Taking her examples from some of Mike Flanagan’s popular Netflix series, such as "The Haunting of Hill House," she’ll demonstrate how some supernatural horror fiction weaves otherworldly questions into its stories. This talk will help us take ownership of the big picture ideas that we form by the end of the story. Sarah Iles Johnston is fascinated by the question of how people come to believe what they believe about gods, ghosts and other inhabitants of the unseen realm. Her recent work has focused on how stories—myths, sacred tales, novels, TV programs and films—can influence those beliefs and she loves to exemplify this by telling stories as part of her teaching. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx