Why We Love Horror and True Crime (Reverend Peter Laws on Faith and Fear)

We are honoured to welcome Reverend Peter Laws, author, celebrated horror novelist, and host of the hit YouTube channel Into the Fog, to the show. Peter is an ordained minister, but he is known for his deep dive into the darkest corners of human fascination.

In this deep philosophical and psychological episode, we discuss the core thesis of his acclaimed non-fiction book, The Frighteners, and why our interest in the macabre, true crime, and horror films is not just acceptable, but actually a healthy way to process our mortality and fears.

In This Discussion, The Wyrdo's Ask Peter:

The Frighteners Thesis: Why being a "professional nice guy" who works in a church can also mean celebrating the darkness, and why that isn't hypocritical.

Horror and the Divine: Why Peter believes God is interested in (or even amused by) humanity's fascination with the dark, given how shocking and grotesque the Bible's own imagery can be.

The Paranormal is Real: Peter's conviction that due to countless witness accounts (including his own) and compelling historical cases like the Sauquhar Poltergeist (where a school desk allegedly levitated), we are genuinely encountering things that exist beyond material reality.

Faith vs. Ghosts: How the existence of ghosts doesn't necessarily contradict faith, exploring ideas like Catholic purgatory, the biblical appearance of the dead (Moses and Samuel), and the theory of seeing a glimpse of God's eternal mind (a religious take on time slips).

The Hyper-Reality of Heaven: The fascinating C.S. Lewis concept that heaven might be more real than our current world, explaining why a resurrected body could walk through walls because it was more real than the door.

The Importance of Humour: Why dark humour is a vital coping mechanism similar to horror, and why we can laugh in the face of anxiety to "domesticate and travel through the darkness."

Integrity and Exorcism: Peter's refusal to become a TV exorcist or paranormal investigator, and why he prefers the open-minded, journalistic approach of presenting witness accounts.

Peter Laws's Top 5 Horror Films

Peter shares his go-to films, including a few surprises that focus on psychological dread:

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

The Changeling (1980)

Re-Animator (1985)

Night of the Demon (1957)

Repulsion (1965)

Where to Find Peter Laws

Website: peterlaws.co.uk

YouTube & Podcast: Into the Fog with Peter Laws (Also an expert on the BBC's Uncanny)

Podcast (Archive): Creepy Cove Community Church at https://www.google.com/search?q=creepycove.com

Join the Wyrdo's for a reassuring and insightful conversation that proves your love of horror is completely normal.

Stay Wyrd!

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Written by Craig Brooks and hosted by Craig Brooks and Andy Stevens

Edited by Craig Brooks

Intro music by Leonell Cassio - The Paranormal Is Real (ft. Carrie)

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