Should Christians Watch Yellowjackets?

Yellowjackets follows a high school girls soccer team that crashes in the wilderness in 1996 and the survivors 25 years later. The show deliberately blurs the line between psychological trauma responses and genuine supernatural darkness — and as the seasons progress, ritualistic behavior and occult imagery become increasingly central to the story.

GODLY

Yellowjackets

Avoid

Progressive occult themes including ritual sacrifice, cannibalism, and dark supernatural practices — firmly in Avoid territory for Christians.

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What Yellowjackets Is About

Yellowjackets has two timelines: the 1996 crash survivors in the wilderness, shown developing increasingly disturbing survival rituals as resources run out, and their adult selves in the present day dealing with the psychological aftermath and a blackmail threat. The show is critically acclaimed for its performances (Melanie Lynskey, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci) and its mystery structure.

The central mystery — what exactly happened in the wilderness, and how far did the survivors go? — gradually reveals increasingly disturbing answers involving ritualistic killing and cannibalism. The show frames this partly as trauma response and partly as something that invited real supernatural darkness.

The Occult Problem

By Season 2 and 3, Yellowjackets has moved significantly into occult territory. The survivors develop a quasi-religious system in the wilderness centered on 'the wilderness' as a divine force that requires sacrifice. Characters engage in ritual behaviors, draw lots to determine who will be sacrificed, and perform acts that are unambiguously occult in nature.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 explicitly prohibits divination, sorcery, and those who 'consult the dead' — practices that Yellowjackets depicts with increasing detail and, increasingly, with apparent supernatural legitimacy. The show does not treat the occult practices as mere delusion — it implies there may be genuine dark forces at work.

Violence and Disturbing Content

Yellowjackets contains graphic violence including cannibalism depicted in detail by Season 2 and 3. The survival situation results in increasingly disturbing acts that the show does not shy away from depicting. Sexual content includes some nudity and adult relationships.

The combination of graphic violence, cannibalism, and progressive occult content puts this show in a different category from merely dark or morally complex television. This is not a show depicting sin as cautionary — it is a show that asks viewers to follow characters as they enter into genuinely dark spiritual territory.

The Bottom Line

Some Christians have engaged with Yellowjackets as an exploration of how trauma and isolation can corrupt — a legitimate reading of the early seasons. But by Season 2-3, the show has moved into territory that Ephesians 5:11's instruction to 'have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness' directly addresses. Christians should avoid this show.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Yellowjackets have occult or demonic content?

Yes. By Season 2-3, Yellowjackets involves ritualistic behavior, apparent human sacrifice, and what may be genuine supernatural darkness. The show deliberately keeps the viewer uncertain whether the occult elements are real or psychological, but depicts them in increasing detail.

Is there cannibalism in Yellowjackets?

Yes. Cannibalism is a central plot element in Yellowjackets, implied from the first episode and progressively confirmed and depicted in later seasons. This is one of the key content concerns alongside the occult themes.

What is Yellowjackets rated?

Yellowjackets is rated TV-MA on Showtime/Paramount+. The rating reflects graphic violence, cannibalism, sexual content, profanity, and disturbing themes including occult ritual behavior.

Is Yellowjackets similar to Lord of the Flies?

Yellowjackets shares thematic DNA with Lord of the Flies in its exploration of how isolation strips away civilization. However, Yellowjackets introduces supernatural elements and goes significantly further in depicting the results of moral collapse, including cannibalism and ritual violence.