by Michael Foust | Oct 12, 2018
The movie “Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer” opens this weekend, telling the story of the arrest, trial and conviction of a man who prided himself on performing illegal late-term abortions for poor women.
James Wood is a hard-nosed Philadelphia detective who only wants the truth, even if that makes everyone around him uncomfortable.
That dogged determination comes in handy when he learns of an abortion clinic whose doctor is selling prescription drugs illegally and whose medical negligence allegedly led to the death of a 41-year-old woman.
Wood wants to raid the clinic, but others aren’t so sure.
“I thought you were pro-choice,” a co-worker tells him and another woman.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Wood retorts.
Wood finally gets a search warrant, and what he uncovers is shocking. The clinic’s floors are covered in cat feces. The smell of urine fills the air. Medical waste is everywhere. And jars with baby’s feet line the shelves.
Then Wood discovers something even more horrific: The abortion doctor has been delivering babies and cutting their spinal columns, all under the guise of it being an abortion. Many of them, delivered after 24 weeks, would have survived at a hospital.
The doctor’s name is Kermit Gosnell, an otherwise well-respected man who has so many friends in the medical industry that many people believe he will win. But Wood and the assistant district attorney won’t give up.
The movie Gosnell: The Trial of America’s Biggest Serial Killer (PG-13) opens this weekend, telling the story of the arrest, trial and conviction of a man who prided himself on performing illegal late-term abortions for poor women. It stars Earl Billings (Antwone Fisher) as Gosnell, Dean Cain (Lois & Clark) as Wood, and Sarah Jane Morris (The Night Shift) as assistant district attorney Alexis “Lexy” McGuire.
The movie follows a group of heroic, pro-choice prosecutors who went after an abortion doctor in a city where abortion rights are sacrosanct.
“You are prosecuting an abortion doctor for murder,” the district attorney tells Wood and McGuire. “You know how it will play in the media.”
Despite what you might think, Gosnell isn’t a gory film. It opens with the investigation and then quickly transitions to his arrest and trial. We never witness an abortion.
Earl Billings is chillingly impressive as Gosnell. Additionally, the storyline is entertaining and eye-opening, as it shines the light on an industry that has enjoyed secrecy for decades. We learn about Gosnell’s practices and those within legal abortion clinics. Legally, there is a difference between the two. Morally, there is none (More on that below).
It is a film worth supporting, but you better do so this weekend. In Hollywood, opening weekend determines a film’s long-term success. If you don’t watch it this weekend, then it may not be in your theater next weekend.
Warning: minor/moderate spoilers!
(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)
Violence/Disturbing
Moderate. We see a clothed woman on an operating table, but we don’t see the abortion. We see small feet in jars, and later, the tops of fetus heads. We hear late-term abortion procedures described in detail. We learn that some of the babies were squirming before Gosnell killed them.
Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity
None.
Coarse Language
Minimal. About nine coarse words: S—t (5), d—n (1), h—l (1), b—-rd (1), a—(1)
Life Lessons
We live in a divided culture where seemingly everything is viewed through a political prism. But in Gosnell, we watch as pro-choice prosecutors bring a case simply because it’s the right thing to do. They chase the facts. Toward the end of the movie, a blogger summed up her view of the case by saying, “If the truth doesn’t match what I believe, it’s still the truth.” If only everyone today believed that.
Worldview
“This is not a case about abortion,” the district attorney tells his assistant and the detective. His demand: If you want to bring the case, then make it about infanticide and murder – not abortion.
In one sense, he’s right. Kermit Gosnell’s “abortions” were not abortions in the legal sense. Abortion, after all, takes place inside the womb.
But, morally, there is no difference between what Gosnell did and what doctors who perform late-term abortion do every week in America. They don’t snip necks. Instead, they use dilation and evacuation (D&E), in which the doctor stops the baby’s heart by injecting potassium chloride. The doctor then begins ripping the baby apart inside the womb, limb by limb – an arm, a leg, the torso, and so forth. Additionally, the doctor often suctions out the brain before pulling out the head. We hear this procedure described by a female doctor on the witness stand.
Kermit Gosnell’s practice was illegal. D&E, though, remains legal in America. It’s a distinction with a difference of about six inches. Morally, there is no difference.
Discussion Questions
- What did you learn about abortion? Did it change your perspective?
- Do you see a moral difference between the procedure that Gosnell practiced and the procedure the female doctor on the witness stand described?
- How did Gosnell escape government scrutiny for so long?
- Why do you think Gosnell’s assistants never reported him?
Entertainment rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content including disturbing images and descriptions.
by Michael Foust | Oct 5, 2018
Eddie Brock is a well-known and talented investigative reporter who has made a name for himself by being aggressive. There’s not a person he won’t interview, nor a question he won’t ask.
But that can get him into trouble occasionally, like when he’s told to conduct a “softball” interview with crooked CEO Carlton Drake, who heads a pharmaceutical company – the Life Foundation – that’s exploring outer space for cures. Brock believes the company is responsible for several unsolved deaths, and so he asks Drake about them. Drake cuts the interview short, and hours later, Brock gets fired.
Blackballed and embarrassed, Brock seems finished as a journalist until a Life Foundation scientist secretly contacts him. What she reveals is shocking even to Brock: The company has discovered alien life in the form of a symbiotic living “goo.” Drake wants to join the alien life with a human life, thus forming a new hybrid species that can live on another planet. Even worse: This freakish symbiotic goo exists in a Life Foundation laboratory – and it’s trying to escape and find a host.
The superhero movie Venom (PG-13) opens this weekend, starring Tom Hardy (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) as Brock, Riz Ahmed (Rogue One) as Drake, and Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea) as Brock’s girlfriend, Anne Weying.
It is based on the Marvel character and is a spinoff from the Spider-Man franchise, which had a villain of the same name.
In Venom, Brock infiltrates Life Foundation at night but is accidentally attacked by a blob (called a “symbiote”), which enters his body. He then becomes Venom – an ugly lizard-looking creature that can hide within his skin and that has only two weaknesses: fire and high-pitched noises. Otherwise, it’s indestructible.
The movie – as you might have guessed from the poster or trailer – isn’t a typical superhero film. For starters, the character is amoral (at best) and isn’t a superhero. That part will have to wait for the sequel (More on that below). Secondly, the movie is more coarse than the average superhero flick, with about 50 profanities/obscenities and a ton of violent and disturbing content not seen it most “good guy” movies.
It’s not a great movie, although it is better than the trailer.
Warning: spoilers!
(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)
Violence/Disturbing
Extreme. Many children would have nightmares by simply watching Venom – a fanged, long-tongued creature who can’t be defeated. He bites heads off people (It happens quick and we don’t see it in detail, but it’s discussed afterward. Also, it happens only to the bad guys). He tosses the bodies of policeman as if they’re toothpicks. He crushes objects. He looks for people and animals to eat. He survives gunshots. And each time he enters or exists a person, it’s ultra-disturbing to watch, bringing to memory movies about demonic possession. Speaking of that, a young girl gets infiltrated by a symbiote, too. That spoked even me. We see people killed via spears. We see dead, lifeless bodies. In one of the film’s more violent scenes, we see a dead body pierced with a sharp object.
Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity
Minimal. Brock and his girlfriend live together, but there are no bedroom scenes. We see couples share brief kisses. We also see Venom, in a woman’s body, kiss a man. It looks as gross as it sounds.
Coarse Language.
Extreme. Nearly 50 coarse words: S–t (20), h–l (9), a– (4), Misuse of “Jesus” (4), GD (3), misuse of “God” (3), OMG (2), p—y (1), d—k (1), f-word (1).
Other Stuff You Might Want To Know
Brock, as Venom, eats food out of the garbage and lobster out of an aquarium. He vomits in the toilet. Brock also drinks at a bar.
Life Lessons
The ethical boundaries of medical research (or lack thereof) are at the forefront of the movie’s lessons.
Drake’s goals are horrific, and his standards are, too. After his hybrid experiment works on a rabbit, he immediately jumps to human trials, despite opposition from his employees. He then recruits clueless poor individuals to become the guinea pigs (Each one dies). He even references the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac and calls the human subjects heroes for sacrificing their lives (Although they didn’t know they were in danger). Pointing to war and poverty in the world, he declares: “I would argue God has abandoned us.” He wants to turn all humans into hybrids and move them to outer space. “I will not abandon us,” he says.
Another lesson involves Brock, whose dishonesty – he steals a digital file – leads to him becoming Venom.
Worldview
Typically, superheroes have a “good guy” appearance. They don’t look like Venom. And they definitely don’t act like Venom.
During the movie, I kept asking myself: Who am I supposed to root for? The evil CEO? Or the creature who eats people?
But as the movie progresses – spoiler alert! – he becomes tamer, and by the end of the film, he’s learning the difference between good and evil. That’s great news, because we don’t need another Deadpool-type antihero in the superhero realm. The best superheroes remind us of things God desires: honesty and justice, for examples. Antiheroes, too often, reflect everything that’s bad about our world: selfishness and moral ambiguity, among them.
The Eddie Brock/Venom tandem is a bit like the Bruce Banner/Hulk combo. Only in this instance, the out-of-control guy (Venom) can be tamed. At least, I think and hope that’s where the story’s headed.
What Works
I enjoyed the movie a bit more when Brock was investigating Life Foundation and a bit less after he became Venom. Perhaps that’s because I prefer movies with clear moral lines. The good news: The movie’s final 10 minutes cleared things up.
What Doesn’t
The movie’s coarseness. It’s as if the writers were trying to push the boundaries beyond the typical Marvel movie. It’s distracting and over the top. An immature fifth-grade boy could have written it.
Discussion Questions
- Is Venom a good guy or a bad guy? Who did you cheer for?
- Should Brock have stolen the file? Would his life have been different?
- What lessons can we learn about ethics in research from the film?
- What impact, if any, does movie violence have on us?
Entertainment rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for language.
PHOTO CREDIT: Sony
by Michael Foust | Sep 28, 2018
A modern-retelling of ‘Little Women’ (PG-13) opens in theaters this weekend, 150 years after Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel was first released
Jo is a driven, 20-something woman who wants to be a novelist – and preferably, a famous one.
“I want to write something that won’t be forgotten after I die,” she says.
Yes, she wants to get married, too, but that can wait. She even made a pact with her three sisters not to get married until she reaches the age of 30. They took an oath, too.
But that pledge was made when they were children. Now they’re adults, and her younger sister, Meg, is engaged.
As a career-driven women, Jo isn’t about to let her little sister make what she views as a mistake.
“We don’t live in the 1700s,” Jo tells her. “We don’t have to rely on men anymore.”
Meg, though, isn’t backing down.
“I know you don’t understand why I want to be a mom and get married and have kids, but it’s what I want,” Meg says. “… All I’m asking is that you be by my side for one day.”
A modern-retelling of Little Women (PG-13) opens in theaters this weekend, 150 years after Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel was first released. It follows the lives of four sisters – Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy – along with their mom, Marmee, and the famous suitors Laurie and Freddy.
It stars Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City, Switched at Birth) as the mom, and several other actresses (such as Sarah Davenport as Jo) you may not have heard of but likely will be impressed with after watching it.
Clare Niederpruem, a fan of the novel and of the 1994 movie, directed it.
Although updated and set in modern times, the film remains true to the novel’s storyline. Laurie marries the sister that you remember him marrying in the book, Freddy does the same, and so forth. The movie shows Jo as a 16-year-old, as a 29-year-old, and several ages in between.
It’s an enjoyable and impressive remake that had me laughing and even crying a bit. It’s also mostly family-friendly.
Warning: minor/moderate spoilers!
(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)
Violence/Disturbing
None.
Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity
Minimal. One sister makes out with a boy at a dance, but when things get out of hand she pushes him away. We hear girls talk about a “full chest” and about being “hot.” A sister is pressured to wear a prom dress that is more revealing than she wanted (It shows her belly).
Coarse Language
None.
Other Positive Elements
Minus one or two exceptions, the male characters in the movie are true gentlemen. The sisters make mistakes but learn from them.
Other Stuff You Might Want To Know
A sister goes to a party and drinks. She is pressured to drink heavily – with people chanting “drink, drink, drink” – but refuses.
Life Lessons
Because Little Women covers 13 years in the lives of four sisters, it is filled with positive messages and lessons. We learn about forgiveness and reconciliation, tragedy and death, supporting one another despite differences and learning to cope with disappointment. The movie also has good messages about love, waiting until marriage for sex and peer pressure. The career-vs.-family debate is tackled, too.
Worldview
The Bible tells us that life is like “a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (James 4:14). That’s referencing not only how “time flies” but also how short our lives are compared to eternity.
Little Women reminds us of the brevity of life as we watch the sisters grow and mature – from childhood to adulthood – in a mere 90 minutes. Watching Little Women is a little like walking through a cemetery. It makes us appreciate life’s blessings even more. It also should drive us to live life with true purpose and with eternity always in focus.
What Works
The acting, which is impressive with a cast of mostly unknown actresses. The script is solid, too. Finally, I’m thankful the filmmakers didn’t ruin a classic, as often takes place. The women aren’t sexualized and objectified, as is the case with many Hollywood films.
What Doesn’t
It can’t be easy to find an actress who can look 16 and 29 in the same movie. For the most part, it works in this movie, but sometimes it stretches believability.
Discussion Questions
- Name three things you learned about growing up while watching Little Women.
- What did Jo learn about tragedy and about disappointment? What should we learn?
- Was Jo right to follow her dreams and delay marriage?
- What can we learn about encouraging and supporting one another from the movie?
- How should we react when life doesn’t turn out the way we expected?
Entertainment rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and teen drinking.
by Michael Foust | Sep 28, 2018
The animated movie Smallfoot (PG) opens in theaters this weekend, following the story of a yeti who wants to prove that humans exist.
Migo is an inquisitive yeti living in a mountaintop village of superstitious yetis who embrace myth and reject curiosity.
Migo’s father is among those who never question anything. Each morning, he bangs a loud gong to wake up the bright “sky snail” – that is, the sun – so that it can illuminate the town and allow the yetis to work. Why do this? Because it is written on the Stones, of course. The Stones tell the yetis what to do and how to live. The Stones reveal how their world was created (It fell out of the rear end of a sky yak, if you’re curious). The Stones even explain what’s keeping the world from falling apart (Huge mammoths are holding it up).
These Stones are the yetis’ religious text, and they’re guarded and interpreted by the “Stonekeeper,” a giant, elderly yeti who doubles as the village leader. Everyone respects him – even Migo.
But Migo’s opinion about the Stonekeeper and yeti tradition is soon tested when he stumbles upon a “smallfoot” – a human – who had crashed a plane on the mountain. Migo always believed humans don’t exist. The Stones, after all, said so!
With no evidence to support his case (the pilot parachuted off the mountain) and with his friends not believing him (the plane fell off the mountain, too), Migo now must choose between the truth and yeti ritual.
“Are you saying a Stone is wrong?” the Stonekeeper asks.
Not willing to lie about what he saw, Migo gets banished from the village.
The animated movie Smallfoot (PG) opens in theaters this weekend, starring Channing Tatum (Logan Lucky, The Lego Batman Movie) as the voice of Migo; James Corden (Peter Rabbit) as a human named Percy; Zendaya (The Greatest Showman) as the yeti, Meechee. NBA star LeBron James voices a yeti named Gwangi.
The movie follows Migo as he goes down the mountain to search for humans and prove his theory correct. Along the way he runs into other yetis who have been banned from the village and who have formed an organization, the SES (Smallfoot Evidentiary Society) to look for humans. Simultaneously, the film tells the story of a nature television host, Percy, who is wanting to capture footage of a yeti to boost his ratings and popularity.
Smallfoot is an entertaining and nearly squeaky-clean children’s movie that had me laughing out loud multiple times. It’s not a musical, although its inclusion of four songs (including one rap) is more than average for an animated film. I enjoyed all of them. The movie also had a couple of welcome twists at the end. This all comes with a caveat, though: Some moviegoers may interpret Smallfoot as encouraging the rejection of religion (More on that below).
Warning: minor/moderate spoilers!
(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)
Violence/Disturbing
Minimal. An airplane crashes; no one is injured. A helicopter crashes.
Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity
Minimal. We see an animal twerk during a dance and we hear the word “twerking” (Why, Hollywood, why?). We then see two human dancers briefly twerk.
Coarse Language
None. But we do hear “oh my gosh” (3), “butt” (2) and “sucks” (1).
Life Lessons
Warner Bros. is calling Smallfoot a movie about “friendship, courage and the joy of discovery.” That’s certainly true, but we also get lessons on integrity, telling the truth, repentance and forgiveness. Another major theme – not judging and learning to trust one another – is also worth discussing with children (The humans believe the yeti are dangerous, and vice versa).
Worldview
A young man grows up, experiences the world and a little freedom, and then sheds the traditional beliefs he was taught his entire life. That’s the story in Smallfoot – only in the movie it’s a yeti and not a person changing his views about life. In fact – fair or unfair — it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to picture our atheist friends embracing this movie. The daughter of the Stonekeeper even opposes the yeti beliefs: “It’s not about tearing down old ideas,” she says. “It’s about finding new ones.”
The curious subplot of Smallfoot – spoiler alert! – is that the Stonekeeper doesn’t believe the Stones, either. He tells Migo that the traditions were invented to protect the people and to keep them from wanting to come into contact with humans.
“All we are is curious. There’s nothing wrong with that,” we hear in one of the songs.
The good news for Christian parents is that the Christian faith can withstand curious questions and tough examination. Unlike the yeti, we shouldn’t be afraid to ask them (My favorite site to find answers: GotQuestion.org). That’s because – unlike the yeti traditions – Christianity is actually true.
Sponsors
For children, Chuck E. Cheese’s, Cold Stone Creamery, and Planet Smoothie are the most prominent sponsors.
What Works
Kudos to the filmmakers for turning the yeti into lovable creatures and for not including any frightening scenes. It would have been easy to do just the opposite.
What Doesn’t
Much of the plot spotlighted the Stones, but I would have preferred another angle. I’m guessing that many other people of faith will feel the same.
Discussion Questions
- Too often, we misunderstand and judge people based on their appearance. What does Smallfoot teach us about that?
- Was Percy wrong to want to stage a fake video of a yeti? Why or why not?
- What did Percy learn about integrity and the truth at the end?
- Is curiosity good or bad? Is it possible to take curiosity too far?
- Do you think Smallfoot had a message about religion? If so, what was it?
Entertainment rating: 3 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Rated PG for some action, rude humor, and thematic elements.
by Michael Foust | Sep 21, 2018
The House with a Clock in Its Walls opens this weekend, aiming squarely at the tweens, teens and family crowd. But the movie is far from innocent.
Lewis Barnavelt is a young, awkward boy who lacks a home. He could use some courage and a friend, too.
His parents died in a car crash, so he was sent to live with his uncle, Jonathan Barnavelt, who resides in an old, creepy-looking mansion in New Zebedee, Mich., with a platonic female assistant named Florence and hundreds of loud, ticking clocks.
The arrangement has its perks. There’s no bedtime and no bathtime, and Lewis can eat as many cookies as he craves. But lurking beneath these benefits is a truth that even his uncle can’t hide: The house is, well, haunted. Chairs move. Paintings dance. The shrubbery comes to life.
Initially, this seems to be a good thing. Jonathan is a friendly warlock – we are told – who fights evil and tries to keep the bad spirits away. Florence is a friendly witch. Sure, the house “moves,” but it does so only because it’s happy to have Lewis around.
Then things start to get scary. Lewis learns of a clock hidden in the house that could wipe out humanity if the right spell is cast. It was put there by someone named Isaac Izard, an evil warlock who is dead but could return someday to turn it loose.
It’s a story that would make most children run away and find a new home. Lewis, though, isn’t an ordinary kid.
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (PG) opens this weekend, starring Jack Black (Nacho Libre, Kung Fu Panda) as Uncle Jonathan, Cate Blanchett (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) as Florence, and Owen Vaccaro (Daddy’s Home) as Lewis.
The movie is set in 1955 and follows Lewis as he discovers his uncle’s powers and begins learning how to cast spells himself, all under his uncle’s tutelage. It is based on a juvenile fiction book by John Bellairs. Although a lot of the frightening stuff in the film is kid-oriented and played for laughs, much of it is not. Some of the spells require blood. One of the magic books spotlights necromancy – communicating with the dead. A flashback scene shows a character interacting with a demon. The occult theme is prominent. We see pentagrams.
By the time the credits rolled, I was wondering: How did this slide by with only a PG rating? It may be intense as the PG-13 Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children.
Let’s examine the details.
Warning: minor/moderate spoilers!
(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)
Violence/Disturbing
Moderate/extreme. Jonathan Barnavelt lives in a haunted house, so disturbing images – including skeletons and pictures related to the occult – are plentiful. Several times, Lewis walks around the house with a flashlight at night, trying to find the loud ticking noise. There are several jump-scare moments. Later, we see a man talking to a red-eyed, demon-looking man in a forest. A spell is cast in a cemetery. A dead man is raised to life, although bugs still crawl on his hands and he looks like a zombie. Communicating with the dead is discussed, as is murder and the “prince of hell.” A spell involves a pentagram and a drop of blood. A woman morphs from one person to another person by twitching her head in a possessed-like fashion. The final 30 minutes are quite intense, with items in the house turning on Jonathan and Lewis and attacking them.
Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity
Minimal. A zombie kisses a woman. She wears a dress displaying cleavage.
Coarse Language
Minimal. About eight coarse words: d—n (4), misuse of “God” (2), OMG (1), misuse of “Lord,” h—l (1).
Other Positive Elements
Jonathan and Florence care for Lewis and do their best to protect him – even telling him to go live with someone else.
Other Stuff You Might Want To Know
A magic 8-type ball plays a prominent role. Jonathan and Florence call one another names throughout the movie. (Example: He calls her “old hag.”) A shrubbery shaped like a winged lion poops several times.
Life Lessons
The most innocent (and perhaps most entertaining) parts of the movie take place when Lewis is at school. At first, he is bullied, but then he befriends a boy running for class president. But as soon as that boy is elected, he stops hanging around Lewis, because he no longer needs his vote. Later, Lewis makes a true friend. Several lessons are learned in this interaction. Among them: the cost of bullying and what it means to be a true friend. Lewis also learns a valuable lesson about peer pressure and trying to impress others.
Worldview
Perhaps you already guessed that The House With a Clock in Its Walls is full of witches and warlocks, but acknowledging God absent. And you’d be right. It’s a worldview of superstition and the occult (Jack-o-lanterns and iron ward off evil spirits). Like many modern-day films involving magic, the story tells us there are good witches and warlocks and bad witches and warlocks. This messed-up worldview goes a step further by inferring that “good” magic spells originate from within the warlock but “bad” magic spells get their power from hell.
Of course, most moviegoers won’t consider the biblical side of things, but as Christians, we should. There is no “good magic” in the Bible. There’s only an all-powerful God, who created and reigns over the universe. The Bible condemns magic (Deut. 18:10-16; Lev. 19:26, 31, 20:27; Acts 13:8-10) Yes, there is a Satan, and there are demons, but their power is limited.
Still, movie buffs can use The House With a Clock in Its Walls (and movies like it) as a portal with unbelievers to discuss the realities of a heaven and hell, a supernatural world, and God’s victory over evil. As Christians, we have no reason to “be scared.” God has won.
What Works
The scenes at school. Some of the humor. I (somewhat) enjoyed about two-thirds of the film. After that, the scare factor crossed from PG into PG-13 territory. Speaking of that …
What Doesn’t
The debate within Christianity over horror films is an interesting one. I am among those who think thrillers/horror movies, when done rightly, can convey biblical themes (See A Quiet Place, for example). But movies that glorify evil do just the opposite.
I’m not sure where The House With a Clock in Its Walls falls in this discussion. It has a happy ending. It is among the genre of so-called kid-friendly horror. Parents, though, might want to hear from screenwriter and producer Eric Kripke, who said that the movie “is sort of the gateway” to children “being scary-movie fans.”
“I think this’ll be your kids’ first scary movie,” Kripke said.
It’s also worth noting that the director, Eli Roth, has helmed multiple R-rated horror movies. This one is far from an R film, but it’s not for little kids, either. Parents who have to sing their children back to sleep at 1 in the morning may wish they had never gone.
Discussion Questions
- Do you think Christians should watch thrillers/horror movies? If so, when? What are the parameters?
- Florence says that all a person needs in the world is one great friend. Do you agree?
- What does the Bible say about magic?
- Have you ever seen someone bullied like Lewis was? What did you do? What should you do? Have you ever been bullied?
Entertainment rating: 2 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars.
Rated PG for thematic elements including sorcery, some action, scary images, rude humor and language.