{"id":75,"date":"2013-10-29T20:41:11","date_gmt":"2013-10-29T20:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/peanutsandpopcorn\/?p=75"},"modified":"2013-10-29T20:41:11","modified_gmt":"2013-10-29T20:41:11","slug":"scaring-the-hell-out-of-people-rapture-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/peanutsandpopcorn\/2013\/10\/scaring-the-hell-out-of-people-rapture-movies.html","title":{"rendered":"Scaring the Hell Out of People: Rapture Movies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is it ever \u201cokay\u201d for Christians to \u201cscare the hell\u201d out of non-believers? Is it even possible? For centuries, pastors and priests have used the \u201cturn or burn\u201d approach on others. While the intentions are good, are they always effective? In this series, join in the discussion and weigh in your opinion and thoughts.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\"Still<\/a>
Still from the 1941 short, “The Rapture.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is a little-known short film that is considered by some to be a piece of Christian propaganda. The 1941 short film, \u201cThe Rapture<\/a>,\u201d was produced by Charles Octavia Baptista and was part of the \u201cStory of a Fountain Pen\u201d series. Presented much like an old newsreel with the excitement of a classroom discussion on hygiene, \u201cThe Rapture\u201d features a dry narrator telling about the horrors yet to come to those who do not take the rapture train as well as how to remedy the situation. So begins the movie industry\u2019s quest to save the lost by scaring people to death.<\/p>\n

\"Poster<\/a>
Poster for “Final: The Rapture.” Photo: Riverrain Productions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fast forward to last September when Riverain Productions released \u201cFinal: The Rapture<\/a>.\u201d \u00a0Self-described as, \u201cBreathtaking, gripping, layered, and astonishing,\u201d the concept sounded intriguing. The film spins four tales woven together by a common theme: the rapture. The advertising made some bold claims: \u201cFinal: the Rapture\u201d will captivate you from the very first minute to the stunning, tear-jerking end.\u201d Director Tim Chey told the Christian Post<\/em><\/a> that the film would be the \u201cscariest Christian movie of the decade.\u201d And the purpose of this film? “I made this film to scare the living daylights out of adult non-believers.”<\/p>\n

Whether the filmmaker achieved his goal or not is debatable. It is just the latest in a long string of similar-sounding, fear-making films to come about the last 15 years or so.<\/p>\n

Since 1997, the bulk of Cloud Ten Pictures\u2019 films have been based on the rapture including \u201cApocalypse,\u201d \u201cApocalypse II: Revelation,\u201d \u201cApocalypse III: Tribulation,\u201d and \u201cApocalypse IV: Judgment.\u201d But it doesn\u2019t end there. The yet un-named \u201cApocalypse V\u201d is scheduled to be produced and is coming just around the corner. This is the same studio responsible for the three \u201cLeft Behind\u201d films that starred Kirk Cameron and were based on the books by Tim LaHaye.<\/p>\n

\"Poster<\/a>
Poster for the reboot of “Left Behind.” Photo: Cloud 10 Pictures.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite the success of those films, LaHaye was not pleased with the final productions and took the studio to court to win back the rights to re-make the films himself. However, in 2010, the rights were restored back to Cloud Ten. But instead of creating a fourth film, the studio has decided to reboot the entire series, this time starring Nicolas Cage.<\/p>\n

Another Christian film company, Pure Flix Entertainment, known for making last year\u2019s \u201cChristmas with a Capital C,\u201d has made their own share of end times films. They include this year\u2019s \u201cRevelation Road\u201d part one and two (with a nod toward the Mad Max films) and the under-appreciated, 2011 action film, \u201cJerusalem Countdown.\u201d<\/p>\n

As far as scares go, nothing can compete with the original turn-or-burn films by Russell S. Doughten. While his name may not sound familiar, his credits include 1958\u2019s \u201cThe Blob\u201d of all things. He is better known amongst Christians for the \u201cThief in the Night\u201d films.<\/p>\n

\"Still<\/a>
Still from the upcoming reboot of “Left Behind” with Nicolas Cage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The original \u201cThief\u201d film was released in 1973 and running a short 69 minutes in length but was long in its bad acting and un-special effects. Still, it managed to scare many a Christian child that went to see it in their church\u2019s basement. It shared a story about Patty who wakes up one day to find that her husband, and many others, has been raptured and she had been \u201cleft behind\u201d to fight having to take the mark of the beast. The cheesy film was followed by three more chapters including, \u201cA Distant Thunder,\u201d \u201cImage of the Beast\u201d and \u201cThe Prodigal Planet.\u201d The stylized yet poorly made films featured Doughten himself in all four films as Reverend Matthew Turner, a survivalist who doesn\u2019t completely believe the Bible.<\/p>\n

\"Poster<\/a>
Poster for “A Thief in the Night.” Mark V Pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is no doubt that the writers and directors of these films had and continue to have the best intentions, but it remains debatable if these films really help to spread the \u201cgood news.\u201d In many cases, the audience that comes to these movies are already Christians and some leave the screenings questioning if they are really saved.<\/p>\n

Not all Christian filmmakers are aiming to scare the hell out of people. Some just want to make unbelievers think. Meanwhile, others in Hollywood are taking advantage with the fascination of the end times by producing their own rapture movies. \u201cThis is the End,\u201d a hit, and \u201cRapure-Palooza,\u201d a bomb, went with similar end-of-the-world fare this year but with a comedy angle. Both could be considered a slap in the face to believers especially \u201cPalooza\u201d as it attempted \u00a0to make fun of God and Jesus, which is scarier than any of the above mentioned films.<\/p>\n

So, what do you think? Do you enjoy these films? Are they effective in reaching the lost? Is there a better plan? Join the discussion and share your thoughts below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is it ever \u201cokay\u201d for Christians to \u201cscare the hell\u201d out of non-believers? Is it even possible? For centuries, pastors and priests have used the \u201cturn or burn\u201d approach on others. While the intentions are good, are they always effective? In this series, join in the discussion and weigh in your opinion and thoughts. There…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":558,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[60,58,59,1091,62,61,57],"class_list":["post-75","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-a-thief-in-the-night","tag-final-the-rapture","tag-left-behind","tag-movies","tag-nicolas-cage","tag-russell-s-doughten","tag-the-rapture"],"yoast_head":"\nScaring the Hell Out of People: Rapture Movies - Peanuts and Popcorn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/peanutsandpopcorn\/2013\/10\/scaring-the-hell-out-of-people-rapture-movies.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scaring the Hell Out of People: Rapture Movies - Peanuts and Popcorn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is it ever \u201cokay\u201d for Christians to \u201cscare the hell\u201d out of non-believers? 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