This movie begins with a doctor and an assistant trying to revive a man who has just suffered a massive coronary. The man's name is "Dr. Eric Robinson" (Dan Kruse) and he has purposely brought the condition upon himself. The cardiologist happens to be his best friend, "Dr. Carl Burke" (Terry Jernigen) and the woman assisting him is a psychiatrist named "Dr. Marissa Holloway" (Emilie Jo Tisdale). Anyway, as Eric is being brought back to life the first words he utters upon regaining consciousness is "Loose lips sink ships". Not long afterward he gets up out of his hospital bed and steals an ambulance. Now, rather than reveal too much of the plot and risk spoiling the film for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this is a movie about "Near Death Experiences" and how they relate to Christianity. That said, even though I think that this is an extremely interesting subject I must admit that I found the graphics, dialogue and some of the acting to be rather second-rate. No doubt the low-budget had much to do with this. In any case, although this film had its moments I thought that the end result was rather disappointing and I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly below average.
12 Reviews
Familiar concept, struggles to make a controversial doctrine credible
gallopingghost9 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Hell is an idea that many find unpleasant and is more unpopular than ever, even in Christian circles. There have been more than a few films in cinema that address this topic but they all have the same flaws; they don't persuade a skeptical person that such a place exists.
As other reviewers have mentioned, if you've seen the movie Flatliners you probably know how the plot of this movie goes. A doctor, dealing with depression and guilt over his broken relationship with his father, increasingly obsesses over the idea of NDEs. He reaches the point of wanting to pierce the veil and experience it for himself. Predictably, he finds life after death to be dramatically different than he expected.
As with the other films of this genre, Hell is simply assumed to exist. There's no explanation offered as to why it does, what its purpose is or why a seemingly moral person would end up there. God and Jesus, central to the Christian faith, are absent in this movie.
I know you can only go so deep into theology when making a movie, without turning it into a sermon that people will tune out anyway. I still believe it's possible to give exposition or discussion around the idea of Hell in a movie that will at least interest others. Surely the Bible is sufficient source material.
Bottom line is that many have legitimate questions about Hell, notably about the justice of such a place. If Christian filmmakers set out to make a movie about it, they should at least try to address some of these issues.
As other reviewers have mentioned, if you've seen the movie Flatliners you probably know how the plot of this movie goes. A doctor, dealing with depression and guilt over his broken relationship with his father, increasingly obsesses over the idea of NDEs. He reaches the point of wanting to pierce the veil and experience it for himself. Predictably, he finds life after death to be dramatically different than he expected.
As with the other films of this genre, Hell is simply assumed to exist. There's no explanation offered as to why it does, what its purpose is or why a seemingly moral person would end up there. God and Jesus, central to the Christian faith, are absent in this movie.
I know you can only go so deep into theology when making a movie, without turning it into a sermon that people will tune out anyway. I still believe it's possible to give exposition or discussion around the idea of Hell in a movie that will at least interest others. Surely the Bible is sufficient source material.
Bottom line is that many have legitimate questions about Hell, notably about the justice of such a place. If Christian filmmakers set out to make a movie about it, they should at least try to address some of these issues.
The theological implications are irrelevant
resistance21131 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This is the kind of movie that is bound to get trolled by bored hipsters looking for an online fight to rile the blood. And, OK, maybe it deserves it a little bit. But in trashing this movie so, one skips over some very valid, very pertinent reasons why this movie is an abomination to cinema.
One could, for example, take extensive issue with the film's theology. That's fair. No matter how closely it follows the scriptural account of how souls are sorted in the Christian afterlife, the enduring motif of the film, for the uninitiated humanist (the audience to whom the film is obviously trying to pander) is that "Hey, Jesus is kind of a dick." That's not, of course, to say that Jesus WAS a dick. Just that you wouldn't be able to make a fair assessment from this film's interpretation of the facts.
All that, I might add, and Jesus/God the Father never ONCE even makes an appearance. What a ripoff.
And though I could go on and on about the troubling theological implications of the film, and though I would not be totally unjustified in doing so (the back of the DVD, after all, suggests that it is the perfect conversation starter for unsaved neighbors and family), I feel the need to put aside such petty judgements and address the film's higher crimes and misdemeanors - that is to say, its crimes against narrative.
Allow me to be succinct. This film sucks. Sucks, suck sucks. There no two ways about it. (The late Jerry Falwell thought enough of it to give it 4 stars, but I do not believe he has reviewed many other movies, therefore making hi standard for comparison weak at best). The dialogue is, at best, less than intellectually engaging; at worst, it is the kind of ham- handed buffoonery that would make Jack Chick cringe in disgust. The characters are little more than paper-bag puppets, existing from scene to scene, with little in the way of personal development or emotional maturity. They are worse than static caricatures; they change their personas as fits the convenience of the director, going - at least in the male lead's case - from Byronic anti-hero to love-hungry son, from hardcore rationalist to aesthetic humanist, all within a jaunty 76 minutes. Whew!
Most perplexingly, though the film is called "Escape from Hell," we, the audience, see Hell for maybe 10-15 minutes, tops - at the very end. At least Dante had the good sense to drop us into the eponymous Inferno by the third chapter. And rest assured, it is filled with the kind of basic 3D CGI effects that for some reason may have passed muster in the 80s but have, in the years since Tron, become woefully outdated. (Satan, as it turns out, has a major thing for the Photoshop solarization filter. Oh, and the path t Hell is just like those tunnels in Sliders).
Again, I must cut short a potentially-lengthy criticism and jump right to the point. Why do Christians feel the need to blindly praise every film that dares to call itself a "Christian film"? When critical judgement gives way to blind factional fist-pumping, we open dangerous doors - doors that, as history teaches us, lead us down paths lined with aggression, hate, and violence. I will not go so far as to far as to imply that Escape from Hell incites inter-religious hatred; I will, however, stand in abject defiance to all those who proclaim, without a whiff of objectivism, that this film is anything but a masturbatory endeavor for evangelical Christians under the hopeless guise of 'reaching out' to the unsaved. Anyone who has been 'saved' by this kind of pathetic storytelling is probably worth more lost.
One could, for example, take extensive issue with the film's theology. That's fair. No matter how closely it follows the scriptural account of how souls are sorted in the Christian afterlife, the enduring motif of the film, for the uninitiated humanist (the audience to whom the film is obviously trying to pander) is that "Hey, Jesus is kind of a dick." That's not, of course, to say that Jesus WAS a dick. Just that you wouldn't be able to make a fair assessment from this film's interpretation of the facts.
All that, I might add, and Jesus/God the Father never ONCE even makes an appearance. What a ripoff.
And though I could go on and on about the troubling theological implications of the film, and though I would not be totally unjustified in doing so (the back of the DVD, after all, suggests that it is the perfect conversation starter for unsaved neighbors and family), I feel the need to put aside such petty judgements and address the film's higher crimes and misdemeanors - that is to say, its crimes against narrative.
Allow me to be succinct. This film sucks. Sucks, suck sucks. There no two ways about it. (The late Jerry Falwell thought enough of it to give it 4 stars, but I do not believe he has reviewed many other movies, therefore making hi standard for comparison weak at best). The dialogue is, at best, less than intellectually engaging; at worst, it is the kind of ham- handed buffoonery that would make Jack Chick cringe in disgust. The characters are little more than paper-bag puppets, existing from scene to scene, with little in the way of personal development or emotional maturity. They are worse than static caricatures; they change their personas as fits the convenience of the director, going - at least in the male lead's case - from Byronic anti-hero to love-hungry son, from hardcore rationalist to aesthetic humanist, all within a jaunty 76 minutes. Whew!
Most perplexingly, though the film is called "Escape from Hell," we, the audience, see Hell for maybe 10-15 minutes, tops - at the very end. At least Dante had the good sense to drop us into the eponymous Inferno by the third chapter. And rest assured, it is filled with the kind of basic 3D CGI effects that for some reason may have passed muster in the 80s but have, in the years since Tron, become woefully outdated. (Satan, as it turns out, has a major thing for the Photoshop solarization filter. Oh, and the path t Hell is just like those tunnels in Sliders).
Again, I must cut short a potentially-lengthy criticism and jump right to the point. Why do Christians feel the need to blindly praise every film that dares to call itself a "Christian film"? When critical judgement gives way to blind factional fist-pumping, we open dangerous doors - doors that, as history teaches us, lead us down paths lined with aggression, hate, and violence. I will not go so far as to far as to imply that Escape from Hell incites inter-religious hatred; I will, however, stand in abject defiance to all those who proclaim, without a whiff of objectivism, that this film is anything but a masturbatory endeavor for evangelical Christians under the hopeless guise of 'reaching out' to the unsaved. Anyone who has been 'saved' by this kind of pathetic storytelling is probably worth more lost.
Great comedy!
farrell-g28 December 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I ran into this on late-night Christian TV. I was initially disappointed, as the story moved along somewhat ploddingly. It begins with a guy being revived from death in a hospital that looks like the basement of an oil refinery, that's lit entirely in red. Later, we discover that the patient is actually a doctor intrigued by reports of near-death experiences in which patients report seeing Heaven.
Wanting to see for himself, he injects himself with a deadly cocktail, and calls a doctor friend to revive him.
As it turns out, he travels through a tunnel of light to Heaven, which is an incredibly beautiful mountain range with lights flitting around. One of these lights turns into a human (presumably God), and informs the doctor that it "isn't his time" and he "has to go". Inexplicably, he's then thrown into Hell. If it isn't his time for Heaven, isn't it not his time for Hell, too? Anyway, he flies through a tunnel of fire and lands in the scorching plains of Hell, where he soon runs into a dead colleague who's begging for water. We learn via flashback that the reason the colleague was cast into Hell is that he channel-surfed past John Hagee on the TV. Wow...pretty touchy, God! As the doctor's friend revives him, he's drawn back to Earth, presumably to get all preachy on everyone with his newfound belief.
I laughed long and loud at this film. It includes everything: the stereotypical smug and sneering atheist, the righteous convert, the ignorant scientist, and the silly mythology.
A funny but happily short film. Might be good for drinking games at a party of heathen friends.
Wanting to see for himself, he injects himself with a deadly cocktail, and calls a doctor friend to revive him.
As it turns out, he travels through a tunnel of light to Heaven, which is an incredibly beautiful mountain range with lights flitting around. One of these lights turns into a human (presumably God), and informs the doctor that it "isn't his time" and he "has to go". Inexplicably, he's then thrown into Hell. If it isn't his time for Heaven, isn't it not his time for Hell, too? Anyway, he flies through a tunnel of fire and lands in the scorching plains of Hell, where he soon runs into a dead colleague who's begging for water. We learn via flashback that the reason the colleague was cast into Hell is that he channel-surfed past John Hagee on the TV. Wow...pretty touchy, God! As the doctor's friend revives him, he's drawn back to Earth, presumably to get all preachy on everyone with his newfound belief.
I laughed long and loud at this film. It includes everything: the stereotypical smug and sneering atheist, the righteous convert, the ignorant scientist, and the silly mythology.
A funny but happily short film. Might be good for drinking games at a party of heathen friends.
Poetic license went way too far
cbcpastor3 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Well acted with some great special effects but it's too bad scriptural integrity was the first casualty. There were so many blatant errors for the sake of making a "more scary movie" that we could not recommend nor show this to our church. Satan was painted as the monarch of Hell when scripture teaches that Hell is a place of torment created for the Devil and his angels. The list goes on as Hell is portrayed as a physical house of horrors and all but denies the spiritual essence that those souls in Hell will live in the anguish of being forever isolated from God's love and provision. Menacing demons search the earth seeking to drag living souls to the abyss? My Bible teaches that men choose Hell by denying salvation. You can't blame the Devil for man's choice of eternal separation from God.
When we seek to add error to increase the scare effect, we deny the power of God's Spirit to work through truth. I wish there were an accurate portrayal of Hell to offer to our church, I think it would be helpful. Movies that stretch the truth to this level only hurt evangelism through those that will laugh themselves right out of our churches and ignore the truth of genuine warning.
When we seek to add error to increase the scare effect, we deny the power of God's Spirit to work through truth. I wish there were an accurate portrayal of Hell to offer to our church, I think it would be helpful. Movies that stretch the truth to this level only hurt evangelism through those that will laugh themselves right out of our churches and ignore the truth of genuine warning.
Complete Christian Bias!
Jetset97121 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is a travesty! I mean they take the subject of near death experiences and make it seem that everyone who has ever died, briefly, has either gone to the Christian heaven or Christian hell with absolutely no other option available. The fact is that when people have had near death experiences they all have different versions of what they saw. It was almost never heaven or hell based on their religious beliefs. They saw things like long lost loved ones or bright lights or any other number or phenomenon. To be fair there are those that have had bad after death experiences of terror and pain. However, I submit to you that if their is only one Christian heaven and hell after we die, then every near death experience would be like what was depicted in this movie, without exception. The fact is they are not black and white. Furthermore, one scene in particular made my blood boil. The doctor is interviewing a blind, from birth mind you, person who had a near death experience and saw heaven and an angel telling her to go back to earth because it wasn't her time. Even if this is based on a real blind person who said this, you have to realize that if she had been blind since birth she wouldn't understand what she saw. She testifies to seeing colors and such but it has been medically proved that a person born blind that suddenly gets their vision back is still "mentaly blind" and wouldn't understand or comprehend what they are seeing. This leads me to believe that its more likely that they made up this woman's story, or at least exaggerated it, for artistic license. All and all don't waste your time on this biased Christina propaganda.
Realistic
adam-46218 June 2004
This has to be one of the best films ever made on the subject of Hell. A skeptical doctor is shaken by the death of his estranged father and a fellow doctor enthralls him with tales of people going to Heaven. He believes Hell is a cruel myth and sets out on a radical course of action. He plans to kill himself in the boiler room of the hospital while providing his best friend, the tools to bring him back to life before it's too late.
The drama and tension of the film begins from the opening credits and doesn't stop until it's over. The plot is clever and the acting believable. A must-see movie for Christian and unbeliever alike. I haven't seen any other films from DRC productions, but this one will be a tough act to follow.
The drama and tension of the film begins from the opening credits and doesn't stop until it's over. The plot is clever and the acting believable. A must-see movie for Christian and unbeliever alike. I haven't seen any other films from DRC productions, but this one will be a tough act to follow.
Loses all credibility.
james-gloprem121 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Let me declare myself: I am a Bible-believing Christian who has studied and written more about this subject than most other people. Escape from hell is not a new movie, it's a poor remake of Flatliners with an emphasis on what many are discovering is a thoroughly discredited doctrine. The mainstream Christian world-view is that all unbelievers go to a place of fire and torture at the end of their lives. This is based on cherry-picking scriptures to support a pre-formed mindset, rather than a whole Bible revelation. This movie does nothing to remedy this 1500 year old error. Global grace books and documentaries have soundly rebutted this error in teaching, yet this movie and others like it persist in promoting an outmoded fallacy that seeks to terrify people back into church. It's a discredited fairytale from the middle ages with a 21st century makeover, yet, like the doctrine it's supposed to represent, Escape from Hell fails the credibility test on every level.
Excellent story of a Near Death Experience! Highly Recommended!
dwhitejr3421 April 2005
This film was excellent. I'm so glad to see filmmakers of faith beginning to make quality movies. This film will really get you thinking about the reality of heaven and hell. For those who believe that the Bible is truly God's Word, an instruction manual to how to live life on earth, then this film maintains the accuracy of scripture. I like the way the director took a NDE (Near Death Experience) of someone who had not accepted Christ as Savior and their eyes were opened to what Hell is really like. His use of a fictional story to make a point worked very well. I highly recommend this film to anyone interested in NDE's or to find out what the Bible says about Heaven and Hell or life after death.
"Escape From Truth" would have been a more accurate title.
Htom_Sirveaux29 December 2011
This film is a lie. It's one big outright lie from start to finish. I'd like to start off as saying that I am NOT anti-Christian; I have nothing against Christ and believe in Him myself. What I am against is any religion, Christianity or otherwise, using fear and lies to try to frighten people into believing what they believe, and "Escape From Hell" is a prime example of just that.
First of all, it's absolutely appalling how misinformed the makers of this film are regarding the concept of near-death experiences. Anyone who has any understanding of near-death experiences knows that experiencers Christian and non-Christian alike have had wonderful, heavenly experiences involving a Being of Light and tangible Love unlike anything they've ever felt. While there are also hellish near-death experiences, they typically occur to people who are filled with either hatred or fear; the majority of hellish near-death experiences in the United States alone come from people with a fire-and-brimstone Christian background. Why? Because our thoughts become manifest in the spiritual realm. Those who are dominated by love created heavenly experiences; those who are dominated by hatred or fear create hellish experiences.
The second appalling thing about this movie is that the filmmakers apparently don't know all that much about what Jesus taught about spirits, considering that He said that a tree is known by its fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit (Matthew 12:33). The fruit He refers to is that of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This test was applied to spirits to test whether they were godly or demonic (Matthew 12:35). The problem with the mentality of people like these filmmakers that is that anything that doesn't fit their extremely narrow-minded views is automatically labeled "Satanic." They really ought to be more careful about that, considering another warning given by the One they profess to worship with regards to crediting works of God to Satan (Matthew 12:31-32). I'm sure said filmmakers would undoubtedly come back with with the argument that Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), but all that reminds us is that demonic forces can be deceptive, and this passage does nothing to nullify the aforementioned test Jesus has given to us. If a spirit or other paranormal being bears love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, then you have nothing to fear. If it doesn't, run like hell.
If you really want to learn about near-death experiences, then start reading up on them. Don't limit yourself to the near-death experiences of people from any one religion; God is far too big of a Concept to be confined to any one religion, and so is the afterlife. As for tripe such as "Escape From Hell," the filmmakers have forgotten how one of the Ten Commandments instructs them to not lie, something they would do well to remember if they truly believe themselves to be so pious.
First of all, it's absolutely appalling how misinformed the makers of this film are regarding the concept of near-death experiences. Anyone who has any understanding of near-death experiences knows that experiencers Christian and non-Christian alike have had wonderful, heavenly experiences involving a Being of Light and tangible Love unlike anything they've ever felt. While there are also hellish near-death experiences, they typically occur to people who are filled with either hatred or fear; the majority of hellish near-death experiences in the United States alone come from people with a fire-and-brimstone Christian background. Why? Because our thoughts become manifest in the spiritual realm. Those who are dominated by love created heavenly experiences; those who are dominated by hatred or fear create hellish experiences.
The second appalling thing about this movie is that the filmmakers apparently don't know all that much about what Jesus taught about spirits, considering that He said that a tree is known by its fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit (Matthew 12:33). The fruit He refers to is that of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This test was applied to spirits to test whether they were godly or demonic (Matthew 12:35). The problem with the mentality of people like these filmmakers that is that anything that doesn't fit their extremely narrow-minded views is automatically labeled "Satanic." They really ought to be more careful about that, considering another warning given by the One they profess to worship with regards to crediting works of God to Satan (Matthew 12:31-32). I'm sure said filmmakers would undoubtedly come back with with the argument that Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), but all that reminds us is that demonic forces can be deceptive, and this passage does nothing to nullify the aforementioned test Jesus has given to us. If a spirit or other paranormal being bears love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, then you have nothing to fear. If it doesn't, run like hell.
If you really want to learn about near-death experiences, then start reading up on them. Don't limit yourself to the near-death experiences of people from any one religion; God is far too big of a Concept to be confined to any one religion, and so is the afterlife. As for tripe such as "Escape From Hell," the filmmakers have forgotten how one of the Ten Commandments instructs them to not lie, something they would do well to remember if they truly believe themselves to be so pious.
Compare this to what Jesus actually said
fcwaggoner-101-623147 November 2022
I've read most of the reviews for this movie. Some like it some hate it. I rated this movie a 10 not for quality of production but for correctness of the Biblical message. Those who reviewers who hate it seem to hate the message that there is a literal hell to be shunned, and since they likely don't believe in God they must argue away the existence of hell. I agree with the nay sayers that technically this is not a high quality production, but forget that aspect. What did Jesus say about hell in the Bible? That's the real issue. Is there a literal hell? Jesus mentioned hell 42 times. He talked about hell more than he talked about heaven. His warnings about hell were very serious. Read Luke 16:19 for one of his hellish warnings. Jesus came to earth to rescue us from hell. Hell is the default destination of all those who reject or ignore Jesus/God. But humans can avoid hell by choosing to believe in God, and asking Jesus to save them from their sins and from hell. In the movie a "good man" went to hell. That would surely shock some viewers, but that was also Biblically correct. The Bible teaches that we are not saved by good works or good deeds, but we are saved by Grace, which is God's unmerited favor towards us when we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It's YOUR choice. Heaven or hell?
great intro to the reality of afterlife
pmhong22 May 2009
This Christian movie does an excellent job of using out of body experience as a tool to communicate the Gospel message. I am surprised by good acting, storyline, and camera work on this low budget production. It is not a cinema movie, but captivating and it does what it was made to do. Make people think about life after death.
Some reviewers bash the movie for lack of theological integrity, but I disagree. No movie can perfectly portray heaven or hell. Books, painting, or movies can only give a glimpse of what heaven or hell might be. The movie shows hell does exist and only faith in Christ can save you, while stressing the fact that your good morality cannot save you.
I have to say, the movie's biggest theological weakness is the 70's and 80's presentation of the Gospel. There is a heavy emphasis on faith in Christ. There is a lack of communicating that living a godly life must also be integrated to your faith. James clearly says faith without works is dead.
Some reviewers bash the movie for lack of theological integrity, but I disagree. No movie can perfectly portray heaven or hell. Books, painting, or movies can only give a glimpse of what heaven or hell might be. The movie shows hell does exist and only faith in Christ can save you, while stressing the fact that your good morality cannot save you.
I have to say, the movie's biggest theological weakness is the 70's and 80's presentation of the Gospel. There is a heavy emphasis on faith in Christ. There is a lack of communicating that living a godly life must also be integrated to your faith. James clearly says faith without works is dead.
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