The Reaping (2007)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Stephen Hopkins

Writers (WGA):

Carey Hayes (screenplay) &
Chad Hayes (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 April 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Thousands of years ago there was a series of bizarre occurrences that many believed to have been the Ten Biblical Plagues. No one thought they could happen again. Until now.

Plot:

A former Christian missionary, who specializes in debunking religious phenomena, investigates a small town which seems to be suffering from the 10 biblical plagues.

Plot Keywords:

Missionary | Biblical Plague | Plague | Louisiana | Small Town

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Hilary Swank	...	Katherine
David Morrissey	...	Doug
Idris Elba	...	Ben
AnnaSophia Robb	...	Loren McConnell
Stephen Rea	...	Father Costigan
William Ragsdale	...	Sheriff Cade
John McConnell	...	Mayor Brooks
David Jensen	...	Jim Wakeman
Yvonne Landry	...	Brynn Wakeman
Samuel Garland	...	William Wakeman
Myles Cleveland	...	Kyle Wakeman
Andrea Frankle	...	Maddie McConnell
Mark Lynch	...	Brody McConnell
Stuart Greer	...	Gordon
Lara Grice	...	Isabelle

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, disturbing images and some sexuality.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Australia:M | Ireland:15A | Hong Kong:IIB | Singapore:M18 | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 | USA:R (certificate #43267) | Italy:VM14 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15 | Norway:15 | Malaysia:18PL | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Sweden:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-18 (self applied) | Peru:14 | France:U (with warning)

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Initially Warner Bros. set the USA release date to August 11, 2006. It was then pushed back to November 8, 2006 and later March 30, 2007, and pushed back yet again just one more week to April 5, 2007.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Katherine and Ben are wading through the river of blood, Ben stumbles and the left sleeve of his shirt and his bag dip into the river and become visibly wet. A short time later, when frogs start raining from the sky, both his shirt and the bag are completely dry. Even if there were time for the shirt to dry, the blood in the river would inevitably leave a stain.

Quotes:

Maddie McConnell: Are you here for my girl? Are you gonna kill my baby girl?
Katherine Winter: What? No!
Maddie McConnell: Why not?
Katherine Winter: I'm just trying to help her.
Maddie McConnell: She doesn't need help. Can't you see that?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)

Soundtrack:

Body Move

Interesting...

THE REAPING:Warner Bros./Dark Castle/Village Roadshow 2007 color 99 m Horror-Thriller Hilary Swak, Stephen Rea, Anna Sophia Robb, Idris Elba and David Morrisey star. Written by Carey and chad hayes Directed by Stephen Hopkins Rated R for strong language, violence, gore and sexuality.

I'm not quite sure why Warner shelved this film for so long. That said The Reaping is one of the most original horror films in years and packs a surprising punch in its finale. Hilary Swank stars as Katherine Winter a woman who debunks supposed miracles all around the world. After hearing about a town being infected with the biblical plagues she comes over to scientifically explain the strange events. But as she is drawn into the mystery of the town, its people and a mysterious little girl secrets are revealed as the apocalypse draws near. And there's a lot more going on than that. The film is extremely complex and multi layered, it's chaotic and even a bit confusing at times but when the final revelations come together it's well worth your thought process. Swank is of course sensational in the lead she gives Katherine an heir of disbelief and confidence. Her swagger alone carries the film through it's rough patches. Anna Sophia Robb coming off the under rated Bridge to terebithia is wonderfully spooky as the mysterious child and the rest of the cast is filled out nicely by Idris Elba, Stephen Rea and the sexy David Morrisey. The direction from Hopkins is surprisingly unique and inventive that goes as well for the screenplay from the Hayes brothers. The film is far from perfect, the spfx tend to be a bit cheesy and the film seems a little muddled and unfinished in parts. But what the film ultimately succeeds at is in its originality. I've seen a lot of horror films and I've never seen something like this. It's pretty unpredicatable and infinatly interesting. It also is smart and handles it's subject matter surprisingly well playing it straight. The cinematography is complimentary and matches the film it's fills the film with dreamlike arches of landscape and a mood of eminent danger. The score like the recent premonition matches the film chaotically in a weird way making every scene seem much more intense than it actually is. This is a smart movie and has a lot going on it. At 99 mins. it feels a lot longer especially after you've made all of the films discoveries. It's a rare thing these days to be blown away by something so creative, don't miss The Reaping!