We’re watching the movie, the Amityville Horror, on TV now. My thoughts as the movie progresses:
Okay, they move into a cheap house, knowing that people have died in it. What do they expect? Then again, who knows what sort of history any plot of land has had – perhaps, the title deed could indicate previous owners’ names. People living in brand new apartments have been attacked – nobody is safe. You have to hold on to your faith.
In the movie, church people get driven away and injured as they try to bless the house. All the more, I’m glad that we survived our own house blessing and drove a few little imps (Guai Zai) away. God’s presence is far stronger than the Devil’s; I just wish that the mass media would demonstrate this more often than making it sound like evil wins most of the time.
Doorknobs turning with nobody behind the door. I walked off when this scene occured (OK, I’ve jumped the gun as it turns out it was a kid who opened the door in the movie), because that was what I saw in my own house many years ago. And I heard my toilet door knob turn when nobody was there. I think I might be more daring should it ever happen to me again, but still, that’s not a thought you’d want to go to bed with. Extra long prayers tonight.
Dogs barking at nothing in particular. This has happened to another friend of mine who later discovered Chinese charms embedded inside the wall of her kitchen, when it got demolished. We’re getting a dog when we move back in, I think.
Dark, whooshing sounds behind you. You turn around, but it is too late – you see nothing. That happened twice – once, along the corridor (yes, the famous corridor, which is now demolished with the rest of the walls), and once in my sister’s room, shortly before we moved out. But I could feel darkness. Some of us sense these sort of things more than others do.
And the priests and nun definitely felt it. They should have said a prayer at ONCE. I think everyone should have a special prayer they can recite (with sincerity and faith of course) when they are in trouble. I should learn one. Reciting Psalm 23 saved my cousin who awoke paralysed, feeling two paws on his chest but seeing nothing. The unseen beast leapt off his chest when he said in his thoughts, ‘I shall fear no evil’.
More screaming from the living room as I type. Why do we subject ourselves to this? Haven’t we had enough?!
To be continued…
Just finished watching the show. The direction sucks. Some scenes are badly cut, and it didn’t flow well. The special effects were weird. The evil creature looked so fake, like a kite with light bulb eyes. And the story apparently is very different from the book. It makes me think that low-grade, or any grade, horror movies are not worth watching. After the shock, what else is there?
I was hoping that the second priest would have done something more about the problem. There was little continuity in that aspect. As with the police inspector who was monitoring the house.
I think one thing they should have done was not to rely so much on another human being – the older priest who lost his eyesight and got so freaked out he never came back to help them. We shouldn’t grow distant with God. Lack of knowledge and fear of the unknown are a dangerous combination which the evil one plays on. We must stay vigilante to our faith, in times of trouble. Maintain a relationship with God.
Comments
God’s direct dial: Jeremiah 33:3!
Totally agree on shows and the portrayal of absence of God in mass media. E.g. (not horror movie) but in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen I found it a little disturbing that there were all these ‘super powers’ but no mention of God’s omnipotence. Same with the tv series Charmed, with emphasis on witchcraft. Actually, these days I just try to be more discerning in what I watch…
woo! doggie! what sort of dog are you thinking of getting? would you consider rescuing one?
i hate horror films. won’t watch them. bleugh.