It’s nothing like a box-office hit to cast a light on the realities of religion, and of the existence of the Devil. Warner Brothers has succeeded in not only scaring movie-goers, but according to the response spreading across social media platforms – has also caused some to reexamine their faith. What could have been so frightening that would send members of the audience clutching their Bibles upon returning home?
If you’ve seen the trailer for ‘The Conjuring,’ then you know that something is not right in the house that the primary character is seen exploring. There are odd noises encountered, mysterious hand-claps heard, and the element of a distressed family involved. The plot of the movie is about the tale of a family (the Perrons) who move into a haunted farm house in Rhode Island. Soon after their arrival, they begin to experience strange occurrences that are later identified as being of a satanic nature.
In an attempt to exorcise the home, the family calls upon the assistance of known paranormal investigators – demonologist Ed Warren and his wife, Lorraine Warren, who has the gift of clairvoyance. It becomes apparent that this is no ordinary ghost that they have on their hands, and it is revealed that something quite threatening is at the root of a force that places the lives of everyone involved in great danger.
The response to the movie has found an audience speaking out across several different social media platforms, and has also attracted the attention of the Catholic News Service, which released a statement that the film contained a lop-sided view of the faith practices of Catholics. Some of those who have seen the movie took to Twitter to express the lingering sentiments related to their experiences. People stated that this kind of movie was the ‘reason why [they] keep a Bible by the bed,’ and some said they were ‘going to sleep with a Bible and rosary tonight.’ One post referred to the importance of having religious faith on their side, and stated, “After seeing the Conjuring, I am definitely going to catch up on my Bible and prayers.”
While the movie industry has seen the release of a variety of films with different religious themes, such as The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist, and The Rite, the Conjuring is one that is said to truly remind people of the realities of the Devil, and the power that religion possesses as a way to ward evil away. Why?
One of the things that also attract people to the movie, and increases the ‘scare factor’ of the film is that the characters that the story is centered on are all real – with their experiences taking place in 1971. The family really existed, the exorcists they called were real, and of course, the Devil is real as well. One author warned that the movie proves that people should not claim ignorance when it comes to the existence of demonic forces, or disregard the possibility that events such as the ones touched upon in the movie could really happen to them.