The Reaping

The Reaping

(2007)

directed by Stephen Hopkins

reviewed by Jonathon Rocks

12.17.2007

At a time when so many classic horror films are being remade or "re-envisioned", it's refreshing to see an original screenplay like "The Reaping" get made. However, one can imagine why a studio would opt for the in-the-bag success of a remake after witnessing the third act of a film disintegrate as badly as it does in this one.

The film is about college Professor Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank), a lapsed Christian whose area of expertise is debunking supposedly divine occurrences, or miracles. She's contacted by a man from a close knit, bible belt town who believes that their river, which has turned red, has actually turned into human blood. Believing this to be the beginning of the biblical ten plagues, he hires her to come investigate and hopefully find a satisfactory explanation of this phenomenon that will quell the fear of people in his town.

As is the case with many horror movies, the setup for this film is terrific. The first act is unfolds with Dr. Winters' back story being revealed through subtle exposition and some quite interesting flashbacks. The second act is decent, introducing us to the young girl whom the town believes to be the source of their troubles. However, it seems that the burden of proof for a horror film is the third act, which is to say, how well it can wrap up the ending. What usually occurs, and has certainly happened here, is that the filmmakers throw in everything that they can, visually and narratively, often causing it to become convoluted and hard to follow.

Tonally the film started off in the same vein as a film like "The Wicker Man." There was clearly something going on behind the facade of the quaint, peaceful town. However, the amount of borderline cliché elements that pull the storyline in several directions at once stretched the film a bit thin by the end. The story would have benefited from choosing one direction and sticking with it, rather than borrowing elements from other films that led to it's becoming a mash-up of hackneyed horror conventions. The film had a solid concept, but ultimately it falls short in providing a satisfactory conclusion to the story, leaving the viewer feeling slightly cheated, and slightly more confused.

Score: 2 out of 5