Halloween Countdown 2024 Part 4
The devil, you say?!
We continue our countdown to Halloween at R-Rated Movie Club this month. Have you seen any of today’s selections? What should I write about next? Let me know!
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When people read scripture, some interpret passages referencing the devil as a literal entity of evil. Others consider it a colorful way to name the temptations that pull us toward breaking our relationships. I lean way toward the latter, but you do you.
Regardless, the idea of the devil as pervasive is in scripture, and so it is with scary movies. A killed like Michael Myers in Halloween seemingly pursues his victims, relentless until he gets what he wants. That’s how “the devil” is often portrayed, too, in pursuit. Can you resist the temptation of evil to live as you were created: for good?
Let’s look at three movies where “the devil” can’t stop, won’t stop.
“It can’t be bargained with! It can’t be reasoned with!”
In Luke 4:1-13, Jesus faces temptation in the wilderness. The adversary says to him, turn stones into bread and eat. Jesus says one doesn’t live by bread alone. The adversary says I’ll give you all of this, if you worship me. Jesus replies, I only serve God. The adversary says throw yourself from the heights and trust God will save you. Jesus replies, I don’t test God.
The adversary says, “I’ll be back.”
Indeed, I’m reminded of Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) explaining to Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) what it’s like to go up against The Terminator.
Part of how we succumb to temptation is in our efforts to bargain or rationalize our actions. That reasoning seldom works. In the movie, it’s that fear of an irrational robot that won’t ever stop that keeps the tension up the whole time. In our lives? I don’t believe that fear should ever be a prime motivator. I do think we should be mindful of our irrational thoughts that, even when we tell them to go away because we’re going to make the right choice here, will sometimes mutter, “I’ll be back…”
Is The Terminator the devil? No, because the devil in scripture tries to bargain. This Model 101 isn’t going to do that!
[No Title Because No Words!]
The earliest version of that story of Jesus in the wilderness comes from Mark 1:12-13. That story is short and sweet, just two verses with little detail:
At once the Spirit forced Jesus out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among the wild animals, and the angels took care of him.
We don’t really know much of what happened, which is perhaps why Matthew and Luke, using Mark as a source, extrapolated it in their versions. What we know is that even with few words, we experience a bit of tension for Jesus. He just received the blessing of baptism and the Spirit, now he’s pursued to turn that which is beautiful into something broken. But he moves on from it to greater pursuits.
Also of few words, No Country for Old Men features one of the most intense, frightening villains in cinema history - and he doesn’t wear a hockey mask and he doesn’t wield a chainsaw and he doesn’t have much of a catchphrase. Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem, in his Oscar-winning role) is a silent, scary killer. He gets what he wants and there’s nothing he won’t do to get it. Is he the devil? Sure feels like it.
This scene is over 7 minutes of no dialogue and yes tension. Llewellyn (Josh Brolin) stumbled upon the blessing of a bag of cash, now he’s pursued to turn that which could change his life into something that could take it. He is pursued by the greatest assassin of all time. And watching him be hunted is indeed, haunting!
“Hey, these things happen…”
The final version of this story is in the Gospel of Matthew 4:1-11. Here, Jesus is tempted in three ways: the power of economics, the power of religion, and the power of politics. Each may be a precious desire for any one of us. Jesus resists. Can we?
For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.”
If you were offered everything you could ever want, could you say no? When we read a story or watch a movie, we all think about what we would do when faced with the situation. Most of us would like to think we’d do the right thing. Here’s hoping that most of us do, and do so most of the time.
Let’s end on a movie that depicts the devil as an actual, factual being.
Stephen King’s Needful Things features mysterious stranger, Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow) showing up to the sleepy town of Castle Rock with a shop filled with curios that hit the sweet spot. Before long, the entire town loses trust in one another, makes poor choices at their own expense, and murder, murder, murder.
When all these things are given to the people - lock, stock, and barrel - boy, do things go south and fast. I don’t know that this movie is necessarily scary, but it has lots of fun performances from an ensemble who chews the scenery every chance they get!
Is Leland Gaunt the devil? Good question. Neither the movie nor the book say outright that Gaunt is the devil, but it’s grossly implied. Like scripture, it’s open to your interpretation. Of the three movies featured today, it’s the shortest so if you haven’t seen it yet, give it a shot.
The Halloween Countdown Continues!
It’s been fun to write a little bit about scary movies and scary Bible stories. If you’ve got a few ideas, let me know about them in the comments. In the meantime, if you need a little 80s horror nostalgia to go with your 21st century Halloween, check out 10 minutes of classic horror TV commercials from way back when. How “way back when”? The first commercial encourages you to write a postcard and send it in to a PO Box and potentially win a prize! It doesn’t get any more analog retro than that.
Thanks for reading, sharing, and subscribing. God’s peace and good movies to you!