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Frank Peretti’s film adaption of Hangman’s Curse arrived with an official youth devotional. Or, at least, Melvin’s DVD copy did. In part two of their Hangman’s Curse discussion, Melvin, Dan, and special guest Melanie Dejesus (from Melvin’s church) spend time working through the official Hangman’s Curse devotional guide questions, including what makes some of them so problematic. But, before they get into the spicey stuff, the three laugh over 20-year-old IMDB reviews.
Topics:
- Melvin feels the Online Christian Review complex is very “team jersey”, in that they often celebrate and 5-star films that are otherwise quite bad or uninspired despite containing all they need: the “Christian” tag in the marketing field. Thus, he reads a few silly reviews that celebrate Hangman’s Curse for being good actually.
- Melvin, Dan, and Melanie spend time talking about the positive and negative critical phrase, “It is/isn’t realistic.” and how that’s sort of a silly criticism at times for movies, which aren’t real to begin with.
- Unlike Dan’s DVD which arrived barely intact, and Melanie’s DVD which was new, Melvin’s DVD of Hangman’s Curse arrived with an official devotional partnered with the film specific for youth small groups for Christians and non-Christians alike. He summarized interesting parts into a few points.
- The devotional occasionally references scripture, which Melvin summarizes to save time.
- In addition to scripture, the angle of the Devotional is very “Assemblies of God”, which means it focuses heavy on “words of death” and “words of life”, among other nuanced AG Pentacostal ideologies. Daniel shares further insight here.
- Due to the film’s subject matter, the official devotional talks about topics like bullying and suicide. Our discussion cautions heavily against what’s included.
- Unlike the film, the devotional sure has a climax that leaves each member flabbergasted.
- Christian movies and stories created to be used as “ice breakers” for small groups often don’t turn out very well, and at other times end up causing more damage in their depictions of various difficult topics. Ultimately, nothing competes with a genuine relationship cultivated to foster healthy discussion.
SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE: 988
Recommendations:
- Spy x Family (Show)
- The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) (Movie)
- Bring It On: Cheer or Die (2022) (Movie)
Hangman’s Curse is Rated PG-13 for elements of violence/terror and for brief drug material. It features David Keith, Mel Harris, Leighton Meester, Douglas Smith, Jake Richardson, Bobby Brewer, Daniel Farber, Edwin Hodge, Andrea Morris, and Frank Peretti. Directed by Rafal Zielinski. Hangman’s Curse can be purchased on Amazon.
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Melvin Benson is the Founder, Editor-In-Chief, and Lead Host of Cinematic Doctrine. He’s written fiction and nonfiction for over a decade with short stories featured on the Creepypasta Wiki and Wattpad. His novelette Ethereal Temptation, a teen drama with a tinge of magical-realism, can be read for free here. His hope is to see King Jesus glorified as far as the east is from the west!
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