My review today is one that we here at LTBM was asked to take a look at, staring Michael Madsen and Kristen Quintrall.
This is a Christian based film with spiritual applications. It is reportedly based on a true story. The premise is about 2 people in life that are on different paths that end up with paths that cross and then end on the same journey. One is a woman, Linda, whose real life experiences this movie is based upon.
She is played by Quintrall. Linda experienced a tragic childhood, which led into a depressing adulthood.
The other is a man, Steve Grecco (Madsen), who is working on his doctorate; the forces and powers being the spiritual beings of good and evil.
Linda struggles in life and it seems like everything is stacked against her. On top of that she suffers from intense migraines; related to memories of her childhood. She takes a variety of pills for her depression as well as her migraines. Her biggest battle is letting go of her pain and anger.
Steve is a guy seeking to, once again, try to complete his doctorate. He’s gone down this path before, but this time he’s determined to finish it to honor his late father. He chooses an ambiguous topic on the power of the beings over good and evil; namely God vs Satan.
The concept behind this movie is a good one. It displays an issue that is often times overlooked in our world today: the decision to follow Satan. Often times the world [Christians included] wants to divide people into two groups: Believers and nonbelievers. However, along with those two there continues to be a third group; believers in the omnipotent powers that choose to follow and worship Satan.
In his journey Steve begins to research the “evil” [basically Satan worshipers/spirit worshipers] that have a night club and gather together to do all manners of evil together. The group is lead by one woman who is directly connected to Satan through spirits by communicating with them and calling upon them. 
While at the club, he stumbles upon Linda at the club, and they begin to briefly know one another.
Linda is on a journey of self-destruction and running away from her past. She can not seem to get far enough from the pain and anger she feels. She decides to take one more trip on a bus to reach her destination to take her own life. By circumstance (discovered to be God’s intervention) she just makes the bus and is placed sitting next to a believer that begins to share the love of God and his healing power.
Steve and Linda head down their paths that take them into obvious interactions by the spiritual beings they have chosen. Linda chooses life, finds a nursing/nursing assistant position, and allows God to work through her as she tends to the needs of others. The love, care, and seeking to share God with her patients leads to many of them recovering.
Steve is pulled into the world of lust, alcohol, and the same sins that continue to plague our world.
Linda becomes stronger in her faith.
Steve eventually begins to have a heavy heart and question what he is doing involved in these things.
Linda returns to the club to share her experiences, only to be mocked and confronted for her new found strengths in faith. The owner hears her speaking of God and quickly confronts her and demands she leaves and never returns. Watching Linda, her strength, and this final interaction, gives him the strength to finally break free and walk away.
Months later after him seeking her out, Steve finds Linda and she shares with him the power of God, his love, his forgiveness, and his righteousness.
In a hospital setting, Linda is confronted with a demon possessed woman. It’s her faith and education to God that allows her to confront the demons and demand that they leave the woman; finally freeing her from years of being controlled.
Some Christians stand firm that demons do not exist, possessions do not take place, and that things of old no longer happen.
Some Christians stand strong that these things do continue to happen today.
As a preacher and student of God’s Word I can say I have found nothing to convince me that demons are unable to possess people today. I do read the old and new testament and see where conjuring took place, spirits returned, and I see many examples of possessions taking place.
Saul sought out a seer and brought Samuel’s spirit back.
1Sam 28:7-24 CEV
7 Then Saul told his officers, “Find me a woman who can talk to the spirits of the dead. I’ll go to her and find out what’s going to happen.” His servants told him, “There’s a woman at Endor who can talk to spirits of the dead.”…
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed. ”
Throughout the New Testament Jesus cast out demons from those who suffered from their affliction.
Matt 4, Mark 5, Luke 8, Luke 11, etc
Then we can read where Apostles had the healing power to do the same.
Matt 10, Acts 16, Acts 19, etc.
As a young child in 3rd grade I spent the night with a friend who brought out a Ouija board and we played with it. I’ve never touched one since and refuse to watch the movie that was recently released. I was not sure why it bothered me so much until I became a student of the Bible. We are cautioned to not be involved with black magic and things of that sort.
Deut 18:9-14
“When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you….”
Rev 21:8
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Lev 19:31
“Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.”
Eph 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
The movie itself will not receive academy awards. It is a low budget film with the appearance of an early 80s making. The acting isn’t the best that I have seen; not the worst of the worst either.
It’s apparent that the budget was minimum an they did what they could with the funding that they had. Th writing isn’t the best, as it seems pretty choppy at times and you have to do some jumping mentally to make some connections that the creators desired to be obvious.
Overall, the best part of this film is that it drives the fact that the power of God is greater than any other power and that if we call upon God, he hears us.
I’m giving it a 3 star rating. Good ideas and concept, but could have been executed in a stronger deliverance.
