Ahh, Dark Castle Pictures. You gotta love them. I mean, it’s basically the same production crew who brought us all those great “Tales from the Crypt” episodes…. Okay, I know, most of them weren’t that good. And the movies… well…. 13 Ghosts and House on Haunted Hill were interesting at best, but basically they churn out crap like Gothica and House of Wax. Their latest film, The Reaping features Oscar-winning actress Hilary Swank as an ex-minister who has turned to debunking religious phenomenon. When called to a back-water Louisiana hamlet to investigate the river turning red, she realizes she stumbled on more than something that can be explained scientifically. As she digs deeper, more plagues from Exodus start occuring, making her question her lack of faith.
The movie had an interesting premise that was adequately executed. Directed by Stephen Hopkins (Predator 2, Lost in Space), it’s nothing amazing, but not terrible either. I know, that’s hardly a glowing endorsement. I enjoyed certain moments, but overall it was a rather ho-hum movie that relied on a lot of loud sound design (which incidentally drowned out the music) to create the tension and scares.