Reviews

I never read the book, but now I will. I agree with the viewers who described how they were drawn in as it went along. True to the author. It is unfortunate they couldn't find financial backers that would have allowed this film to go to another level, because we are spoiled by today's technology.

Isn't it a shame when you see people like "demonskull" browsing review sites and pretending they saw or read something "Christian" and then bash it in the form of a review.

So here's to you "demonskull" - I pray that God would bless you as He begins to reveal himself to you in ways that you will eventually be unable deny. He loves you and has an awesome plan for your life, if you choose to accept and receive it.

Major disappointment. Promising premise for a movie, but it was just too dumb. Not really even worth commenting on in detail, but I'll try: - It was like a stupid slap-stick cartoon with humans. - It was so bad you couldn't even enjoy the sights of the 2 stars. - The best part was the brief encounters with the marriage counselor which included a small of amount of humor, but I found nothing else very funny. - Pretty bad script, or was it the acting, or both? - It was too long, especially the gratuitous suspense and action scenes, and too many of them. - I really need to have a talk with the person who recommended it to me. Judging by the other ratings, people seemed pretty strong in their opinions - either loving it or hating it.

The more I think about the way this movie was put together, the more interesting I find it to be. The pastor of a fairly large church allows a secular film crew to wander in and out of meetings, services and other events with a camera and apparently with no restrictions. The fact he allowed this is pretty amazing to begin with. Poor lighting, mediocre equipment and an editing process that is not under the control of the church could have easily resulted in a product could have been a disaster for the pastor and the church. The director sorts through what must have been hundreds of hours of filming to select what would be in the final movie and this documentary is the result. There is no opportunity for the church to go back and explain or clarify things that were said by any of the people that were filmed, including teenagers. You have to admire the pastor's courage. You also have to admire the fact that the director didn't use any apparent twists to push for a perspective, either for or against the church. This is not the norm in todays media.

The desired message of Hell House is pretty simple, yet easily distorted. "There are many traps to get us off the track for what God wants to do for us in our lives. It doesn't matter what we have done - drugs, violence, sexual sin, abortion, or even occult worship and the consequences from those things. He still loves us and is ready to forgive us. Eternity is beyond our comprehension, but we need to consider all of the information and make a decision on where we want to spend eternity. It's up to us. This church is just trying to use an unusual, yet contemporary method of communicating some of that information that we need to consider, so we can make an informed decision."

I enjoyed the refreshing special effects and unique main character, but it just seemed to go on a little too long. The evil elements of the enemy was a little intense for some little kids. It was almost along the lines of a "satan possessed" being, which I never saw any references to, before seeing the movie. The depiction of good and evil was appropriate, and not distorted as it is in some films today.