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Leslie Easterbrook as Betty, who clearly has an axe to grind

One of the pitfalls of Christian supernatural thrillers—especially those based on books—is imparting the supernatural side in a way that is both clear to the viewer and true to the way God works. While House is true to the book's handling of the supernatural message, the basic difference in printed word and moving picture change the way it comes across. There are plusses and minuses to both. I felt the central Christian metaphor of the book's conclusion (i.e. how the wages of sin are paid) was too heavy-handed and forced because the narration repeatedly over-explained it. On one hand, I think the movie does a better job at showing this element without over-telling it. But on the other hand, I am not sure it's clear enough and thus, the metaphor breaks down. Instead of being a triumphant moment of self-sacrifice, substitution and acceptance of salvation, the climax is a random shooting followed by a crazy white light that somehow saves the day—and I wasn't convinced the characters even knew why or how they'd been saved form the Tin Man.

Because of this ambiguity, House's meanings will be clear to Christians who understand the central tenets of substitution and salvation, but I'm not convinced it will mean anything to non-Christian audiences. Besides, secular scary movie fans will probably react with a "been there, done that" shrug regarding the movie's conventions and not be very entertained. In fact, the film's "gotcha" reveal may make many audiences feel cheated—like when a TV show tries to tell viewers that an entire season has just been a dream. This resolution—substantially different from the book—may not sit well with fans of the book.

While House can be frustrating because it had so much right but didn't quite make it over the hump, there is hope that the true signs of improvement here will lead to greater things for Henson's future supernatural adaptations and Christian filmmaking at large.

Talk About It

1. The film begins with John 1:15 on screen: "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it" (niv). What significance to the story does this have? How does the understanding of the light come into play in the movie?
2. Compare and contrast the climax with the death of Christ. How do they reflect one another? How are they different?
3. What were Jack and Stephanie able to overcome that Randy and Leslie were not? What are the differences in these couples?
4. What does the big reveal in the last minutes imply to you? What's your impression of what happened?

The Family Corner

House is rated R for some violence and terror. While controversial for being a Christian film tagged with the R rating, it is understandable when you think of the scenes of children in danger. A young girl is somewhat graphically blown away at close range by a shotgun. There are several other scenes of guns being aimed at helpless people—and one case of a young child shooting his father. There's implied incest and child molestation. A young girl drowns when ice on a lake shatters. There are scenes of knife play and crazy people chasing victims with meat cleavers and other objects. There also are at least two times that "Oh, God" is used in seemingly more of a swearing way than truly appealing to God.

Photos © Copyright Roadside Attractions

© Todd Hertz subject to licensing agreement with Christianity Today International. All rights reserved. Click for reprint information.

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