Forgiveness, Family Devotion, and the Problem of Pain. How the Lord can 'Deliver Us From Evil.'

 Hi everyone, happy Halloween from the Nightcrawler Experience!

For this, the second part of my two- part Halloween special on this blog, I'll be looking at the 2014 film 'Deliver Us From Evil,'  based on the real- life memoirs of Ralph Sarchie, an NYPD sergeant- turned- demonologist.

DISCLAIMER! Between the scares, its frequent bad language, and various kinds of mature subject matter, this isn't for the faint of heart. Exercise caution before watching this or allowing kids to do so.

In 2013, plainclothes cop Ralph Sarchie (Played in this movie by Eric Bana) and his partner are sent to investigate the case of a woman at the Bronx Zoo who out of nowhere tossed her own toddler son into the moat surrounding the lions' den at the zoo. The toddler thankfully survived but the mother is found in a disheveled, insane state, chanting the lyrics to the classic Doors song "Break on Through" over and over again.
While Sarchie, a diehard skeptic of such matters, attributes the woman's actions to simple insanity and general human evil, a Jesuit priest named Mendoza (Edgar Ramirez) who had been acquainted with the woman for some time is convinced there is something supernatural and deeply sinister at work.

We learn that the woman's recently- deceased husband, a painter working at the zoo, and another man whom Ralph arrested for spousal abuse in the start of the film were all part of the same military unit serving in Iraq, and while investigating a cave there three years prior to the film's events, the three men discovered something horrible that quickly took control of them.

It is clear that there is a demonic force at work. It's one that, as the frequently- quoted song puts it, seeks to "Break on Through to the Other Side," passing from its dimension into our world, and possessed those men as well as the woman in the zoo in order to do that.
Meanwhile, the dark forces in question have realized Ralph is after them, and set their sights on his wife and daughter. It all leads to an intense confrontation with one of the possessed men and an attempt to save both his soul and the lives of Ralph's family.


The only major problem I had with this movie was an odd one: Its use of sound effects. Specifically, there are points in the movie in which they use heavily- overused stock sound effects. A couple examples are one of a screeching cat early in the film, and several points in which Ralph, when looking over surveillance footage of the various supernatural incidents, hears the sound of children laughing. As a diehard pop culture buff, these are sound effects I've heard too many times to count in various movies and shows, would it really be that hard to record a new sound effect of kids laughing?

With that out of the way, I thought 'Deliver Us From Evil' was a great movie that deserves a lot more mention than it generally gets. t was well- written, had loads of scares, a few good moments of humor (i.e. A discussion Ralph has with his partner which concerns a hat the partner is wearing and the infamous Yankees/ Red Sox rivalry), and plenty of action of both the "Cops going after bad guys" variety and the "Exorcisms and other confrontations with demons" variety. In particular, the climax will keep you on the edge of your seat.

This movie's plot has an interesting feel to it; A reviewer once said it felt like a cross between "The Exorcist" and "Se7en." I agree with the comparison, as it has the 'Demonic possession" elements of the former and the "Procedural crime drama" elements of the latter. They're two things that you wouldn't think would go together, and yet they do.

The characters are mostly great, too. Ralph has his flaws, but is a generally good, honorable man out to not just do his job, but do what is right. Mendoza is a very likable character who, in spite of his position as a Jesuit priest, remains friendly, down- to- earth, and relatable to all who meet him. Between that amiable attitude, and his knowledge of demonology and whatnot, he's someone you'd definitely want to have backing you up if dealing with supernatural evil. Ralph's wife and daughter are easy to feel for, as well. Ralph's job prevents him from being able to be there for them as much as he knows he should (As the wife at one point tells him, "Even when you're here, you're not here."), and you can really feel the sadness and longing they have because of this.
I think 'Deliver Us From Evil' will officially become part of my comprehensive list of horror and Halloween- related movies and shows I'll watch every October.

As you can probably guess considering its title is a section of the Lord's Prayer, 'Deliver Us From Evil' has a few good Biblical lessons in spite of its creepy subject matter, in addition to the obvious point that evil, demonic forces, while they exist, are no match for the power of God demonstrated through our faith in Him.
One of the first deals with the nature of guilt and our forgiveness in God's eyes. We all have sinned, and the Devil and his forces know this and can use our guilt over this against us. The possessed people in the movie use this to their wicked advantage at times to taunt the heroes, reminding Ralph of an occasion when he beat a particularly heinous suspect to death in a fit of rage rather than properly arresting him (As Mendoza put it upon Ralph telling him about it, such a thing was an act of vengeance rather than one of justice), and reminding Mendoza of an occasion when he broke his vow of celibacy and got a woman pregnant. The thing is, God doesn't want us to wallow in guilt over our past sins; He wants us to learn from them, become better equipped to not repeat them in the future, and to know that He has forgiven all of them through His Son Jesus dying to pay for them. Romans 8:1 sums this up well by pointing out that “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” When we trust in Jesus, we have nothing more to feel guilty about, as He has paid for all of our sins. 

Another good theological message to be derived from 'Deliver Us From Evil' relates to the problem of evil, how to believe in a loving God when there is so much evil and suffering in the world. Early on, Ralph and Mendoza are having a discussion in a bar that quickly turns to spiritual matters. Ralph says, "As we speak, every day, out there, somebody's getting hurt, ripped off, murdered, raped. Where is God in all that?" Mendoza responds, "In the hearts of people like you, who put a stop to it." Therein lies an important point. God's main way of addressing evil is through working in the hearts of good, brave people and guiding them to help stop it. A verse that I'd say ties into this is 1 Corinthians 15:58, which says "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." The work we do for the Lord DOES make a positive impact and help to build His kingdom, even if we can't see the impact it makes right away. We are God's instruments in helping to bring His goodness and justice to the world, and must take this obligation seriously.

A final faith- based message in 'Deliver Us From Evil' is on the importance of families being raised in the faith. While Ralph has very little interest in spiritual matters and only attends church on Christmas and Easter, the rest of his family (About to get a member bigger, as his wife tells him early on that she's pregnant) are fairly devout. He's already somewhat estranged from his family due to the pressures of his job, and this major difference in beliefs between him and them worsens things. Fortunately, Ralph's experiences over the course of the film both help rekindle his faith and remind him of how important his family really is to him and how much of a responsibility he has to be there for them in every way he can. It seems as though the ending of the movie, with Ralph happily helping to take part in the christening of his new baby, was kind of like his way of saying, as it was said in Joshua 24:15, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Those of us who are fathers must similarly strive to raise up our families in the faith, and aid them in their growing relationship with Jesus.

So, that sums up my look at 'Deliver Us From Evil.' It's a great, underrated film which helps us see that, through remembering that the Lord has freed us from the guilt of our sins, striving to be there for and guide our families spiritually, and doing whatever we can to aid God through the good work we do for Him, we don't have to fear any evil that Satan might try and throw at us, in this rough year, and all through eternity.
btw,  as one last "Treat" for you all before I go, I found this amazing Halloween- related music video a week or so ago. This particular company does all kinds of wonderful fan- made music videos incorporating various pop- cultural worlds (i.e. Several Disney- related ones, a Batman- related one, and so on), and I'd say this is easily one of their best. I love all the characters they featured in it, quite a diverse bunch, and they even include a very subtle nod to my favorite Halloween- related movie 'Trick 'r Treat' (I've got to look at that during one of my future Halloween editions of this blog) near the end of it. Check it out:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5aDEwq-DJA

Well, that's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. I have an upcoming entry nearly done, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Until then, happy Halloween, stay safe, and may God bless you all!

Repentance, Freedom Through Compassion, and Imprisonment Through Greed: What to do About "The Man in the Suitcase."

 Hi everyone, welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!

Here we have Part 1 of my hopefully 2- part annual Halloween- related entry on this blog.

In considering my past Halloween entries on this blog, I noticed that each year so far since 2016, I've at one point used an episode of a TV show or streaming show. So, I might as well continue that trend now.

A show premiered on the streaming service Shudder (Sort of like Netflix but specializing in horror) last year, called 'Creepshow.' Based on the horror anthology movie series of the same title from the 80's, which in turn was based on the old EC horror comics of the 1950s, each 40- minute episode features two different stories, often written by big names in horror (i.e. Stephen King, his son Joe Hill, etc.).

Out of the six episodes that came out in the show's first season, my favorite was probably episode 3. The two stories featured in that particular episode were a fun yet rather bittersweet Halloween- related tale called "All Hallows Eve," and the story I will particularly focus on in this entry, known as "The Man in the Suitcase."

DISCLAIMER:
This episode has a bit of disturbing imagery, a scary moment near the end, and a LOT of language. ust a heads- up.

SPOILERS AHOY!

In this story, we quickly meet Justin, a slacker college student who hasn't been having a very good night so far: He's just flown back from a trip to visit his parents and beg his father for money (Never a proud moment for anyone), and his girlfriend Carla has dumped him because he isn't doing anything with his life at the moment.

Justin's night takes a MUCH more interesting turn upon arriving back at his apartment and discovering that he accidentally grabbed the wrong suitcase from the airport's baggage carousel; Rather than containing his clothes and things like that, the suitcase he took contains an Indian gentleman (Ravi Naidu), twisted up like a pretzel and forced into the suitcase, yet somehow still alive.

(A little help, please? Credit for this image goes to the user SilverFlight on the Creepshow wiki at https://creepshow.fandom.com/wiki/The_Man_in_the_Suitcase?file=The_Man_in_the_Suitcase.jpg)

The Man is surprisingly friendly and polite given his current condition (When asked how he ended up in there, he responds simply, "I offended someone I ought not to have offended"), and asks Justin to help get him out of the suitcase. Being the relatively good- natured young man that he is, Justin agrees, but this causes another, even more unexpected thing to happen: As he pulls on the Man's foot to help extricate him from the suitcase, the Man cries out in pain, and an ancient- looking gold coin flies out of his mouth! The Man explains that "An unfortunate condition causes me to produce gold when I am in pain." The Man says that if Justin gets him out of the suitcase, he'll be free to keep any gold coins that may be produced in the process as a fee, and Justin decides to think over this bizarre turn of events.

Things take yet another important turn when Justin's roommate Alex and the aforementioned ex- girlfriend Carla learn of the situation. Seeing the Man and his condition as a private gold mine just waiting for them, especially as Justin had the first gold coin appraised and found that it alone was worth hundreds of dollars, they decide it's something they should exploit. Carla is suddenly interested in Justin again (Funny how that happens when she finds out he's sitting on a potential fortune, isn't it?), and she and Alex convince Justin to keep the Man in the suitcase for another 48 hours.

Over the course of a disturbing yet darkly funny montage, the trio proceed to essentially torture the Man in a variety of increasingly unpleasant ways (Tossing the suitcase down a flight of stairs with him inside, pinching his extremities with a mousetrap, etc.), yielding an incredible fortune in gold coins in the process. The Man, remarkably, remains as affable and polite as ever throughout these horrible things being inflicted on him.

All is not well, though. We see that Carla is secretly having an affair with Alex, and Justin is feeling increasingly remorseful over what they've been doing to the Man.

Finally, as the 48 hours are up, Alex and Carla are about to employ their next, most brutal means of gaining agony- induced wealth from the Man: Hooking him up to a car battery to electrocute him. Justin at this point has finally had enough. The poor Man says that his heart can't take much more, and Justin realizes it's wrong and flat- out evil of them to line their pockets by doing this to him. He tells Alex, "There comes a time when you need to ask yourself who you want to be." Alex simple- mindedly responds "I want to be rich!" Justin decides to go to the cops to hopefully get the Man the help he needs. Furious at this and not about to lose her newfound gravy train, Carla bashes Justin in the head with a wrench, causing him to fall down the stairs. Don't worry, he survives.

Carla and Alex decide to try and get one last "Jackpot" from the Man before fleeing town with all the ill- gotten gold, and zap him with the car battery. Rather than screaming in pain and producing more gold, though, the Man instead laughs creepily and his eyes turn yellow. He then vanishes from the suitcase in a puff of smoke, and reappears as his apparent true form: a terrifying- looking Djinn (For those who may not know this term, a Djinn is a kind of demonic genie, the sort that grants wishes but usually with a VERY heavy price attached). Laughing evilly, the Djinn proceeds to trap Alex and Carla in suitcases of their own offscreen.

(To paraphrase the Man, it looks like now Alex and Carla are the ones who "Offended someone they ought not to have offended"; credit for this image goes to Dave Pierdomenico on a review of the episode on his own blog "Halloween Year- Round" at https://halloweenyearround.files.wordpress.com/2019/10/suitcase.jpg)

Justin awakens in a hospital room to find a bouquet of flowers by his bed. Attached to the flowers is a note from the Man/ Djinn, thanking Justin for the mercy and kindness he showed, and saying if Justin ever needs anything from him in the future, all he has to do is think of the Man and ask. The story ends with the Man, now looking fine and healthy and clad in a nice suit, checking ten identical suitcases at an airport as he prepares to board a flight to Istanbul, and from two of the suitcases, we hear two familiar- sounding voices screaming to be let out.

As I said earlier, out of the twelve story segments that have been shown in the first season of 'Creepshow' (Two per episode, in six episodes), "The Man in the Suitcase" was almost certainly my favorite.

Easily one of the main strengths of "The Man in the Suitcase," especially when compared to other segments in the show so far, is how incredibly funny it often is. While, as I said earlier, many of the tales seen in the show so far are written by respected names in the horror genre, "The Man in the Suitcase" was written by fellow Floridian Christopher Buehlman, who is normally a comedy writer, and it shows in the script. You will be laughing throughout most of it. In particular, the dialogue exchanges that the Man takes part in are often hilarious. Even the tortures inflicted upon the Man, horrible though they are, prompt some laughs from the ways they are staged.
In addition, as another review on this episode pointed out, this episode raises some interesting questions to think upon; Most prominently, what would you or I do if we were in Justin's shoes throughout this whole situation?
Another strength of it is that it does a marvelous job of channeling the old- school EC horror comics that the entire 'Creepshow' brand is meant to pay tribute to, both with its "Dark morality tale" vibe and the comic book visuals that are used throughout it.

Now, for the character run- down. Justin makes for a good main character. He's usually likable enough, and a nice "Everyman"- sort of guy. He's not perfect by any means (He's rather lazy, and a bit of a stoner), but you can tell there's some good in him, especially as the episode nears its climax.

Alex is suitably selfish and dishonest, yet good at manipulating Justin. You get the feeling that he may have at one time been a good person and loyal friend to Justin, but those days are clearly in the past and he now views Justin as little more than a sap for him to walk all over.

 Carla comes across as even worse than him. While I've struggled with singleness and the loneliness it entails for most of my life, and have been desperate to find someone to be with, I honestly think I'd rather be single than be in a relationship with someone like Carla, who only cares about satiating her immediate, petty desires and clearly has no problem manipulating and betraying those closest to her in order to do so. She's a "Gold- digger" in every sense of the word, and the epitome of someone who's attractive on the outside, but truly hideous on the inside.
The standout character in this story, though, is definitely the Man. Ravi Naidu gives a hilarious performance as him. You'll be laughing along with him while still deeply sympathizing with him over all the pain he's put through (Especially given the friendly attitude he maintains all throughout it). You'll immediately be fixated on him and wanting to know more about him and how he could do what he does. One particular funny line he has is early in the episode, when Justin is about to help him get out of the suitcase but gets sidetracked talking about some random school friend of his, and the Man says in a very patient tone of voice, "Excuse me, please. I do not mean to interrupt, but I am in a great degree of pain and I cannot give your schoolyard drama the attention that I am certain it deserves."

Now, for the theological meat of the matter:
I'd say the most important Scriptural lesson to be taken from the story of "The Man in the Suitcase" is on the consequences of letting our greed take priority over our compassion. Justin's line to Alex about what kind of person he wants to be calls to mind Proverbs 22:1, which says "A good name is more desirable than riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." Justin came to realize that monetary wealth meant nothing compared to the sort of human being that you were. We need to live in such a way that we are known for our walk with Jesus and the size of our hearts, not the size of our bank accounts. It can be so easy to sacrifice our principles for the sake of immediate gain, but those who trust in Jesus know that kindness and mercy are more valuable than all the gold in the world.

In contrast to the compassion Justin ends up showing, Alex and Carla's avarice ends up coming back on them through their fate in the end of the story, as they are trapped in suitcases of their own and will almost certainly end up being tormented for the gold they'll produce in the same ways they themselves did to the Man. It's a perfect metaphor for just how imprisoning greed can be. As 1 Timothy 6:9- 10 tells us, "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." I'd say all that perfectly sums up what happens to Alex and Carla as a result of their greed, and what can happen to us if we allow greed to control our lives. It drove them to commit evil acts against the Man and eventually against Justin, and it led them into a trap which will undoubtedly lead to them being pierced with many griefs. For a real- life example of this, look at Bernie Madoff: His unquenchable greed led to him ruining the lives of so many people who trusted him, which in turn led to him being sent to prison for the rest of his life. Unless he repents of what he has done and seeks God's forgiveness while he's still alive, upon death he'll continue paying for his greed for all eternity.

Speaking of which, a final Biblical theme I found in "The Man in the Suitcase" is on repentance, through the choices Justin ultimately makes. As I said earlier, Justin is by no means a saint. He is easily persuaded by Alex and Carla to keep the Man in the suitcase for an additional two days, takes part in their tortures of him, and uses the gold to do some decent things (i.e. paying off all the back rent that he and Alex apparently owe for their apartment), but also other more selfish things (i.e. buying an expensive- looking leather jacket for himself). And, yet, he does repent. He eventually realizes how evil what they'd been doing to the Man was, stops it and at least tries to convince Alex and Carla to do the same, and attempts to do right by the Man. This repentance and rediscovering his mercy and kindness are why Justin is rewarded with a very powerful new friend while the unrepentant Alex and Carla get the punishment they deserve.
Acts 3:19 says "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord." We also learn from 2 Corinthians 7:10 that Godly sorrow over our sins produces repentance, which leads to salvation and us not having anything to regret. We all sin and take the wrong path from time to time, but as long as we're still alive, it's never too late to turn around, seek God's forgiveness, and do what's right as Justin eventually did. Jesus suffered and died for us on the Cross to give us that chance.

May we all avoid falling into the trap of greed and instead let our lives be defined by the Godly love we show to others, and be quick to repent when we mess up along the way knowing that God's forgiveness and mercy are renewed every morning. I'd say those sorts of lessons are worth more than gold.

That's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. I'll hopefully have my second Halloween- related edition up by the night in question. Until then, take care, stay safe and healthy, and may God bless you all!