Confessing Christ, and Leaning on the Word: A Look at 'God's Not Dead.'

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
We're now on week two of this year's collaboration with St. John's United Methodist Church for their Summer at the Movies series, looking at Christian films.
For this installment, we're looking at the 2014 film 'God's Not Dead.'
This film centers around a college freshman named Josh, a devout Christian who enrolls in a philosophy class taught by the ruthless Professor Raddison (Kevin Sorbo). It almost immediately becomes clear that Raddison is a hardcore atheist with a deep hatred of all religion, and he opens the very first class period by having the students sign a declaration that says "God is dead" in order to pass. When Josh refuses to do this, Raddison challenges him to prove that God exists, in the form of a term- long debate between the two of them with the rest of the class acting as judges, and that this could count as Josh's term project for the class. Many people in Josh's circle tell him to either sign the declaration or drop the class in order to keep out of trouble, but  he remains convinced that God put him there for that moment, and that he has to continue with it. Amidst all this, some other characters are also having to deal with faith- related challenges, such as a girl in a devoutly Muslim family having to hide the fact that she is secretly a Christian and an independent journalist having to take a newfound look at what she believes when she discovers that she has a terminal illness. Their stories all come to a header at a big Newsboys concert.

A problem I'll admit I had with 'God's Not Dead' is that I feel like they made Professor Raddison too over- the- top. The filmmakers often seem to go out of their way to show what a jerk he is towards his students who disagree with him and even towards his own girlfriend, so much so that their attempts later in the film to try and make him more sympathetic by revealing his sad backstory seem too little, too late. Also, while college professors can indeed be too pushy at times trying to force their personal views on students (I speak from personal experience from when I was pursuing my B.A.), I get the feeling that a real- life college professor displaying such hostility towards a student's religious beliefs is the kind of thing that could land him in really hot water.

That being said, 'God's Not Dead' is still very good by Christian movie standards. The acting's pretty solid from most of the cast, there's some good humor, the messages are solid, and it is pretty inspirational. College can indeed be a time in which you run into people who are noticeably opposed to the Christian faith, including some of the teachers you'll see there, albeit not as blatantly as Raddison was. It is indeed a time when Christian students need to be careful and wise in order to ensure that their faith remains strong, so it's easy to root for Josh in his attempts to defend the faith in such a setting.

A character I really liked is one of Josh's classmates, a boy named Martin who has come from China to study at the college. His journey to faith is legitimately torn. His father adamantly tells him that he must take whatever position on the subject that his teacher takes in order to ensure that he passes the course, but yet he finds the arguments Josh presents to be extremely convincing. This dilemma he faces makes him into quite a sympathetic and likable character.

In the devotional that was passed out at the screening tonight, I point out that Josh in the film reminds himself of  Matthew 10:32-33, which says "So everyone who acknowledges Me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in Heaven. But whoever disowns Me before others, I will disown before my Father in Heaven." That verse drives home the truth that we shouldn't be afraid to confess Christ before others, but should be open in sharing His truths to the world.
Again, though, I feel there are more messages that can be taken from 'God's Not Dead.'
One that sticks out is relating to the importance of being prepared when the time comes to speak of Jesus to other people. Josh knows that, if he is to prove God is real to Raddison and the rest of the class, he'll need to work hard and be prepared to answer any questions or challenges they may present. So, he does a lot of studying and research in order to help back up his arguments. This ties into 1 Peter 3:15, which says "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." This is important. There will be people who see the hope we have within us, so we need to be ready to answer them when they have questions about it, why we believe the way we do. This takes prayer, study of God's Word, the Bible, as well as the study of inspirational and intellectual Christian authors (I recommend pretty much anything by C.S. Lewis and Lee Strobel). We, like Josh, need to learn more about what we believe and why, so we can be ready to answer anyone who may have questions about it to us, and as the verse says, do so in a gentle and respectful manner.

A final message to take from the movie is on staying true to the faith even when others may desert you. Josh's girlfriend ultimately breaks up with him when he refuses to back down from Raddison's challenge. The girl from the Muslim family, Ayisha, knows that her faith could cause her family to disown her, but she remains dedicated to it regardless of what her father may say. This calls to mind Matthew 19:29, which says "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life." Sometimes, standing up for Christ can cost us a lot, including our relationships with those who are close to us. However, that's nothing compared to the rewards Jesus has prepared for those who faithfully serve Him.
So, that's 'God's Not Dead,' a very good Christian film about standing for Jesus no matter what.
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Come back next week when we look at the next film in this series. Until then, may God bless you all!

Strong Fatherhood, Strong Integrity, Strong Faith: A Look at 'Courageous.'

Hello loyal readers, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
Sorry for the lengthy absence, I've been working on another entry that's taken a lot of effort and will now be put on the backburner just for a few weeks while I do the new series I'm starting now.
It's that time of year again: Time for the Nightcrawler Experience to partner with St. John's United Methodist Church for their Summer at the Movies series! As before, I came up with a devotional for each movie to be passed out at its screening at the church, and am writing an entry on the Nightcrawler Experience to help examine each film a little deeper.
For this series, each week will be a different Christian film, my first real foray into looking at actual Christian/ faith- based movies on this blog.
When it comes to Christian films, my feelings can be rather mixed.
Some can be good, tackling Scriptural truths in ways that are both inspirational and entertaining.
Others, however, can be bogged down by overly preachy and heavy- handed messages, bad acting, or cheesy writing.
Fortunately, the films we will be looking at for this series all fall into the former of the two groups.
We're kicking it off with a real good one: The 2011 film 'Courageous.'

This film centers around four police officers named Adam, Nathan, Shane, and David. Each in their own way is dealing with an issue involving children and being a father. One has a good relationship with his young daughter yet cannot connect well with his teenage son, another is concerned over his teenage daughter wanting to start dating, and so on. They also befriend a day- laborer named Javier who is struggling to find work and provide for his own wife and young children. Eventually, a tragedy causes the five men to realize they have an obligation to be better and more Godly husbands and fathers. So, Adam crafts a detailed "Resolution" to honor God and his family in every way, and he and his friends all agree to it. This resolution is soon tested in a variety of ways for each of them, and they emerge from the situation stronger in their faith and better prepared to do all they can for their families.

'Courageous' stands out as easily one of the best Christian films I've ever seen. The acting's mostly very good for a film of that quality, it has a nice story, and it has loads of humor too.
Another thing it has in its favor, which is something of a rarity for a Christian film, is its action. In particular, near the end of the film, there is a surprisingly intense shootout/ fight scene between two of the officers and a vicious gang leader (The latter can be seen as pretty much the personification of the kind of threat that the officers realize their children and community need to be protected from) that had me on the edge of my seat. It was fast- paced, intense, and felt realistic from the way it was staged. I remember when I first saw it in theaters, that scene had me thinking something I'd never have thought of before for a Christian film: 'This deserves to get nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight Scene!'
My favorite character in the film was definitely Javier. He was such a likable guy, really easy to root for. In fact, if this blog was around back then and I was doing my Favorite Movie Characters List for that year, Javier would have been one of the first characters I'd put on it. He's friendly, good- natured, extremely devoted to his family and determined to help meet their needs, and also provides a lot of comic relief to keep the movie from getting too serious.
 In particular, there is a scene with him, informally known as the "Snake Kings" scene, which remains the single funniest (Intentionally so) scene I can ever recall seeing in a Christian film. It starts with two of the officers having quite a dilemma, needing to transport a freshly- arrested gang member to the station while Javier was still riding with them in the backseat of their cop car (They were on their way to take him to lunch when they got the call about the gang), but then end up resolving that situation in a way that never fails to leave me shrieking with laughter every time I see it, largely due to Robert Amaya's hysterical performance as Javier in that scene!
'Courageous' also earns points for the fact that, while it showcases the great work that our law enforcement personnel do in protecting our streets and citizens and showing that most of them are good people just doing their jobs, it doesn't shy away from the fact that there is some dishonesty and corruption that may go on behind the scenes in police departments (As there is in most occupations). This is shown through a subplot in which the officers begin to suspect that someone within the department has been stealing drugs from the evidence room, presumably to sell on the streets. Admitting that such things can at times go on within police departments is a hard truth, but one that needs to be addressed, and it's handled in a really good way in the film.
So, yes, if you are a fan of Christian films and in the mood for a film that can help you learn to be a better and more Godly husband, father, and person in general, I wholeheartedly recommend 'Courageous.' It's a fun, inspirational film I'll never get tired of.

Obviously, for a Christian film, there are loads of Scriptural messages that can be taken from 'Courageous.' In the devotional flyer passed out at the screening, I point out its clear message on what it means to be a Godly father. I especially highlighted Ephesians 6:4 stating that fathers need to avoid causing unnecessary strife with their children and instead raise them to better know the Lord, and 1 Timothy 5:8 pointing out that believers need to do whatever they can to provide for their families both in a material sense and in an emotional sense.
That, however, I believe is just scratching the surface. I think another important lesson to be taken from 'Courageous' is on the importance of integrity. Two of the film's major characters are eventually faced with crises relating to being honest and doing what's right, both in a legal sense and in an ethical sense. One of the two, when sorely tempted to break the rules for personal gain, ultimately makes the right decision and is deservedly rewarded for it; The other does not, and needless to say, his story's ending is MUCH less happy because of it. Followers of Jesus are called upon to act with integrity in all that they do, and the Bible frequently points that out, especially in the book of Proverbs. One verse which perfectly sums up that part of the film is Proverbs 11:3, which states that "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity." Also, Proverbs 12:22 states that "The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in people who are trustworthy." Lastly, Psalm 41:12 says that "Because of my integrity You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever." The temptation to bend or break the rules for one's own gain can be pretty strong at times, and a hard test to have to go through, but followers of the Lord are expected to demonstrate honesty and righteousness in what they do, even if there's a price to it.

A final great lesson to be taken from 'Courageous' is relating to salvation, and how it's only achieved through trusting in Jesus, not through any good works we might do. In one scene, Nathan is having a heart- to- heart with David and trying to encourage him to take responsibility for things in his life. The discussion turns to God's judgment of all people, and David implies that he thinks all the good he has done in his life will outweigh the bad he has done and get him to Heaven. Nathan, though, points out that that's not how God works. Nathan shows this by bringing up a hypothetical situation: If David's mother was murdered in a parking lot, and the killer was caught, but tried to plead for mercy in court by saying he did a lot of good in his life, too. "If the judge let him go free," Nathan says, "Would you say he was a good judge or a bad judge?" Nathan uses this to show that God judges and punishes a person for the sins they commit, not for the good they do, and that He sent His Son Jesus to Earth to die for us, to pay the penalty for all our sins. Ephesians 2:8-9 spells it out pretty clearly: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- Not by works, so that no one can boast." Doing good deeds and living a good life are great and all, more power to you for it, but that alone cannot remove the taint that our sins leave on our souls that keeps us out of Heaven. Trusting through faith in what Jesus did, not what we did, is the only way anyone can get to Heaven.
So, that sums up my look at 'Courageous,' a wonderful film about family, integrity, and truly knowing Jesus.
Come back next week when we'll be looking at the next film in the series, it'll be another good one.
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Take care, and may God bless you all!

My Top Ten Favorite Movie Characters of 2018, and What You Can Learn From Them!

Hi everyone, welcome to another edition of the Nightcrawler Experience!
Well, it's now almost the end of January, and those who've been reading my blog for a while know what that time of year means: Time for my annual look at my favorite movie characters from the previous year!
As with previous years, there have been a lot of great movie characters to hit the scene this year, so I'll be looking at ten of my favorites from 2018, why I like them, and what I think they can teach us (Either as a "Be like them" example, a "DON'T be like them/ Beware of people like them" cautionary tale, or an allegory for a Biblical figure) about being a Christian.
All the same rules as previous years apply: The characters on this list are not put in any kind of order of preference. It can be any kind of character (Be it hero, villain, supporting character, comic relief, or whatever else), from any genre of movie last year, of any rating, be it an original character or one adapted from another work. Also, as I did last year, I'll include some characters who've already appeared in previous films, but who we learn more about this year.
DISCLAIMER! Some of the films on this list are not suitable for children or sensitive audiences (You can probably tell just by reading it which ones), so do your homework before watching them yourself or letting young children watch them.
All these movies are obviously the property of the studios that released them. All I own are my own words and opinions on them.
Also, SPOILER WARNING! I'll try not to give away more of their movies' plots than necessary, but I may need to reveal some key details about the plots to better show why I like those characters and what we can learn from them.

Now, let's get this show on the road, and I think a good way to start is with a character from the first theatrical film I saw in 2018:

1. Paddington, 'Paddington 2.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user "Valyrian Wildfire" on the Paddington Wiki)
Even though IMDB officially lists this film's release date as 2017, it didn't premiere here in the US until January of 2018, so I'd say it counts as a 2018 film. Now then, the delightful 'Paddington' films are, I'd say, the perfect example of the RIGHT way to bring a beloved vintage children's character to the big screen. It slightly updates and modernizes the concepts behind it when needed while still remaining true to its core elements and the things that made that character so well- loved. If only more such movies had followed the 'Paddington' films' example (COUGHCOUGH 'Peter Rabbit' COUGH). In the sequel, we see more of the pure- hearted, marmalade- loving bear, and all he goes through. He continues to be hilarious, sweet, honest, and so easy to love and root for, but now faces some real hardship. He is framed for stealing a priceless book and sent to one of the scariest- looking prisons in England. In spite of all this, Paddington keeps his friendly demeanor and adheres to his philosophy of "If you're kind and polite, the world will be right." In fact, he gets everyone around him to follow that same philosophy through his good example, and ends up leading in the prison miraculously transforming from a dingy, lawless dump into a marvelous place with pastry kitchens, gardening groups, and even bedtime stories for the inmates! He also manages to help transform the prison's cook, Knuckles McGinty (Another great character who I'd give an Honorary Mention to on this list), from an aggressive, selfish, short- tempered brute who lives up to his name into a delightful man who eventually earns a pardon for how much he turned his life around due to Paddington's influence on him. It is this quality that brings out the theological lesson that Paddington can teach us. It calls to mind Jesus's words in Matthew 5: 14- 16: "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven." By demonstrating goodness and righteousness in our lives as much as we can and doing everything with the aim of serving the Lord, we can similarly have a great, transformative impact on the world around us. Shame that it takes a bear with a marmalade sandwich addiction to teach us that.

2. James Halliday, 'Ready Player One.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user "Iroberts 34" at the Heroes Wiki)
'Ready Player One' was a brilliant movie in so many ways, from its story to its characters to all the innumerable pop- culture connections and commentaries on geek- culture. Definitely one of the most interesting characters in it was James Halliday, the tech genius who created the virtual- reality world known as OASIS. We learn that after he died, Halliday's will had a very interesting stipulation as to who would inherit his company; He carefully hid three special keys in three different areas of OASIS, and whoever gets all three gets the company. The various protagonists in the movie are all working together to try and unravel the clues behind solving this challenge, while trying to evade the efforts of a scheming executive within the company who wants to take it over himself. Halliday in a strange way acts as kind of a Willy Wonka- esque figure in the movie; He wants to pick someone, a young fan, to become his successor and the new head of his tech empire, but at the same time, he wants to ensure that it's someone who has the right heart to take on such a position, who can run things the way he'd have wanted them to be run, and who can even avoid making some of the mistakes he himself had made in the past. Mark Rylance gives a brilliant performance as him (Especially near the end, via a kind of AI avatar of him that appears in the game), loaded with heart and humble sincerity. The lesson that Halliday helps to teach is on knowing your priorities. It calls to mind Jesus's words in Luke 12:34, which says "For where your treasure is, there your heart shall be also." As the movie progresses and the heroes advance through the challenges to get the keys, it becomes clear that Halliday's main mistakes/ regrets in life largely involve the fact that the biggest treasures he served in his life concerned the company he built, to the detriment of his personal relationships and life outside his career. We too must remember to treasure and prioritize the things in life that really last, such as our relationships with family and friends, and ESPECIALLY our walk with God. So, there we have James Halliday, a wonderful character in a wonderful film who teaches an unbelievably wonderful message.


3. Taylor, 'Hell Fest.'


(Photo from “HELL FEST” courtesy of CBS Films.)
'Hell Fest' was mostly just a decent movie that could have been great with slightly better writing, but they atone for it with what an awesome character Taylor is! In this horror- comedy film, Taylor is part of a group of friends who go to Hell Fest, a kind of Halloween Horror Nights- esque Halloween event at a theme park, and have a great time until they find themselves being stalked and picked off one by one by an ACTUAL insane killer posing as one of the "Scare-actors" there. Among the major characters, Taylor is easily the one who steals the show, due largely to the talented young actress Bex Taylor- Klaus's great performance as her. She's outgoing, adventurous, incredibly funny, just a pleasure to watch in every scene she's in. She and her ill- fated boyfriend Asher are diehard horror fans, and from the very second they enter Hell Fest, it becomes clear they're having the time of their lives, especially her. Her excitement and enthusiasm in this place spread to all of us watching, and when things start getting deadly, her humor helps break the tension nicely.
 I think one of the Scriptural messages Taylor helps to convey is on making the most out of life. It VERY quickly becomes clear that she's not the sort of person to sit back and let life pass her by. If a challenge appears in which a volunteer is needed, she'll be right at the front, hand stretched as high up as possible, shouting "PICK ME! PICK ME!" This (Minus the rather hedonistic tendencies Taylor at times displays) is what Jesus sought for us, as He points out in John 10:10, when He said that "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." God wants us to live our lives to the fullest, to not shy away from challenges but to see life as an adventure and an opportunity to do great things.
 Unfortunately, Taylor also teaches a cautionary lesson on heeding warning signs while you can; Even as the night gets weirder and weirder (Even by the standards of an event like that), and more people in her group disappear, Taylor pays very little heed to the warnings given by the main character Natalie who suspects something's amiss. Taylor assumes it must all be part of the show, not realizing the genuine danger she and the others are in until the killer has personally singled her out to be his next victim. The Bible is clear that warnings given by wise people should be followed. The parable Jesus shared in Matthew 7:24- 27 about the wise and foolish builders is all about heeding and following Godly advice. Ignoring such advice could potentially bring about your doom.
 While Taylor's ultimate fate in the movie, if she survived or not, is left rather uncertain (She's last seen taking a pretty bad hit from the killer that could potentially be fatal, but a radio broadcast heard in the very end of the movie makes it appear likely that she survived), one thing that IS certain is that she's an amazing character who teaches a great message about living life to the fullest while still listening for wise warnings.

4. Chewbacca, 'Solo: A "Star Wars" Story.'

(Credit for this pic goes to the user "Death Trooper Specialist Elite Commander" on the Heroes Wiki)
Yes, my undisputed favorite 'Star Wars' character makes the list! Considering that this film is about Han Solo's backstory, it makes sense that good old Chewie factors into it a lot too, and they nail everything about him in it! Of course, the film had to include a scene depicting how the two of them first met, and that scene was handled even better than I thought it would be. What's more, one reviewer of the film observed that this is one of the first times that, rather than being treated like Han's pet (i.e. "Will somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?" Not cool, Leia), Chewie is treated like the intelligent, sentient being that he is. One theological lesson that Chewbacca can teach is on the need to follow after holiness and the greater good, at times regardless of personal feelings. A sad recurring tendency throughout the various forms of the 'Star Wars' saga is that his race, the Wookiees, are often enslaved by various outside groups, such as the Galactic Empire. In one scene late in the movie, while on a mission in a mine, the heroes discover that a number of Wookiees are being used as slave labor in the mines. When they bust up the operation and free the Wookiees, Chewie at first appears willing to go with them back to their home planet. However, he realizes that his new friend Han is the one who really needs him the most, and after giving a sad parting embrace to one of the Wookiees (Who I personally theorized was his wife), he heads off with Han instead. This sacrifice on Chewie's part calls to mind Jesus's words in Matthew 10:24- 25: "Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." In much the same way, we as Christians can at times be called on to sacrifice much for the sake of the Gospel. Some feel called by Him to missions work, and spend years overseas, far from their homes and families, to serve God through serving others. While we may not be called that far, there may very well be times we are called upon to make personal sacrifices, at times painful ones, in order to obey God's will for our lives.
 So, let me end this portion of the list by saying "ROOOOAAAARR! RAAAH! RAAAAUGH!" That's Wookiee for "Way to go, Chewbacca!"

5. Domino, 'Deadpool 2.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user "RicoTubbs84 on the X- Men Movie Wiki)
'Deadpool 2' was as hilarious and action- packed as the first film, and one of the many good points of it is the introduction of the mercenary heroine Domino. In attempting to form his own team, X- Force, to try and rescue a friend of his, Deadpool hires a number of mutants with various neat powers. Among them is Domino. However, Deadpool mocks her for the fact that her power is apparently that she is "Lucky," and insists that is a stupid, worthless power to have, if it's even a power at all. Deadpool's taunts are soon proven to be unfounded, though, as while the other members of X- Force are killed in the initial parachute drop (Other than possibly Bedlam, who could have been revived by paramedics), Domino uses her luck/ probability manipulation powers to not only safely get to the ground, but to then dodge dozens of speeding cars and a gas- station explosion and catch up to the truck carrying Deadpool's friend ON FOOT! She can hold her own amazingly well in a fight too, with her luck powers clearly working in full force. Many of the most exciting fight scenes and action sequences in the film involve her. The Scriptural point to be taken from Domino deals with that surprisingly effective gift of hers. It calls to mind 1 Corinthians 12:15-20, which says " Now if the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body." You see, we in the body of Christ are blessed with a whole cornucopia of gifts and talents that God has bestowed upon us to spread His Word and build His Kingdom. For some it's preaching, for others it's intercessory prayer, for others it's wisdom or discernment, and so on. Some people might see their particular gifts and talents as worthless and ineffective, just like how Deadpool viewed Domino's powers so dismissively, but God doesn't see any of our gifts as worthless, even the odder or more colorful ones. My own gift of finding Scriptural messages in pop culture is not a very conventional one, but I believe God has used it through me to help do His Will and bring His Word to people, through this blog and some of the messages and sermons I've given in various settings.
Similarly, some of you might have gifts and talents that you think are worthless, but through prayer, reflection, and faith in what the Lord can do through you, you can find ways to use them to help do God's will and bring many people to know Him, just like how Domino was able to use her strange but wonderful ability to help save countless people.

Next, we go from one Marvel character to another.

6. Eddie Brock/ Venom, 'Venom.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user "Dr. Everything" on the Heroes Wiki)
The 'Venom' movie proved to be a great deal more enjoyable than I thought it would be, and a big part of that is due to Tom Hardy's performance as both reporter Eddie Brock, and the alien- suited antihero and frequent Spider- Man foe Venom. The alien symbiote bonds with Eddie, turning him into Venom, and he regularly finds himself debating with the symbiote as it takes control of more of his mind and body, much like a split personality or possession. Nevertheless, Eddie eventually gains more control of things, finds a balance with the symbiote, and uses it to help stop an unscrupulous villain intent on harnessing the power of similar alien symbiotes for his own purposes. Seeing Eddie go through these challenges, regain control of himself, and use this little problem of his to ultimately help save the world is quite thrilling. I'd say the theological lesson that can be learned from Venom is in dealing with the sinful nature in all of us. The Venom side is at odds with Eddie for much of the movie, largely because Venom has MUCH less reservations when it comes to violence and killing than Eddie does, and the two sides wrestle for control frequently because of that. In that sense, the Venom side can be seen as symbolizing our inward nature steering us towards sin. Ever since Eden, all people have had a sinful inner nature that can override our consciences and common sense and lead us to sin if we let it. Jeremiah 17:9 demonstrates this nature by pointing out that "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Much like Eddie's conflict with Venom's influence on him, our sinful nature is in a near- constant state of conflict with the influence of the Holy Spirit which we gain when we accept Christ. This kind of inner conflict all believers face is illustrated in Galatians 5:17, which says that "For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." Still, even when that nature is tempting us towards giving in to sin, God is always faithful to provide us with a way out. Through trusting in Jesus's strength, and coming to Him in prayer when we are tempted, we can keep our own personal "Venom" on a short leash and righteously serve the Lord.


Now, we go from a (Mostly) good man wrestling with an evil nature, to an evil man who presents himself as pure good.

7. Gellert Grindelwald, 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user "Loolveus" on the Villains Wiki)
As those of you who have been following this blog for a while would know, each year I do this list, I include a villain, the one I considered to be the best movie villain of that year (For 2015 I gave the honor to Ultron from 'Avengers: Age of Ultron,' in 2016 it went to Kimmy from 'The Purge: Election Year,' and in 2017 I picked the Vulture from 'Spider- Man: Homecoming'). For quite a while in planning out this list, I intended Thanos from 'Avengers: Infinity War' to take the title this year. However, while I still think he makes a brilliant antagonist, in early December, a new surprise contender beat him to #1 on my list (In addition to Thanos, a few other memorable 2018 baddies include Phoenix Buchanan from 'Paddington 2,' Michael Myers from 'Halloween,' and i- R0k from 'Ready Player One'). We saw a little of Johnny Depp as the corrupted wizard Gellert Grindelwald in the previous 'Fantastic Beasts' film, but not much, as he spent nearly all of his screen time disguised as someone else (Though his line near the end of "Shall we die, just a little" remains one of that film's most memorable lines). In THIS film, though, Grindelwald is front and center, and in the words of Ron Weasley, he is "Bloody brilliant"! In listing Newt Scamander in the previous film as one of my favorite movie characters of 2016, I brought up that I actually liked Newt a little better as a protagonist than Harry Potter himself. Well, now, I can similarly say that I think Grindelwald makes a slightly better antagonist than Lord Voldemort did. With Voldemort, great of a baddie though he is, it's kind of hard to see how he was able to amass such a huge following. His message was basically just that pure- blood wizards should rule over all because it's their right of birth to do so, and that's not the kind of message that a lot of people in their right mind could get behind. With Grindelwald, in contrast, it's terrifyingly clear already how he amassed his own huge following: He genuinely convinced himself and others that wizards should rule over non- magical people not out of snobbery or supposed birthright like Voldemort did, but instead out of a seemingly compassionate, altruistic desire to protect them and "Save them from themselves." In a speech he gives to his followers near the end, he points out that he has predicted the then- upcoming World War II and all the horrors that will come from it, and that it can all be prevented from coming to pass if Grindelwald and his followers manage to conquer the world before then, and that he'd then help bring about a new society in which wizards and non- magical folk can all live openly in peace and freedom. Even the character Queenie, who is able to read minds and thus tell if he is lying or otherwise deceiving people, does not sense any kind of deception within him. In fact, she becomes so convinced that he is on the right side that, in a gut- wrenching scene in the film's end, she decides to leave her good- hearted fiancee Jacob and join Grindelwald's campaign.
 The cautionary theological message that I believe we can learn from Gellert Grindelwald is in not following after false teachers or bad leaders. Grindelwald is pretty much the perfect example of a false prophet. He genuinely seems so benevolent, even noble in his goals. The problem is, a benevolent tyrant who can tickle people's ears with pretty words is still a tyrant, and Grindelwald is still using and manipulating people to help himself gain power in a movement which, were it successful, would almost certainly be every bit as devastating as the war he claims to be trying to avert, if not more so. Many real- life tyrants such as Stalin, Mao, and Hitler and cult leaders such as Jim Jones and Charles Manson similarly claimed to want to create a better world for all, attempted appealing to people's better natures, and brought many to their side with such messages, yet ultimately brought about some of the most monstrous acts in human history in pursuit of those goals. The Bible is littered with warnings to avoid such people. In Acts 20:29- 30, Paul warns, "I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them." 2 Timothy 4:3-4 observes that "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." Last but certainly not least is Jesus's admonition in Matthew 7:15 to "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." We all need to be careful who we follow, from a religious sense, a political sense, or any one of a number of other senses, that they are good and Godly people who genuinely have our best interests at heart.
So, there we have Gellert Grindelwald: Who would have guessed that a character in a fantasy film with wizards and magical creatures could help demonstrate what real- life evil can look like?

8. Ericka Van Helsing, 'Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.'

(Credit for this image goes to the user "AlexHoskins" on the Heroes Wiki)
The 'Hotel Transylvania' animated film series, while not as epic as some of the animated films by Disney or Pixar, nevertheless remain extremely fun and enjoyable movies to watch that I always look forward to. The characters are likable, there's plenty of humor and heart, and Adam Sandler can do a surprisingly excellent Dracula voice! In the third film in this series, 'Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation,' we meet the new character of Ericka, who quickly proves to be a wonderful addition to the film series' cast. She is first seen as a ship captain running a cruise for monsters that Dracula and his buddies are all invited to take part in. However, this turns out to be a trap, as Ericka is the great- granddaughter of Dracula's archenemy, the monster- hunter Abraham Van Helsing, and together with Abraham is plotting on using the cruise as a way of killing Dracula and all of the other monsters all at once. She tries many times to take Drac out early on in the film (Including a hilarious scene in which her attempts to kill him while he's obliviously dancing are continuously thwarted by his apparently- unkillable blob- monster friend Blobby). Eventually, though, as things progress, she gets to know Dracula better and realizes he is not the evil threat she had been taught he was. She grows closer to him, and even falls in love with him! She ultimately helps thwart her great- grandfather's attempts to destroy the monsters, and convinces him that he was wrong about them. This transformation for her is played out in a very effective way (i.e. Before she fully sides with Dracula, she first kind of subtly tests him while in a booby- trapped chamber to make sure he is indeed good), and is extremely satisfying to see.
Ericka can be compared greatly to Saul of Tarsus, who went on to become the apostle Paul, as documented in the book of Acts. Like him, she initially was a genocidal bigot who set out to do her part to eradicate a group that she had been taught was a threat to the world (Monsters for her, Christians for Saul of Tarsus), only to have an eye- opening experience by learning they are in fact harmless and on the side of good. Lastly, like him, she eventually joins them and inspires others to embrace them as well.
From ruthless persecutor of monsters to a great force for peace between humans and monsters, Ericka is a great character who makes a wonderful allegory for someone who would go on to become one of the greatest champions of the early church.

9. M'Baku, 'Black Panther.'


(Credit for this image goes to "Valyrian Wildfire" on the Marvel Cinematic Universe Wiki)
This is an example of a character from a previously- adapted work proving to be better in the movie than he was in the original work. In the original comics, M'Baku was known as "Man- Ape," and was a straight- up villain (And not a very interesting one at that, not to mention rather racially- offensive) out to violently conquer Wakanda and enforce his own primal, barbaric views on it. In the quite enjoyable movie 'Black Panther,' however, they give him a LOT more depth. Like Venom, he is now more of an antihero, and while he still is the leader of the rival Jabari tribe, is still opposed to Black Panther's rule and still desires to rule Wakanda himself, he now has enough of a sense of honor that he does not resort to evil or dishonest means to try and fulfill that. He also might have a seemingly stern and ruthless demeanor, but a lot of that appears to be just for show and an excuse to joke with people. For instance, he at one point terrifies a visitor by threatening to have him fed to his (M'Baku's) children, then a few seconds later laughingly reveals that his people are all in fact vegetarians! Another thing to admire about M'Baku, which is the spiritual lesson that could be taken from him, is that he also has enough of a sense of humility and "The bigger picture" that he is willing to fight alongside his rival Black Panther (Whom he even comes to call "Brother" at one point) in order to help stop a greater threat, as he does so not once but twice: In 'Black Panther,' he helps lead his tribe's warriors in backing up Black Panther's army against the evil Erik Killmonger's army, and in 'Avengers: Infinity War,' he does the same in the battle against Thanos's hordes. Hearing him lead his warriors in their battle chant whenever they show up to battle is so incredibly cool every time, he's almost as good at making an entrance as Iron Man and Captain America are! But, I digress: The point I'm trying to make is, even in Christian circles, there are going to be people who aren't necessarily big fans of each other. It might be for doctrinal differences, or personal matters, but whatever the cause, we can still work together in the name of helping to advance God's cause. Certainly in my own experience, there have been plenty of times in which I've had to work together with those of differing religious, political, or social views than my own, but we make it work because we focus more on the faith we have in common than on what divides us. This is clearly a Biblical principle. Galatians 3:28 has Paul reminding the believers that "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Also, 1 Peter 3:8 says "Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind." This second verse perfectly fits the attitude M' Baku eventually adopts towards Black Panther and his people.
 So, that sums up M'Baku: A fascinating character who I hope we'll see more of in future Marvel films, again leading his warriors in with that incomparable battle chant!

10. Sarah Quinn, 'Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween.'


(Credit for this image goes to the user "JH10" on the Goosebumps Wiki)
This is an interesting pick for me; Not only is it the second time that a character from the spookily fun 'Goosebumps' movie series made my list (The first time being when I included Champ from the first movie on my Best- of- 2015 list), it's also the second year in a row that a character played by the young actress Madison Iseman makes my list, and for a film in which she co- starred with Jack Black, to boot (The first time being last year, for her character in 'Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle'). Sarah is probably the most relatable character in 'Goosebumps 2.' She is going through all kinds of issues in the beginning of the movie; She wants to apply to Columbia University for their writing program but is having writer's block on writing a key essay for her application with the time before the enrollment deadline ticking away, she's trying to keep her younger brother Sonny and his friend Sam from unwittingly hurting anyone or causing damage with Sonny's quite hazardous school science project and generally keep them out of trouble, and she learns that her supposedly devoted boyfriend has been cheating on her. AND, all this is BEFORE she then has to deal with the evil ventriloquist's dummy Slappy returning, threatening her family's lives and setting out to resurrect an army of mutants, monsters and maniacs on Halloween night.  Still, with help from Sonny and Sam, she manages to face her fears, defeat Slappy, and win the day. For Sarah to face so many challenges, both natural and supernatural, and overcome them so well, you HAVE to root for her! She balances so much for a girl her age, and it really is relatable for any of us who have a lot of responsibilities on our plate. The theological message to learn from Sarah mainly centers around the conclusion of the movie, when she uses her experience that Halloween as inspiration for her to write her application essay relating to the subject of fear (Which, of course, gets her in). She opens it by saying, "I think most of us are afraid that we don't have a story to tell, that there's nothing special about us. And then a moment comes, when you least expect it, where you have to step up, no matter how terrified you are. But, what I've learned is it's good to be scared sometimes. Scared of losing the people we love, or scared of not achieving our dreams. Because those moments remind us just how special our stories really are. And maybe when you face enough of your fears, life stops being so scary after all." This is all very much a Biblical concept, especially the last sentence. One of the first verses it brings to mind is James 1:2-4, which states "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." The hard and scary moments we all face in life are used by God to help us grow stronger and also more dependent on Him. Each one we face makes us better prepared for the next one, and makes us feel less and less scared. It also brings to mind James 1:12, which says that "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him." When we face such hard and frightening challenges in life, yet make it through out of our devotion to the Lord, we will be greatly rewarded for it by Him in one way or another, similar to how Sarah's perseverance leads to the reward of her being inspired to write the essay that gets her into the college of her dreams.
That about covers Sarah Quinn; A great heroine who faces a lot of trials and fears yet stands triumphant over all of them and can inspire all of us to do the same!

Honorable mentions go to George the gorilla from 'Rampage,' Mr. Chu from 'Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween,' Sister Irene from 'The Nun' (She nearly made this list), Knuckles McGinty from 'Paddington 2,' and Will Sawyer from 'Skyscraper.'
That's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Keep your eyes open for my new entries I'll have on the way soon. Until then, may God bless you all!

An Interesting Christ- Allegory, and How the Spirit Leads Us: A Faith- Based Look at 'The Christmas Chronicles.'

Hi everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Nightcrawler Experience!
Here's hoping everyone had a very merry Christmas!
I know this Christmas entry is a few days late, but I was just so busy the last week or so that I simply didn't have time to upload this before now, and it was such a neat movie I didn't want to wait until next year to look at it.
For this one, we'll again be turning to Netflix, for a brand- new movie they created called 'The Christmas Chronicles.' So, take a comfy seat, pour yourself the last dregs of eggnog or cocoa, and let's get started!

SPOILER WARNING! There aren't a lot of major spoilers in this movie, but there are a couple up ahead.
This movie centers around the Pierce family. They were a loving, tight- knit family of four who always had great Christmases. However, their closeness was shattered shortly after Christmas 2017 when the father was killed in the line of duty as a fireman. Ever since then, his kids Teddy and Katie have become more estranged from each other, Teddy has become a juvenile delinquent, and their mother (Kimberly Williams- Paisley, an actress I've always enjoyed seeing ever since her role in the awesome and underrated 2000 TV miniseries 'The 10th Kingdom') is increasingly stressed out dealing with both their friction and working long hours at her own job at the hospital.
On Christmas Eve, as the mom is forced to work a night shift, Katie blackmails Teddy (She had recorded him and his thug buddies stealing a car earlier, further evidence of how desperately Teddy needs to make some changes in his life before it's too late) into helping her stay up in order to catch Santa Claus in the act. The siblings end up getting more than they bargained for, winding up unwittingly stowing away in the back of Santa's (Played by Kurt Russell, of all people) sleigh, and when he is startled to discover them there, he ends up losing control of his sleigh and crashing it.
Worse, he loses his reindeer, his hat (Which apparently enables him to fly even if he's not in his sleigh), and his bag of presents in the process. As a result, they are stranded in Chicago, far from where the kids live.
 Santa then explains to the kids that, if they can't get all Santa's missing stuff together, get his sleigh fixed, and get all the gifts delivered in time, there'll be a LOT more at stake than just some kids having a crummier Christmas than they would have otherwise.
See, Santa making his rounds and not missing anyone is what keeps the world's Christmas Spirit level high, and the lower it drops, the more meanness, cruelty, selfishness, and unhappiness begin to take hold on humanity. He points out that the last time he missed a Christmas, the resulting plummet in Christmas cheer and goodwill led to the start of the Dark Ages. We soon see it's already beginning to happen, as we see an abnormally high (Even for Chicago) number of people committing crimes and being arrested.
This then leads to Santa and the kids having to do what they can to get Christmas back on track, but hitting plenty of bumps along the way; After failing to get a car to help find what they need, Santa and Teddy resort to hotwiring a car (In their defense, the car was already stolen, and they intended on turning it in to the police as soon as they were done with it) with Santa eventually getting arrested for it, Teddy attempts to get the bag of presents back but in the process is abducted by a vicious gang, and Kate recovers the reindeer but then soon afterwards finds herself warped to the North Pole and having to explain the situation to the Elves in the hopes that they'll be able to fix the damaged sleigh.
It all leads to a thrilling climax, Teddy getting set straight, and being given a gift that warms his heart and restores the close bond that the family once had.

Having never seen it before, I really enjoyed 'Christmas Chronicles.' The performances were solid, the story had plenty of heart and humor, and it really put me in the Christmas mood.
Kurt Russell made for a MUCH better Santa Claus than you might imagine. He's certainly a departure from the traditional views of St. Nick: He's replaced his traditional red suit for a fur- lined red leather jacket, he adamantly refuses to say "Ho, ho, ho," and is hilariously incensed at all the portrayals of him as a jolly fat man in advertisements and the like (As he puts it at one point, "Billboards add eighty pounds."). He also clearly doesn't have much trouble with breaking a few rules when absolutely necessary, such as his aforementioned hotwiring of a car and leading police on a chase through the streets of Chicago at one point. Yet, he is still as happy, good- natured, and sociable as he's always been portrayed. One element of his personality he displays that most portrayals of Santa miss is that he has an amazing memory of what specific adults were like as kids. He has the charming (Though it gets him and the kids into some trouble at times) trait of greeting adults and talking to them about what they were like as kids and some of their wishes from those days and how things have gone since then. His demeanor in those cases is like that of an old friend eager to catch up with people he hasn't seen in years.
This movie's version of Santa still has the same care for others, sense of joy, and desire to spread the Christmas spirit all around him that he's always possessed. When he's arrested, he convinces the police officer interrogating him to get back in touch with his estranged wife (It starts in a surprisingly quite moving way, as the officer is understandably skeptical and says to him, "Alright then: If you're Santa, then you must know this: What would I most like to have for Christmas?" Santa wipes the smile off his face by responding, simply, "Lisa"), who has apparently had second thoughts about leaving him. Then, in one of the movie's highlights, when put into a holding cell, he helps bring Christmas spirit even into that dismal environment by leading the other people locked up there in a rousing Christmas rock/ blues medley.
The Elves provided for a lot of good laughs as well. They sort of reminded me of a cross between Minions and Furbies. A particularly enjoyable scene is when Teddy is about to be killed by the gang that abducted him before being rescued by the Elves, who proceed to clobber those jerks in hilarious and highly satisfying ways.
The other supporting characters are very good, too. Teddy is a kid who acts the way he does largely out of anger over his father's death (As he puts it at one point, "He had a wife and kids, and he gave it up just to save some random strangers."), as well as shame over how disappointed he knows his father would be in him. Katie just wants the kind of close relationship with her brother that they used to have. The mother largely just wants her family to have the sorts of peace and harmony they had when the dad was alive. One of the only issues I had with this movie was that the mother was a bit underused, they could have shown more of her. Seeing each of those characters ultimately get their Christmas wish is extremely satisfying.
The visual effects are extremely good. A couple real highlights are seeing Santa blast from house to house as a flash of red mist, and traveling through the wormhole between nations. Santa's reindeer are also brought to life through VERY convincing CGI.
There is a lot of clever humor too, such as sly nods to other Netflix shows (i.e. a restaurant valet is at one point seen distracted by watching 'Stranger Things' on his tablet). There is also a cameo by Mrs. Claus at the very end of the film, and the actress they chose to play her was a VERY clever and appropriate choice, especially considering who they had playing Santa.
So, all in all, 'The Christmas Chronicles' makes quite a good addition to the library of Christmas films destined to become classics.

I found a couple excellent Scriptural messages that can be taken from 'The Christmas Chronicles.'
One of the first is that, much like when I talked about 'Santa Claus is Comin' to Town' last year, the Santa in this movie can similarly be seen as an allegory for Jesus. We see Santa in 'The Christmas Chronicles' acting as a major force for reconciliation in this world, between his aforementioned help reconciling the police officer with his wife, and gradually helping the Pierce family reconcile with each other. Jesus, of course, was all about reconciliation, as the whole reason why He came down to Earth was so that sinful mankind could be reconciled with God. Romans 5:10 observes that "For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!"
 Furthermore, Jesus also encouraged people to reconcile with each other. In Matthew 5:23- 24, he tells people that if they are in the temple, about to present a gift or offering at the altar and remember that they have an issue with someone, they should leave that gift at the altar and immediately go to find that person and reconcile with them, THEN return to the temple and present their offering. In other words, Jesus does NOT want people to let grudges linger, but for people to resolve things and reconcile with those they may have had issues with.
Also, this version of Santa, while as friendly and good- natured as ever, still manages to encourage people to keep on the straight and narrow. He helps Teddy get out of his delinquency phase by holding up a surly bartender/ career criminal they come across as a cautionary example of what Teddy's future could look like if he stays on his current path. He also, after being freed from jail by the Elves, turns to the other prisoners (The ones he had been leading in the aforementioned musical revue earlier) and tells them to "Try to be good." This immediately called to mind Jesus in John 8:11, as, after He saved the woman caught in adultery from being stoned to death by the hypocritical Pharisees, He told her, "Go and sin no more." While God's grace through Jesus's death and resurrection covers all of our sins and grants forgiveness to those who trust in Him, and while we will stumble from time to time, that doesn't mean we should go on willfully sinning left and right. We need to try as hard as we can to pursue righteousness and avoid sin, to keep on the right path with God and set a good example for others to follow.

Another Scriptural message I found in 'The Christmas Chronicles' concerns the issue of Christmas spirit dropping to low levels and having a negative impact on people's hearts. As Santa puts it at one point, "People need the Christmas spirit to remind them of how good they can be." I'd say this can make an obvious comparison to the Holy Spirit, which works on the hearts of people and helps them, as well, realize how much better they can become if they listen to the voice of God and follow His guidance. When people stop trusting in the Lord, and stop following the leadings of the Holy Spirit, that can lead to all manner of evil coming into the world and growing stronger every day. As it says in Romans 2:5-6, "Those who live according to the flesh have their mind set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." Like the Christmas spirit in the film, the Holy Spirit provides people with hope and inspiration to live the way they should and make a positive impact on God's Kingdom around them.

Living according to the example of Christ and the leadings of the Holy Spirit can help us all better serve the Lord and keep the Christmas spirit in us year- round.

Well, that's all for now. Here's wishing everyone a happy New Year! Stay tuned, my Top Ten Favorite Movie Characters of 2018 list will be up in a few weeks. Until then, God bless you all!

Truly Knowing Jesus, and Showing Wisdom: A Faith- Based Look at 'Fright Night.'

Hi everyone, happy Halloween from the Nightcrawler Experience!
Here is the final installment in the three- part Halloween special I'll be doing for this blog, looking at something that'll provide scary fun and yet also some valid lessons on what it means to walk with Jesus.
In this case, I'll be looking at the movie 'Fright Night,' the 1985 original and especially the 2011 remake.

(Credit for this goes to the user XD1 on the Fright Night Wiki).

Disclaimer! Both versions of this movie have a noticeable amount of objectionable content, they are rated R. They are also very scary at times. So, use discretion before personally watching either of them or letting young ones watch them.

Generally, horror remakes are regarded as garbage, at times rightfully so (Anyone remember the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' remake they tried to do?). However, I consider the 'Fright Night' remake quite possibly the single best horror remake I can ever recall seeing.
 In fact, I consider it one of the few horror remakes that actually NEEDED to be made. While the original is still great, it has not aged very well. Its 80's setting is VERY heavily apparent throughout it, so it doesn't translate quite as well for modern audiences. The remake manages to modernize it without giving off too dated of a feel.

In both the original version of 'Fright Night' and the remake, the basic story is similar: A teenage boy named Charley Brewster comes to strongly suspect that his new neighbor Jerry Dandridge is in fact a vampire (I know it sounds similar to the 'Are You Afraid of the Dark' episode "The Tale of the Nightly Neighbors," which I looked at on this blog a couple years ago, but the similarities end there), who is responsible for a rash of disappearances and deaths in the area. He seeks out an apparent vampire expert named Peter Vincent for help in dealing with this, but Peter refuses to help and admits to being a fraud and a coward. Still, Charley pushes on in order to protect his mother and his girlfriend Amy from becoming Jerry's next victims, and even inspires Peter to find his courage and become the hero everyone believes him to be, and the two of them prepare for a final showdown with Jerry.

However, the remake differs from the original in a number of ways, all of which I think work well. Rather than being set in a suburban Anytown USA as the original was, the remake takes place in Las Vegas, specifically in one of the residential communities on the outskirts of the city. This actually makes a LOT of sense, and I can indeed imagine a vampire living in one of those communities; Most of the people there sleep during the day and work jobs on the Strip at night, so a vampire could easily blend in among them, and those communities tend to have a lot of abandoned houses that would make perfect nesting areas for a vampire.

 Another major change is in the way the character Peter Vincent is portrayed; In the original version, Peter (Played by the late Roddy Mcdowell) is a has- been movie star who in his prime played a Van Helsing- esque horror film hero called "Peter Vincent, the Great Vampire Killer" but who's now reduced to hosting a monster- movie- marathon TV show, and gives off a rather pompous, thespian- esque personality. In the remake, in contrast, Peter (Now played by David Tennant) is a Las Vegas stage magician whose act uses a lot of occultic/ vampire- esque imagery and theming, and his personality comes across as more like a British rock star. While both portrayals are awesome in their own ways, I can see why they changed it for the remake; As cool as those old monster- movie- marathon- type shows were, they are sadly a thing of the past now. David Tennant's portrayal of Peter is so much fun to watch, he'd make an excellent spinoff movie! He delivers loads of humor, and also proves to be a surprisingly well- developed character, as we learn more of his backstory.

Another major departure that I approved of is in terms of the portrayals of a supporting character in the film, Charlie's sort- of friend "Evil" Ed. In the original, "Evil" Ed is hyper and loud, alternately supporting Charlie and making fun of him. Many fans of the original film really liked him, but I personally viewed him a lot like how most 'Star Wars' fans viewed JarJar Binks: A character meant to be comedic, but who is often much more annoying than funny. His shrieking laugh is like nails on a chalkboard to me. In the remake, in contrast, "Evil" Ed is much more subtle and quiet. In it, we see that he was once Charlie's best friend and the two engaged in all kinds of "Nerd- friendly" fun, but that when Charlie became part of the "Popular" crowd at school as he began dating Amy, he abandoned all aspects of his geeky former life, including his friendship with Ed. As you can guess, Ed is noticeably bitter towards Charlie over this, which factors a ton into their interactions with each other in the movie. This version of Ed has a lot of funny moments, but also some genuinely heartfelt moments as you really feel bad for him between Charley having kicked him to the curb for the sake of popularity and all kinds of other hardships befalling him.

A final change the remake made that I definitely feel is an improvement is that Charley (Played in the original by William Ragsdale, and in the remake by the late Anton Yelchin) is MUCH more intelligent and tactful than he was in the original. An example is when Charley makes the decision to try and get the police involved. In the original, Charley personally brings a police officer to Jerry's house, and ends up loudly proclaiming that Jerry's a vampire, causing the cop to see him as either a liar or a moron. In the remake, in contrast, Charley makes the much wiser decision to instead try and notify the police through an anonymous phone call; While it still doesn't work well (The cops go to Jerry's house, but Jerry provides a convincing explanation and even sort of befriends the officers), at least it didn't leave Charley looking like an idiot the way the original did.

The action sequences in 'Fright Night' are pretty solid, including an escape from a burning house that leads to a car chase, and numerous battles between the various protagonists and the vampires.
While I somewhat miss the practical effects used in the original 'Fright Night,' the CGI used in the remake is pretty good, especially the ways it shows vampires disintegrating into ash when slain.
So, the 2011 'Fright Night' remake is all in all a surprisingly good film that I definitely recommend to fans of the original and anyone else in the mood for a little scary fun.



I can think of at least a couple theological lessons that can be taken from 'Fright Night.'
In the original and to a lesser extent the remake, we see an interesting new aspect of vampire lore: While vampires can be harmed and driven back by crosses, it only works if the person holding the cross has faith, otherwise it doesn't do a thing. A couple times in those movies, a character will try and drive back a vampire using a cross, yet it has no effect because the person wielding it didn't have the faith for it. What truly repelled the vampires was, in a sense, not actually the cross itself, but rather, the person's faith channeled through the cross. This very much ties into a Biblical theme on the difference between knowing about Jesus, and truly knowing Him and trusting in Him. It calls to mind a story from Acts 19:11-17, when a group of Jewish exorcists find out that the apostle Paul was able to cast out demons by calling on the name of Jesus. Thinking they could turn this knowledge into a lucrative business venture, they find a different person possessed by a demon, and say, "We cast you out in the name of the Jesus that Paul preaches." The demon in the man responds, "Jesus we know, and Paul we know, but who are you?" The demon in the man then beats up the would- be exorcists and sends them out naked and wounded. Those guys thought they could use the name and power of Jesus, even though they didn't even truly believe in Him themselves. That clearly didn't have any effect on the demon. Similarly, just knowing about Jesus without having actual faith in Him is pretty worthless. We need to actually believe and trust that Jesus is who He said He is.

Another important theological lesson that I think can be derived from the 'Fright Night' remake is on the importance of showing wisdom in how we act. As I said earlier, I found the remake's version of Charley much smarter and more tactful than he was in the original. As a matter of fact, considering that the horror film genre tends to be filled with characters who aren't exactly the sharpest knives in the drawer, Charley in the 'Fright Night' remake comes across as easily one of the smartest protagonists in all of horror, right up there with Sidney Prescott from the 'Scream' series and most portrayals of Dracula's nemesis Van Helsing. In addition to the example I listed earlier of how tactful he was when he tried to get the police involved, there are lots of other examples of him proving to be incredibly clever and resourceful. He first meets with Peter Vincent by posing as a journalist with the aid of a phony press pass he made on the fly. When he has to leave his injured mother in a hospital room, he first leaves the room decked out in crosses to ensure that Jerry will not be able to go after her. When he sets out for the final showdown with Jerry, he first goes to an outdoor- supply store and buys all the weapons and supplies that he legally can, he goes to Jerry's house during the morning when Jerry will be either asleep or weak, and as soon as he enters the house he immediately breaks all of the black- tainted windows in sight to get as much sunlight pouring into the house as possible. In short, Charley's one smart cookie in this, and that's why he prevails. Scripture is littered with commands to act with wisdom and planning, in much the way that Charley does throughout the film. An example is Proverbs 14:8, which states that "The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception." It's showing that wisdom comes from thinking things through and proceeding in what we come to then believe is the best way of proceeding through a situation. When confronted with life's problems and threats, we are to trust in God's deliverance, but also to be wise and careful in how we proceed.

Through keeping a strong and earnest faith in Jesus, and also thinking things through and exercising wisdom and discernment in how we act and what we do, we can triumph over evil like how Charley did in 'Fright Night' and live victoriously knowing we follow the King of Kings.

That's it for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. I have a few ideas for entries to bring out in the next couple months, so keep an eye out for them. Until then, happy Halloween, and may God bless you all!

Avoiding what God Hates, and Remaining Responsible: How to Avoid Being 'Trolled.'

Hi everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
This is part two in what I'm hoping will be a three- part Halloween- related installment.
The inspiration for this particular entry just came to me on the fly a week or so ago.
As I said in the previous entry, I recently finished a monthlong free subscription to Netflix, which enabled me to get caught up on 'Stranger Things.' In addition, it helped me watch a lot of other shows I was behind on, and it helped me discover another show I'd never even heard of before, called 'Creeped Out.'
SLIGHT DISCLAIMER: While this show is for kids, it can have its creepy moments.
This is a British/ Canadian horror anthology show for kids, similar to what 'Are You Afraid of the Dark' was like. Its sort of host/ Cryptkeeper- type character is "The Curious," a mysterious, silent, childlike figure wearing a strange mask. The Curious is apparently harmless, yet is always around when something spooky happens, and at the end of each episode, takes a little memento from that tale while whistling the show's eerie theme music. Here's the opening to one of the episodes, which shows you a little of what the Curious is like:

There were a lot of very good episodes of this show, such as 'Marti' (The episode that the above clip was taken from, which deals with our society's addiction to smart phones), 'Bravery Badge' (A genuinely frightening and yet encouraging tale in which a kind of Girl Scout troop on a camping trip discovers that mosquitoes and poison ivy aren't the only things to look out for in the woods), and the quite moving two- part episode 'Sideshow.'

However, if I had to pick one episode that was my favorite so far, one that sticks out for me is an episode called "Trolled."

SPOILERS!

This episode revolves around a British teen named Sam, who is enrolled in a prestigious boarding school for choral students. He is outwardly active and well- liked, but we soon learn he is leading a double life: He is secretly "NoFace," a vicious Internet troll and cyberbully who anonymously posts malicious insults and gossip on the school's Web forum and various social media outlets.
 He has now set his sights on his roommate Fitzy, who has begun dating Sam's crush, Naini. As NoFace, Sam spreads a nasty rumor about Fitzy on the Web forum to try and break them up, and also posts an insulting picture of Naini on her Facebook page (Keep in mind that Sam outwardly professes close friendship with both of them). After he does so, though, he gets a message from an ominous- seeming user named "Billygoat356," warning him to stop doing this or "Pay the price." Sam of course ignores this.

The next day, we learn that Sam may have to leave the school, as his working- class mother (A decent woman who ironically comes across as a much more sympathetic character than her son) can no longer afford to pay his tuition and various other school- related expenses. Sam, however, learns of a solution: If he can successfully perform an extremely difficult solo at a big choral recital the next day, he'll get a full scholarship.

Later that evening, Sam is back to trolling as NoFace, now posting an insulting (Though admittedly rather funny) edited picture of the school's headmaster on the faculty section of the web forum. Just then, he gets another message from Billygoat356, basically telling him "I warned you," followed by a string of phrases written in Norwegian.
The next morning, Sam begins experiencing some very bizarre changes: He grows a thick unibrow seemingly overnight, his gut becomes bloated and grotesque, his hands and feet turn misshapen and gnarled, and so on.
As you can probably guess, as punishment for his trolling ways, Sam is transforming into an ACTUAL troll! The string of Norwegian words Billygoat356 sent to him, when translated, are revealed to have been a curse which began this transformation.

Billygoat356 contacts Sam again, and tells him that there are two ways for him to break the curse and turn back to normal, but neither are very desirable for him: Either stay hidden from everyone until sunset (In which case he'd miss the recital, lose his shot at the scholarship, and have to leave the school), or go to the recital and openly admit to everyone there that he is NoFace (In which case he'd lose all his friends and be expelled from the school).

Sam shows up to the recital, wearing a hood to keep from revealing that the transformation has now spread to most of his face (Though he tells the headmaster he's wearing it due to stage fright), and attempts to perform the solo. Midway through it, however, Sam's voice changes to a troll's growl.
Suspecting that something's amiss, the headmaster orders Sam to remove the hood, and when he does so, everyone is of course horrified at his appearance. In a touch that is simultaneously funny, fitting, and yet also an incredibly sad commentary on the current state of society, one of the first reactions to this we see from the recital's audience is one of the parents there whipping out his phone to snap a picture of it.

Sam hears the online voice of Billygoat356 telling him one last time to confess he's NoFace and break the curse, and he seems to think about it for a few seconds, but then says "I can't." He runs out of the performance hall in shame, but as soon as he steps out of the building, exposure to sunlight (A mortal weakness for trolls, as anyone familiar with 'The Hobbit' could tell you) instantly turns him to stone, preserving him in troll form forever.

The stone troll statue that used to be Sam is then hoisted to the top of the school's roof and mounted up there like a gargoyle, and the school explains his disappearance by saying that the spectacle he caused at the recital was a prank that got him expelled. The school seizes his computer and thus discovers and reveals to everyone that he was NoFace all along, and Fitzy and Naini get back together when they realize how much Sam had been deceiving and manipulating them. We learn that Billygoat356 was apparently the school's maintenance man, the show's narrator gives a sober warning about how bullying people online is just as destructive as doing so in person and "You never know who's gonna be your Billygoat," and the Curious takes a souvenir of Sam's tale (A chalk rubbing of the school's brickwork that he/she was seen making at the start of the episode), and walks away as the episode ends.

As I said, "Trolled" stands out as being my favorite episode of 'Creeped Out.' The story right away was quite interesting. A tale of an Internet troll (Among the most loathsome kinds of people that most of us would be likely to personally encounter) getting what's coming to him is of course quite satisfying to watch, and the twist of him becoming a literal troll because of it was quite clever. Speaking of clever, having an internet troll's destruction brought about by a user with the screenname of "Billygoat356" is a VERY amusing nod to a certain classic fairy tale, all that was missing was for a bridge to somehow be involved. Most of the characters are quite likable, you find yourself really feeling bad for Fitzy and Naini being so deeply hurt by Sam's actions and the wedge he tries to drive between them, as well as for Sam's mother who you can tell works herself to the bone and sacrifices a lot for her son who clearly doesn't deserve any of it. The acting from everyone in the cast is pretty solid, too.
 Sam's transformation into a troll is handled amazingly well, with very good use of makeup effects and prosthetics for a show that you can tell probably doesn't have the highest of budgets. The whole episode also has a fascinating Gothic mood to it, between the use of cinematography and shadows, the ways Sam's transformation is shown, the use of orchestral and choral music throughout, and the austere and rather foreboding environment that the school itself presents. It's just a real treat of an episode from start to finish. If any of you have Netflix and are in the mood for light scares, check it out.


I was inspired to do an entry on the Nightcrawler Experience about "Trolled" because, in addition to it obviously being a cautionary tale about the dangers of cyberbullying, I believe it also conveys a couple warnings that are quite Scriptural in nature.

The first concerns what Sam actually did, and what God's Word says about it. An important consideration is that Sam's actions weren't just cruel, two- faced and cowardly; They were also incredibly sinful. In Proverbs 6:16- 19, it talks about seven things that God hates, and views as abominations. The last four of those things include "A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." Sam, through his trolling as NoFace, was most definitely guilty of those. He spread lies about people, was quick to deliberately cause trouble, and sowed disharmony and unhappiness between Fitzy and Naini, and you know he had to have done all that to a LOT of others in the school before that point through his trolling. What's worse, he spewed all that hatred and venom about them, all the while outwardly pretending to be a close friend to both of them.
While obviously Internet trolls are particularly likely to commit those sins these days, I've seen plenty of people commit those sins in real life as well.
Gossiping about people and being two- faced with them are incredibly destructive sins, and it pains me to say that one of the places that can be the worst haven for gossip is within a church. The people who commit those sins might try and justify them by saying things like "I'm just speaking out of concern," "I'm just venting my frustrations about them," or "They really need our prayers," but that doesn't change that it's' a sin. It turns people against each other, divides families, destroys friendships, and damages their walks with God.

Another Scriptural warning to be taken from 'Trolled' is on the importance of taking responsibility, not trying to hide your sins. In the end, while Sam's trolling and gossiping were horrible, what truly condemned Sam was his refusal to then take responsibility for what he did. Even when his transformation was exposed to all the school, even when he was reminded that confessing what he had been doing as NoFace was the only way to change back and avoid his awful fate, he STILL couldn't bring himself to reveal his secret, and THAT was what destroyed him. In a sense, Sam's transformation can be seen as his rotten hidden sin manifesting itself in an outer way for all to see, causing the formerly rather handsome young man to turn into a monster as ugly on the outside as he clearly was on the inside, and be preserved that way forever. On top of all that, his foul secret ended up being revealed anyway when the school seized his computer.
We, likewise, might think that when we sin, nobody is watching and nobody will ever find out about it, but God sees all, and will bring all of it to light in time. 1 Corinthians 4:5 points out that a time will come when God "Will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart." Jesus said in John 3:20 that "Everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works be exposed."
The Devil loves when people try to keep their sins and struggles a secret, so they don't set out to get any help for it. That way, the guilt and pain over it can just keep growing within them and overtaking them, just like Sam's transformation in 'Trolled' did for him. It is through openly admitting our sins and inner struggles to God and to people we know we can trust that we can overcome them and live in the victory and peace that Christ offers. 1 John 1:9 says that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
Through avoiding such toxic sins as gossip and through being honest and open when we do stumble, we can persevere in our walks with God and not allow Satan to "Troll" us anymore.
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Hope you liked it, and stay tuned, as I should hopefully have the final entry in this Halloween series of entries up by the night in question. Until then, may God bless you all!

The Deaths of God's Saints: A tribute to Bob from 'Stranger Things.'

Hello again everyone, and welcome back to the Nightcrawler Experience!
This will be the first part of what I'm hoping will be a three- part Halloween installment for this blog. In this entry, I'll be looking at a hit sci- fi/ horror series and an observation I was recently given about it:
 A couple times over the last year or so, I've been given month- long free memberships to Netflix. I've used them to, among other things, introduce myself to the popular Netflix series known as 'Stranger Things.'


This series has really put Netflix on the map; It's got an enormous, dedicated fanbase, and this October even has a haunted house/ maze based around it at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights event (A friend of mine from church is one of the "Scareactors" in it). Watching it for myself, I can see why: It is a great, intriguing show with solid writing and wonderful acting, particularly from the child actors. The effects are top- notch too, and it can have both scares and humor, and some good dramatic moments as well.
DISCLAIMER: While some of this show's main characters are kids, the show is assuredly NOT for kids. It has a lot of language, and also significant amounts of violence and scary imagery at some points. Exercise caution before seeing it yourself if you're sensitive to such material, or letting kids see it.
SPOILERS!
For those unfamiliar with it, the show takes place in a town called Hawkins, Indiana in the early 1980s. In the first episode, a middle- school- aged boy named Will Byers disappears under very mysterious circumstances, yet both his dedicated mother Joyce and his geeky but loyal friends Mike, Dustin and Lucas are convinced he's still alive. In their quest to prove this and eventually save him, they uncover top secret experiments being conducted in their town, a hidden dimension nicknamed "The Upside- Down," a nasty- looking monster, and a mysterious girl known as "Eleven," or "Elle" for short, with several fascinating abilities.

Now that I've brought you up to speed on it, I'll get more to my point. An interesting thing about the 'Stranger Things' fanbase is that many of them greatly loved and mourned the passing of a fairly minor character from Season 1, named Barb.  She's a character who was only seen in a few episodes before being abruptly killed off, and we consequently know very little about her, yet a massive fan- following was built around her. There was even a hashtag created, #JusticeForBarb, and a book put out about her.

As sad as Barb's death was, though, I was far more affected by another ill- fated character from the show: A man named Bob Newby who is first introduced during the show's most recent season, Season 2.


(Meet Bob. Credit for this image goes to the user ZeroZeroEight on the 'Stranger Things' wiki)

Some of you may recognize his actor as Sean Astin, the actor best known for playing Mikey Walsh in 'The Goonies' (One of my all- time favorite movies) and Samwise "Sam" Gamgee in the 'Lord of the Rings' films (All of which are ALSO among my favorite movies), and Bob is as likable of a character as both of them were.

Season 2 picks up about a year after Season 1. Will's back, and things seem to have mostly gone back to normal in Hawkins. This of course doesn't last long, though, and a lot of new developments happen, such as Will experiencing strange visions, a new girl coming to town and causing some friction among the main boys, the crude school bully Steve very gradually becoming one of the good guys, and Elle learning more about her identity and her past.

This season is also when Bob first comes into play. Bob runs a Radio Shack in town, and has begun dating Will's mom Joyce some time between the two seasons. He's trying to win over Will and his older brother Jonathan, and he and Will do indeed begin bonding well. Bob is revealed to be quite a clever guy, with a love of puzzles and brain- teasers, as well as a kind heart and an earnest desire to help Joyce and her sons in any way he can. Midway through the season, he brilliantly manages to decipher a kind of map relating to the Upside Down, and in so doing saves the life of another major character on the show, Chief Hopper.

Sadly, things take a tragic turn in the second- to- last episode of Season 2, 'The Mind- Flayer.' Bob and a number of other characters, including Will and Joyce, are trapped inside of a research lab which has been besieged by horrible monsters from the Upside- Down, which a character nicknames "Demodogs." The heroes can't get out, because the facility's power is out and thus the entire place is on lockdown, and they know it's only a matter of time before the Demodogs discover what room they're hiding in and make a meal out of them.

Bob makes the incredibly brave decision to go down into the lab's breaker room (Which could potentially make himself a prime target for the Demodogs), because he's the only one of them with the computer skills needed to get the power back on and reset the locks so they can escape. Joyce pleads with him to reconsider, knowing this is just shy of a suicide mission, but he responds with a smile, "It's gonna be okay. Remember, Bob Newby, superhero."
Bob manages to successfully get the power back on, so Joyce and the others are able to get out safely. Heart- breakingly, just as Bob has made it to the facility's lobby and is about to escape along with them, a Demodog out of nowhere tackles him to the ground and kills him.

When the others have made it back to  one of their houses, many of them are of course mourning the loss of good old Bob. In this scene, the boy Mike reveals to his buddies that, when Bob was attending Hawkins Middle School as a boy, HE was the one who first founded the school's A.V. club that they're all members of, and even organized a fundraiser to get all of its equipment.

As sad as I already was at Bob's death, hearing that made it all the more moving for me. That revelation helped confirm that, as a kid, Bob was a lot like the four main boys on the show. He ended up being sort of like a precursor to them.

 It kind of ties into Sean Astin's performance as Mikey in 'The Goonies,' as it reminds me of the scene when Mikey is talking to the skeleton of the pirate leader One- Eyed Willie and tells him, "You're the first Goonie."

In the end of the season, of course, the heroes manage to save the town, and in the season finale's epilogue, we see that Will's fridge is now decorated with a new picture he drew, depicting Bob as a superhero.


(A fitting tribute to a hero; Credit for this image goes to the user "AquaTerra7" on the 'Stranger Things' wiki)

I was guided to write this entry partly because a fair number of good, righteous people I've known have died this year. You may recall I dedicated my review of 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' to the memory of two of them, John Knapp and Joseph "Teak" Black. Well, more have passed as well this year, such as Megan (An old church friend of mine who, like Teak, accompanied me on several Cat Island missions trips, but sadly succumbed to cancer this summer) and Perry (An old family friend). I've mourned every one of them deeply.
In thinking of those losses, and Bob's death on 'Stranger Things,' a verse from Scripture popped into my head: Psalm 116:15, which says that "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."
Now, on the surface, that doesn't seem to make a lot of sense: You'd think that God would mourn or condemn when good, righteous people who've served Him die.
However, that's where things get tricky: One way of looking at it is that it's showing God honors their service to Him throughout their lives. Another which I read somewhere was that those who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus are thus regarded as so precious and beloved by God that even their deaths are seen as precious to Him. There's also the matter of how to define the word "Precious." It suggests that they are of great value to God, and also that their deaths are very important to God and of great value, not something to be taken lightly. In 'Stranger Things,' it is clear almost immediately that the show's heroes will never take Bob's noble death lightly, and they will remember both that and the good life he led. Similarly, in real life, when we lose those we love, we must not treat their deaths lightly, or fail to properly honor them.

Another issue I feel I should bring up to help convey my point is the way that verse uses the term "Saints." As a United Methodist, I do not have the same view of saints that Roman Catholics do, that they have been canonized and have official feast days during the year and whatnot.
Rather, when I personally think of that term, it calls to mind a sermon I once heard while in seminary: It involved us seeing "Saints" as those people in our own lives who helped shape us into who we are, and influenced our walks with God. It then led to us thinking about who some of the "Saints" in our lives are.
In that sense, on 'Stranger Things,' Bob can be seen as someone who was a "Saint" in the lives of Joyce and the four main boys. He provided them with strength, courage, comfort, and inspiration. He had helped found the club that the four main boys were all members of. Last, but certainly not least, he was willing to perform a mission that he had to have known he probably wouldn't return from in one piece, because he knew it was the only way to save all of their lives.
Likewise, in real life, John, Teak, Meg, and Perry were a few of the MANY "Saints" in my life. Each of them, in their own ways, impacted my life and helped shape my own knowledge of who I am in Christ. For that reason, I will always remember them and honor the legacies they left behind, in my life and the lives of others.
So, I leave you with a question: Who are the saints in YOUR life, the people who helped shape your walk with God? If they are those who've passed on and entered God's Kingdom, ensure that their memory endures forever through following the good examples they've set. If they're people that are still alive, find a way to let them know what an impact they had on you, and how much it means to you.
That's all for this edition of the Nightcrawler Experience. Keep an eye out the next few days as I do the other Halloween- related entry/ entries. Until then, God bless you all!