Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating and real
Review: If you're looking for titillation or a high-budget expose, this is not it. This is a small, respectful, interesting look into the real people behind the hell house phenomenon, but you will also laugh your butt off. My favorite scenes involved the amateur wrestling, the proverbial bag over the head of a girl on a date, and how the spirited rally before the hell house opening could just as easily have been mistaken for pagan hellraising. You may be under the impression that these people are a threat to you, but if you interpret the world as God's and not your own, then the conclusions these people come to make perfect sense. What is so amusing about this film is how people are people no matter what they believe, and these seem to be very nice people. Who's to say they are wrong? But of course, it's their assumption that they're right that's causing all the problems. I suggest you visit a hell house yourself, just for the hell of it. Happy Halloween.
Rating: 
Summary: American Religious Fanaticism
Review: In a time when religious fanaticism has been exoticized and sensationalized in the media as a foreign, invading entity, this is an interesting look at the homegrown variety. The films director's approach is very subtle; there is no narrative, no outside experts commentating. All we are presented with is the perspective of the peoples' lives whom are constructing and orchestrating this "Hell House"--i.e., a redeemed take on the Haunted House theme aimed at gaining new converts. At the end of the film, I think a genuine understanding and rapport exists between the audience and the 'characters' in the documentary. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this documentary is that it is about a runaway religious and cultural success that gains tens of thousands of visitors and not a few converts a new church members in the process. This is truly post-modern religion.
Rating: 
Summary: Christians are the worlds real problem
Review: Sigh. Christians really grate on me. They are wasting thier lives doing this kind of crap. The real God loves everybody REGARDLESS of who you serve or what you do. Christians say that gods love is unconditional yet there is so many rules attached to recieve it. I used to be a christian and It felt wrong to judge and to spread fear to the masses about thier tortorous afterlife if they dont believe the way I BELIEVED. You know they have a name for that kind of thing. Its called a dictator. Hitler was a dictator. Christians have hurt this country more than any plague, politician or disease ever could. Thier religious practices have alienated, berated, judged and condemned its own people who they are suppose to love. They will spout hell at you because thats the only weapon they truly have. The devil has been the best friend the church has ever had as he has been responsible for filling up thier bleachers every Sunday. Its true. Without the threat of Satan christians are powerless. Because that threat is supposedly there people fall over themselves and cry and pray and speak in rubbish while pointing fingers at us saying we are condemned to live in fire after we die. Why? BECAUSE WE DONT BELIEVE IN THIER WAY!! The world will never ever ever be a perfect place its not designed that way. I believe we are all here to learn and love than when its time we go back to god. Whatever you did in the physical life will have no bearing when you die. Christians follow a man that committed suicide the hardway by allowing himself to be stapled on a cross. Supposedly this was done thousand of years ago. Why should I be obligated to follow him? Because he died for my sins? I bit melodramatic dont you think. Sins is a cop out that christians use to flex thier illusionary muscles to power the weak into assimilation. Im totally comfortable with my way of life and spiritually, christians on the other hand are without a clue and soon it will all start crumbling down around thier ears. If anything God probably sees Christians as comedians..if you watch this DVD thats really hard to argue. Much love to everybody!! The world is your school, you will always be with God.
Rating:
Summary: Makes you think.
Review: The documentary certainly looks down on the subjects. The rave guy who acts like he knows so much, actually is so clueless he doesnt know the name of the date rape drug. The research by the members of the church is horrible. The film is gritty (both in subject and lighting) and some scenes had no relevence (dating & football matches?) Watching the film a few things popped into my mind 1) where is the scene with the abortion doctor murderer. 2)I hope none of the people ever get raped or depressed. Arogance at it's best
Rating:
Summary: The Devil You Say!
Review: This documentary was a hoot! I can laugh because I grew up in a Georgia church much like the one shown here. I recongized all the characters I knew from my childhood church, they just have different names. They take themselves so seriously and spend money on video equipment, walkie-talkies, sound equipment and other expensive things and events instead of helping those in need like the poor! The part that bothers me is knowing how stuff like this will effect the children in churches like this who will grow believing they are cursed to Hell for being gay, getting an abortion, going to a rave, or many other things. It is either the church's way or the Hellway! If this film doesn't keep you out of church and in sin, Honey, nothing will!
Rating:
Summary: Christian Extortion At It's Worst
Review: This is a fascinating look at the evangelical world of black and white, good and evil. With no tolerance, or room for ambiguity in their thoughts, the "folks" at Trinity Church explain all the of life's complexities with one simple creed, it's the work of the devil. One simple-minded soul explains, "this is the worst the world has ever been." Apparently the poor dear has never heard of the plague, witch trials, or other tortured times when the religion ruled the world. I suppose they didn't teach those things at the Trinity school. The most frightening part of this documentary is when young children, after being subjected to scenes that relentlessly hammer them with violent images, are psychologically coerced into going through a door "where there are people waiting to pray with you", or re-enter the secular world and risk damnation. As a psychotherapist, (another thing that evangelicals believe are of the devil) I can now fully understand why the majority of my most impaired clients come from fundamentalist backgrounds. Allowing young children to go through a Hell House is nothing short of child abuse, and at the very least Christian extortion.
Rating:
Summary: Ignorance on Parade
Review: This is an admirably objective and well-made film, which chronicles the production of an evangelical Christian church's Halloween Hell House, an annual attraction that attempts to win souls for the church by trying to scare people with frankly silly and misinformed portrayals of the horrors of secular life. In their attempt to construct an "occult" scene, church members actually paint a Star of David on the floor because they have no idea what a pentagram looks like, and they base their color scheme on the advice of a "warlock" who came to the Hell House some years before. No pagan or witch calls himself a warlock unless he's gotten all his information on the topic from watching Charmed and other ridiculous popular entertainments, which these churchgoers would know if they bothered to put any effort into research at all. Ignorance abounds here, from the cretinous portrayal of homosexuality as a result of childhood sexual abuse to the epic misrepresentation of the abortion pill RU-486. Throughout each revolting little playlet, the characters (cardboard at best) are taunted by a cackling Satan character who makes it sound like they deserve what they're getting and wouldn't be suffering if they'd had the correct beliefs. One gets the feeling that this church is pleased as punch to see them go to hell, and the Satan character conveys this with real glee. This kind of nastiness and cynicism has no place in a religion supposedly built on love. I was glad to see scenes of audience members giggling at all the hoary amateur dramatics, but the awful thing is that Hell Houses across the country do win converts through these showcases of bigotry and delusion. Maybe somebody should put on a Fundamentalism House. Now that would be scary.
Rating:
Summary: Hell House
Review: This is one of the truly great documentaries to have come out in the last few years. It is many things, but most importantly it is a triumph of objectivity. These people are presented as who they are, and they tell their own stories themselves. An absence of any outside narration and very well thought out editing pulls off what is normally next to impossible. As to the subject of the documentary itself, I think a large portion of the people who will be interested in it will most likely not agree with the ideals the subjects hold. I certainly don't, but these people are genuine in their desire to create a better world. Do I think that a better world would be one in which there was no more legal abortions or one that was absent of homosexuality? No, absolutely not, all I'm saying is that these people do care about their fellow man, even if the way they go about trying to help them out would seem backwards to many. These are true and honest people who live their lives in blind faith to a god that many question even the existence of, and all they want is for everyone else to feel as they do. I'm not a religous person per say and I'm pro-choice and have gay friends, I used to promote raves (one of the things hell house has in it's tour), to them I would be considered "lost", but I have to say that these people have my upmost respect. When I left the small theatre on Haight St. in San Francisco where I saw this, I was speechless, truly a great documentary.
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