ClobberBlog | Mormonism, Evangelical Christianity

6. Frailty (2001) ~ The last of my religiously-themed movies is Frailty, an intense, under-appreciated film that does not show up on a lot of other “best movies” lists. The bulk of the plot takes place in flashback where two young boys live happily with their widowed father (Bill Paxton, also the director). Things take a turn for the dark when Dad announces to the boys that God sent an angel to him who instructed him that there are demons at work in the world, and they have been chosen to “destroy” these demons. The problem? These “demons” look like normal people to anyone who does not believe, and Dad wants his sons to learn the new family trade. The eldest boy, Fenton Meiks, quickly decides that his father is now an axe murderer while the youngest boy, Adam, claims his father is telling the truth and he can see the demons, too.

The flashbacks are framed by a story set in the present day where a grown-up Fenton (Matthew McConaughey) contacts an FBI Agent to inform him that his little brother Adam is the notorious “God’s Hand” killer they’ve been looking for, but grown-up Fenton has a secret agenda as well.

The movie is engaging and emotionally charged, low on profanity and gore but high on creepiness. I originally saw it because I had been told that its plot bore a resemblance to that of the Hunter: The Reckoning RPG and video game series (remember what a nerd I am?), and it does, though it’s a bit more disturbing with its involvement of children murdering people. Dad’s fantastic tale of an angel visiting him also reminded me of the story of Joseph Smith in that they both claimed to receive a message from God via an angel and everyone who chose not to believe them thought the things they subsequently did were very crazy. Overall, it’s a very thought-provoking and endearing little horror movie, especially if you’re a religiously inclined person such as myself.