This submit comprises spoilers for “The Seventh Signal.”
Horror centered around a religious apocalypse can be extremely effective. For instance, take John Carpenter’s “Prince of Darkness,” which creates dread-inducing atmospheric terror to ramp up the arrival of the Anti-God. There is a campiness to those central occasions, however Carpenter’s moody approach to depicting the end of the world makes all of the distinction. By comparability, Carl Schultz (“Touring North”) takes a extra dramatic strategy to an identical premise in “The Seventh Signal,” which treats the Biblical Finish of Days like an endlessly escalating spectacle. Simply whenever you anticipate the horror to middle on the disasters previous the top of the world, the movie frames divinity as a terrifying idea that does little to alleviate human anxieties.
Schultz’s film opens with the telltale indicators of an impending apocalypse, like sea creatures dying in droves and humid climates experiencing sudden and excessive chills. Whereas all that is taking place, a mysterious traveler (Jürgen Prochnow, who performs the villainous Sutter Cane in Carpenter’s overlooked “In The Mouth of Madness”) is proven opening envelopes proper earlier than these disastrous occasions unfold. Earlier than lengthy, the Vatican mounts an investigation, sending Father Lucci (Peter Friedman) to look into the matter. Elsewhere, Abby (Demi Moore) is getting ready for the delivery of her little one, whereas her husband, Russell (Michael Biehn), offers together with his harmless consumer being convicted in courtroom.
Keep in mind the envelope-opening traveler? Nicely, he finally ends up renting a room owned by Abby and Russell, introducing himself to the couple as David. As quickly as the person enters Abby’s life, although, all hell breaks free. May David be a literal agent of evil? That is when “The Seventh Signal” throws a serious curveball and divulges the reality about its eerie premise, which makes an impression despite its underlying silliness.
Moore’s The Seventh Signal is an incoherent however intriguing mess
Abby’s bodily vulnerability throughout her being pregnant is consistently juxtaposed along with her dogged dedication to uncover the reality. When her path crosses with David’s, she experiences nightmares and intense concern related to humanity’s doomed future. All indicators level to David being the Anti-Christ earlier than he unexpectedly reveals himself to be the Second Coming of Christ (!!), leaking bursts of sunshine as a substitute of blood when a terrified Abby stabs him. Even after the surprising Jesus reveal, although, David is offered as a tragic but ominous determine whose intentions stay questionable whilst he laments that no souls stay to be given to new child infants … though the movie does not trouble telling us why that is the case.
Such narrative incoherence plagues “The Seventh Signal,” however it distinguishes itself from conventional style fare that makes use of evil incarnate archetypes to usher within the apocalypse. Abby’s bravery has much less to do with religion (although she is a believer), as her actions are solely geared in the direction of defending her unborn little one. She’s not preoccupied with saving the world, both, as Abby is conscious about her mortal limitations. In the long run, the alternatives she makes are pushed by her need to make sure that she’s bringing her little one right into a world with a shot at survival (versus being a part of some grand divine scheme).
That mentioned, the film is sort of wishy-washy relating to its therapy of the supernatural. In spite of everything, if David is Jesus, absolutely he is higher outfitted to save lots of the world than a mortal girl? Father Lucci is equally revealed to be a pressure for evil, but he abruptly disappears with out clarification. Nonetheless, in the event you can overlook these flaws, “The Seventh Signal” is an honest horror movie with a genuinely creepy premise.
