Product Description

Investigative scholar Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank) is a debunker of modern "miracles," bringing scientific light to superstition and fraud. But events in tiny Haven, Louisiana, defy even her expertise. There, the 10 Biblical Plagues seem to be reoccurring. And the more she seeks answers, the more she questions her own beliefs. Two-time Academy Award (R) winner Swank headlines this electrifying Dark Castle Entertainment production that reaps locusts, frogs, a river of blood and more - all to eye-filling, fear-inducing, heart-probing, must-see effect.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20317 in DVD
• Brand: SWANK,HILARY
• Released on: 2007-10-16
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .24 pounds
• Running time: 99 minutes

Amazon.com
The Reaping capitalizes on cheesy clichés to begin with, rendering it even less scary than predecessors like Children of the Corn, The Devil's Rain, Satan's Blood, or All the Colors of the Dark. Overuse of CG special effects ruin this already bad film about Louisiana State University scientist Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank), who heads to the bayou to investigate what at first she denies is a Biblical plague. The river has turned to blood, frogs fall from the sky, cattle die, and the townspeople keel over covered with red bumps, while Katherine, who happens to have been an ordained minister before she became a university professor, struggles to justify these horrendous events sans religion. Eventually, Katherine's skepticism places her in danger, as the town lays blame on Loren McConnell (AnnaSophia Robb), bewitched daughter of a local Satan worshipping family, and the one whom Katherine tries to protect since Loren recalls her own deceased daughter. As Katherine and Loren battle as angel and devil, they learn to instead forge Team Faith against the townsfolk who are all part of a sinister, inbred, Satanic cult. The film is badly cast, and the acting is horrendous, save Hilary Swank, who at least looks sexy traversing the swamps with a hunting knife hooked through her belt. The Rosemary's Baby ending is the icing on the cake. There is nothing original about The Reaping, except that it might be the biggest rip-off of previous Satanic cult films ever made. —Trinie Dalton

Customer Reviews

Surprisingly entertaining
Considering the big critics' reviews of this film (which I almost let dissaude me from seeing it in the theatre), I thought it a very pleasant surprise.

Clearly hiring Swank blew the budget, but fortunately, she was fabulous as always (not just looking, but also acting) and carried the film through the drier parts (of which there were few).

On the other hand, the CGI left much to be desired and as to be expected, there's more than a heaping helpin' of it in this biblical plague flick. I guess it wouldn't be practical to dye an entire swamp red but the blatant phoniness of the water-into-blood scenes greatly diminished the awe effect. And the supernatural hellstorm at the end could've been footage ripped wholesale from My Science Project - cutting edge 20 years ago, but Flintstonic by today's standards. Yet, I didn't much care.

The screenplay was well-written and coherent (something that cannot be said of many recent entries in this genre) and even the now obligatory "twist" ending strengthened rather than detracted from the story.

As defined by my "time-check" count, this film pulled a strong zero. And whenever I can make it through 100 minutes of cinema without so much as glance at the watch, something's gotta be right. Not a fantastic film by most measures, the Reaping is nevertheless an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.

THIS IS WHY I AVOID THE BIBLE-BELT!!!
I am not understanding the bad reviews being dished out onto this film. In fact, I almost didn't watch it because of them. I am so happy that I opted to ignore the negative hype. I enjoyed this movie immensely! Swank's character had been dealt a faith destroying event in her life and became a witch-hunter of miracles. God brings her back by giving her the real deal. This was just a fantastic movie and I do not want to spoil it for others by saying too much. Just please watch it without the influence of the bad reviews.

Reap the pleasure of this one on the big screen!
Not since the movie Stigmata has there been an amazing religious-themed thriller such as The Reaping that once again challenges Christian belief! Look past any controversy this movie dukes out with Bible thumping crazies, and try to appreciate it for it's true cinematic pleasure. You will NOT be disappointed. This movie is a white knuckle thrill ride for those of us who enjoy a good scare.

Hilary Swank plays a former Christian missionary who now specializes in debunking religious phenomena, who has been called upon to investigate a small Louisiana town which seems to be suffering from the 10 Biblical plagues. Kudos to the film crew staying down south in between Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita to continue filming! At first, the small town of Haven seems like any Maple Drive all-American town but I had trouble believing we were deep in voodoo country. Hilary's assistant is the only black man in town! But all that is quickly thrown aside when the two accompany officials to take a look at the town river that has turned red. The Spanish moss-laced scenery is breath taking and you will soon be settled in for a good chill that doesn't go away so easily.

One by one, the ten plagues start to affect the town and are linked to a backwoods family shunned by the towns folk. Hilary and her assistant investigate but have trouble dismissing the plagues with the help of science. It all builds up to a magnificent locust attack scene that you MUST see on the big screen. I haven't seen anything as fun since Hitchcock's The Birds, and can't wait to see it again on DVD.

With a twist at the end that you will never guess, there is hope for a sequel!