Christian fiction author Frank Peretti makes it to the big screen when
his novel, Hangman's Curse is made into a movie. Peretti has a
small role as a mad scientist determined to save the day through chemical
means.
The story begins with a suicide-hanging of a teenage boy at his high school.
The entire student body is traumatized, and a cult-type mystery begins to
build around the dead boy, Abel Frye.
Several years later, students begin to hallucinate and fall ill. Not just any students the most popular athletes. It seems while Abel was alive, he was tormented by the school athletes, so they are now being targareted by what seems to be a strange "curse" from what it believed to be Abel's ghost.
Suspenseful moments include sounds in the night, masks, eerie audio effects and thousands of spiders, adding to the movie's creepiness.
But there are spiritual messages, as well. The Springfield Family are obviously steeped in Christian values. The family prays over their picnic lunch. And when in trouble and fighting for her life, Elisha quotes Psalm 23 and sings "Jesus Loves Me."
This is a B-grade horror flick with Arachnophobia thrown in for good measure. But this movie is extremely tame by today's horror standards, and the creators went to great lengths to avoid gore, profanity and sexual content. Says media representative Melany Ethridge: "If we can get something out there that will still scare the kids, and give them a thrill, but give the parents a better choice, that's what we're trying to do."
In Frank Peretti's mind, Hangmans Curse isn't about creating an evangelistic tool. It�s about getting a thriller out there that's not chock full of blood, lust and foul language. And it's about confronting viewers with the pain bullying causes.