**_The wages of sin is..._** **Death.** That blurb makes perfect sense once you see the film. "From Within" (2008) tells the story of a Maryland town plagued by a series of apparent suicides. Those from the town's prominent church attribute the problem to witchcraft and zero-in on the Wiccan son of a witch who literally burned to death several years earlier (written off as an accident). A Christian girl, Lindsay, takes compassion on the Wiccan dude, Aiden, and tries to understand him and what's really going on. Meanwhile people keep dying. Is this somehow retribution by the Wiccans? A small group of the Christians pull out the guns, led by Dylan, the pastor's son and Lindsay's boyfriend. If you're interested in seeing a typical slasher flick, "From Within" probably won't appeal to you, but if you're in the mood for a serious chiller with an original concept and thought-provoking material this is the film to see, particularly if you're interested in belief systems, psychology, spirituality and questions of morality. Some might criticize the film as anti-Christian but this is a superficial and knee-jerk reaction. The story's main protagonist, Lindsay, is shown in a completely positive light and most of the other Christians reveal positive and negative qualities. Is this anti-Christian or simply the way it is? Besides, the film clearly shows the negative sides of the Wiccans as well. The picture acknowledges the human need for belief systems to get through life and that people are still people regardless of what they believe. It doesn't tell the viewer what belief system to adhere to (or which one is 'right') but it does unveil the existence of dark spiritual power and the dangers of sin, so what's that tell ya? Some rightly point out that the influential mega-church in the film shows aspects of numerous Christian sects, which isn't realistic. I believe this was done intentionally by the writer (Brad Keene) so that the film's not picking on just one group. Hence, the mega-church is a microcosm of Christendom and represents all forms of Christianity. Such an approach yields a group that is not fully believable even while having many aspects of truth. Needless to say, don't look to this film for a accurate depiction of legitimate Christianity. It's a movie, not real life. The way the death-curse works is interesting: The curse is spread socially via the first person exposed to the latest victim; in other words, it's contagious. Also, the victims die via an evil doppelganger (an obvious type of the flesh or sin nature) who kills them in a way that looks like suicide. This supports the idea that evil can only slay or ruin or limit a person through his/her own volition, i.e. 'from within'. You could put it this way: The way of darkness is the way of self-destruction. I liked how the film shows members of both belief systems humbly admitting they made mistakes and willing to make things right, whatever the cost. The story shows the domino effect of human failing. One person's moral failure leads to a deadly cover-up & slander which brings about retribution and numerous innocents' deaths. On and on and on. Evil begats evil. As noted above, the film is thought-provoking. Lindsay sees her church's error and hypocrisy even while she experiences its positive aspects. She reaches out in compassion to the Wiccan dude, a purely loving gesture, but suspects that witchcraft is what released the death-curse. She's stuck between evil & error on both sides, what can she do? "From Within" is a horror film in the truest sense. Although it reveals a lot of truth about the human condition, both good and bad, it's not ultimately life-affirming. This is horror. One of the film's highlights is the song played during the opening credits "This Voice" by Ane Brun. It's from her 2006 album A TEMPORARY DIVE. You can hear the whole song on Youtube. "From Within" is amazing. It's original, absorbing, fascinating and provocative; a horror masterpiece. It runs 1 hour, 29 minutes, and was shot in Havre de Grace & Perryville, Maryland (it's nice to see a movie shot somewhere other than friggin' Vancouver & British Columbia). GRADE: A

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