When the mom went into the woods to find the baseball, she mentions having moved to that house. I think she said something like, "I'm so glad we moved out to the middle of nowhere."
Could that possibly have something to do with the kids acting odd? I really liked this movie, but I just can't see their kids acting like that for years and the parents not doing anything about it.
" I really liked this movie, but I just can't see their kids acting like that for years and the parents not doing anything about it."
I can. Some parents tend to ignore problems in their childrens behavior, they want things to be good so bad that they turn a blind eye ansd seewhat they want to see. Besides, what could they do? I think one of the key themes to the movie is how helpless both religion and science are to explain or fix these problems.
Between 1990 and 2005, 64 parents were killed by their children in the province of Quebec, Canada. The authors reviewed all consecutive coroners' files on these cases and found that 27 mothers and 37 fathers were the victims of parricide. The sample included 56 perpetrators: 52 sons and 4 daughters; 9 cases of double parricide were found. Approximately 15 percent of the perpetrators (8/56) attempted suicide following the parricide. A psychiatric motive (stemming from depression or psychotic illness) was determined for 65.5 percent (36/56) of the perpetrators, and 67 percent of them had a psychotic disorder. Similarities and differences were found between cases of matricide and patricide.
Five hundred forty eight homicides were recorded in Canada in 2000. About one quarter (27%) of those homicides took place in Quebec, of which 42 (28%) occurred in an intrafamilial context. A parent was the victim in only three (7%) cases,1 illustrating the rarity of this type of homicide.
I guess I'm just curious as to whether the children started acting like that when they moved.
shareThe father also said something about the house being bad, and making the kids do those horrible things. I have to admit, for most of the movie I thought the dad was a moron, but I was a bit thrown when he was doing the exorcism and the closet door opened again behind him. So maybe it was the house. I'm curious too.
shareI just watched this and I honestly believe the kids were possessed. The dragon story gave it away. They walked like children and talked like children but they weren't children. They were a two-headed creature. And I didn't like the mom at all. She was very stupid and ignorant. The dad was stupid too but at least he knew what was going on.
shareGood call.
shareI just watched it, and I gathered that they made the move to try to fix whatever was wrong with their children. They already know they are troubled.
I do agree that the parents' behavior was incredibly stupid. I also cannot imagine a boy befriending children who had tortured him! And, how could the children miss: Christian ~ Easter ~ Crucifixion?!
I simply cannot believe that parents went on that long. I might watch the beginning again to be certain, but I did go into this thinking the parents thought they would patch up things in this new home. I do not believe there is a haunting, demons, possessions, etc.~just two insane children whose parents very oddly failed to admit it.
Going to bed that night without making sure the children were locked up somewhere was insanity on their part! Then, there was teaching unbalanced children how to pick locks and tie knots. The whole family needed help! Yep! Nothing like a priest/minister-to-be throwing several f-bombs into an exorcism... *sigh*
~~MystMoonstruck~~
"I also cannot imagine a boy befriending children who had tortured him!"
That's because you're thinking like an adult. If they picked off some weaker member of the herd, one with no friends, its very possible he'd respond favorably to subsequent overtures of friendship, despite being previously terrorized.
Anyhoo, its made fairly explicit in the film that there is some sort of demonic presence inhabiting the same territory in which the house is situated. That's the catalyst for the events in the film.
Been making IMDB board posts since the 90s, yet can't bring up any from before December of 2004.
Been making IMDB board posts since the 90s, yet can't bring up any from before December of 2004.
Also, people haven't accounted for the possibility that the kid's parents may have been part of the pastor's church. That would have explained how parents could rationalize letting their kid associate with two freaks that attacked him.
shareYeah there's one part in the movie where the mom and dad are talking, and they mention that they moved out in the middle of nowhere to see if it would help. Then they go on to say that it didn't make a difference, the children were still acting odd. I'm not sure when this is said, but I remember them discussing that the reason they moved out there was to try and help the children.
shareYeah there's one part in the movie where the mom and dad are talking, and they mention that they moved out in the middle of nowhere to see if it would help. Then they go on to say that it didn't make a difference, the children were still acting odd. I'm not sure when this is said, but I remember them discussing that the reason they moved out there was to try and help the children.
I got the impression (from that conversation) that the kids were effed up before they moved, but that once they got there, a presence in the house made it worse. Just saying it seems like a stretch, but there were many situations in the movie (the closet door reopening, the kids disappearing in the blink of an eye) where there is clearly something paranormal going on, IMO.
shareI don't think anything supernatural was going on in this movie. Every one is bringing up very good points but strangely no one is mentioning that, for one, the mother said the father was abused as a child. Secondly, he drinks too much. Thirdly, when he's drinking alone he slaps himself, as if he harbours some guilt for which he wants to punish himself. Also, while he slaps himself, the mother's voice is cut-off, she says something like, "When he drinks, he..." I'm fuzzy on that.
I think the dad abused the children. This is why they hate him. And the mother either didn't see it or wilfully ignored it.
Then again, there isn't any REAL indication that he did, only the possibility. Still, children can't be evil "just because." I'll go with the abuse theory.
Another thing to think about: the father seems to be more childish than the kids. Sure, he's comes off like a fun guy who enjoys being goofy with his family, but consider that if he were abused, he may at some point have had arrested emotional development.
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"Den Gleichen Gleiches, den Ungleichen Ungleiches."
The children were already acting very weird before the move, in fact I think they moved precisely in an attempt to change things for the better. It was clearly a bad idea.
share