The church has been keeping secrets. That’s the basic premise behind a fair raft of horror films. Apart from giving those of us watching religion and horror quite a bit to talk about, it reinforces just how close the two are. The Gathering is a film I missed when it came out, but one which has an interesting, if unlikely premise. At times it reminded me of The Reaping, and at other times, the prequels to The Exorcist. Cassie is a young American woman who loses her memory after being hit by a car near Glastonbury, England. At about this time a deliberately buried church is being explored by an art history professor. He asserts that it is the church Joseph of Arimathea built and represents, in its altarpiece, the earliest rendition of the crucifixion. The clergy seem quite disturbed by this.
Meanwhile, Cassie recovers and is taken on as an au pair for the art historian and his wife (the one who hit her with the car). The people of Ashby Wake stare at Cassie, as if they know her. She has premonitions of several local people dying violent deaths. The clergy learn that the altarpiece depicts those who came to watch Jesus’ crucifixion, not out of love or devotion, but simply for spectacle. Since then they’ve been cursed and show up to watch various historic tragedies. The clergy want the church, the earliest representation of the spectators, reburied. The people of Ashby Wake include those of “the gathering,” indicating tragedy is about to unfold in that small town. There is a twist ending I won’t reveal, but this is one of those horror films that rely on religion to make them work.
Critics tend to dislike the film while viewers are divided on the question. I actually enjoyed it, personally. The concept of the watchers committed to bloodlust seemed different, particularly when put in the context of nascent Christianity. It doesn’t handle religion as well as some horror does, but it’s a serious effort. Why Joseph of Arimathea would want to have portrayed gawkers rather than those loyal to Jesus is one of the bigger questions left unanswered. After the ending some of the unusual scenes earlier on make more sense. But still no reason is given why an early church would have portrayed those not to be emulated. As a horror film with no jump startles, but a slowly building dread, it fits the bill for some of us. The “church keeping secrets” theme is one that should be explored further.
