The Reaping

The Reaping

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	2007
Headquarters	United States
Products	Supernatural horror thriller film

The Reaping is a 2007 American supernatural horror thriller featuring Hilary Swank in the lead role. Directed by Stephen Hopkins, the movie was produced through a collaboration between Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures, and Dark Castle Entertainment. The musical score was created by John Frizzell.

Plot

Katherine Winter, alongside her colleague Ben, investigates purported miracles, beginning with an examination of a priest’s body preserved in Concepción, Chile, due to contamination from toxic waste.

In Louisiana, Katherine receives a warning from Father Michael Costigan about unsettling burn marks appearing on her photographs that resemble a sickle-shaped symbol "ㄜ," which she initially disregards. She encounters Doug Blackwell from the town of Haven, where the river has mysteriously turned red—a phenomenon locals link to biblical plagues and to Loren McConnell, who is suspected of causing her brother’s death.

Upon arriving in Haven, Katherine notes the red river and learns that the town was relocated after hurricanes destroyed an old church one hundred years prior. Meanwhile, Ben witnesses frogs falling lifeless from the sky. Doug hosts them for dinner, but their meal is plagued by flies.

At a nearby farm, cattle are dying under strange circumstances. The farmer reports satanic cult rituals and sacrifices connected to the McConnell family. Katherine shares that she left her ministry work after losing her family in Sudan during missionary efforts. She also experiences intense dreams involving Doug.

Katherine confronts Loren, who remains silent and bleeds menstrual blood that turns the river red. Following an assault, Katherine escapes. Lab tests confirm the river contains human blood; meanwhile, townsfolk shave their children’s heads due to a lice outbreak. Attempts to evacuate are thwarted as officials succumb to boils.

A group assembles with the intent to kill Loren. Father Costigan reveals that a satanic cult sacrifices second-born children at puberty to create a "perfect child with the eyes of the Devil," identifying Loren as this child. Before dying in a supernatural blaze, he recognizes Katherine as an angelic agent of God.

Katherine discovers the cult’s sacrificial chamber; Loren’s mother takes her own life, declaring Loren "his servant." A swarm of locusts attacks and kills the posse. Doug escapes while Ben hides in a crypt where he finds remains of sacrificed children but is eventually killed by Loren.

As supernatural storms escalate, Katherine confronts Loren, who reveals knowledge only Katherine had shared with her daughter in Sudan. Loren discloses that she is actually the divine angel sent by God and that Doug and the townspeople form the satanic cult that attempted to kill Katherine. Doug admits he recruited the town after losing faith following hurricanes and lured Katherine into their plan. Katherine refuses to join; fire eradicates the Satanists but spares her.

After driving Loren away, Katherine discovers she is pregnant with Doug’s child—the foretold demonic second-born son.

Production

Principal photography took place in Baton Rouge and surrounding areas in Louisiana, with many scenes filmed inside an abandoned Walmart. Hilary Swank successfully convinced producers to relocate the story’s setting from New England to Louisiana. Filming was temporarily halted for one week due to Hurricane Katrina. Additional sequences were shot at Ellerslie Plantation near St. Francisville, Louisiana. Despite considering alternative locations, producers elected to continue filming in Louisiana to support its economy.

Skeptical investigator Joe Nickell was consulted both prior to and during production. The investigative methods portrayed by the protagonist draw loosely from Nickell’s paranormal research work dating back to 1969.

The film’s release date shifted several times—from August 5, 2006, then November 5, 2006, followed by March 30, 2007, April 6, 2007—before finally premiering on April 5, 2007, coinciding with Holy Thursday.

Box office

The Reaping premiered across 2,603 theaters, generating $10 million during its initial weekend. Its total domestic revenue reached $25.1 million, while the global box office tally stood at $62.8 million.

Score

The film's original score was composed by Philip Glass, but the producers opted to replace his music with a new soundtrack created by John Frizzell after the first recordings did not fulfill their expectations.

Reception

According to the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 7% approval rating based on 130 critiques, with an average rating of 3.49 out of 10. The general consensus highlights that despite featuring talented actors such as Hilary Swank and Stephen Rea, The Reaping is considered "schlocky, spiritually shallow, and scare-free," which negatively affected its commercial reception.

Comments by Jacqueline van Rysselberghe

Jacqueline van Rysselberghe, Mayor of Concepción, Chile, publicly reproached the filmmakers for their inaccurate depiction of the city in the opening sequence. She pointed out that Concepción is a well-developed industrial center with several universities, expressing concern over the lack of thorough research during production despite the film’s substantial budget.