Christploitation Films - Thief in the Night

Christplotation films are a unique genre of Christian film that “employs the same horror techniques, overstated acting, and brutal violence as their secular counterparts, except with the higher purpose of saving souls” (North, Brew Magazine ). Today, many of the films have become slick. Movies like The Omega Code, Left Behind, and numerous knock-offs have recently dealt with the idea of an oncoming apocalypse. A popular belief held by all of these films is that of the rapture. The rapture is the idea that before the world ends all Christians will be taken to heaven, leaving everyone else behind (Wikipedia's explanation here ). Most of the rapture films deal with doubters or fence sitters who must deal with their newfound understanding in the wake of the mass disappearance of God-fearing Christians everywhere. Modern rapture films have the mediocre budgets, B-list casts, and semi-grand scope to put up a good fight amongst the straight-to-dvd racks, but they simply do not deliver the scares of their predecessors. The Thief in the Night series one of the earliest in this subgenre of Christplotation films is also undoubtedly one of the best, combining the low-budget thrills, unintentional laughs, and genuinely chilling sequences worthy of “a [Lucio] Fulci- if not an [Dario] Argento,” (V-X, End Time Movies ).

I remember watching this film when I was growing up and it having a profound effect. Made in the 70’s, it is the biggest inspiration to the imitators. I consider it’s crude, amateurish filmmaking a boon to the film’s presence (much like with Romero’s Night of the Living Dead). The first film in the four part film series is about Patty, a doubting woman, who is repeatedly informed about the coming rapture by her Christian friends, particularly her newly-wed husband. When the rapture comes, reacting more out of paranoia than genuine belief, Patty joins up with some “rebels,” hiding out from the Anti-Christ’s new world order. As tensions increase, people like Patty, who scrape to get by, begin to get hunted down. The film climaxes with an awesome (well, its pretty shoddy, but its an awesome idea) guillotine scene. The other films follow the further adventures of those that have been “left behind,” The fear the Christians had of the rapture and apocalypse really shines through in this fascinating little horror film, and much like with Jack Chick’s work, (as seen here ) the sincerity can create actual moments of terror, if not belief . It may be trashy, misguided, and downright incompetent, but the any horror film that left a wake of traumatized victims in it’s wake can’t be all that bad.