The Reaping

The Reaping is a 2007 American action-horror-fantasy film about a former Christian missionary, specializing in debunking religious phenomena, who investigates a Louisiana small town which seems to be suffering from the 10 biblical plagues.

Directed by Stephen Hopkins and written by Carey W. Hayes, Chad Hayes and Brian Rousso.

Thousands of years ago there was a series of bizarre occurrences that many believed to have been the Ten Biblical Plagues. No one thought they could happen again. Until now. (taglines)

Katherine Winter

• In 1400 B.C., a group of nervous Egyptians saw the Nile turn red. But what they thought was blood was actually an algae bloom which killed the fish, which prior to that had been living off the eggs of frogs. Those uneaten eggs turned into record numbers of baby frogs who subsequently fled to the land and died. Their little rotting frog bodies attracted lice and flies. The lice carried the bluetongue virus, which killed 70% of Egypt's livestock. The flies carried glanders, a bacterial infection which in humans causes boils. Soon afterwards, the Nile River Valley was hit with a three-day sandstorm otherwise known as the plague of darkness. During the sandstorm, intense heat can combine with an approaching cold front to create not only hail, but also electrical storms which would have looked to the ancient Egyptians like fire from the sky. The subsequent wind would have blown the Ethiopian locust population off course and right into downtown Cairo. Hail is wet, locusts leave droppings, spread both on grain, and you have got mycotoxins. Dinnertime in ancient Egypt meant the first-born child got the biggest portion, which in this case, meant he ate the most toxins, so he died. Ten plagues. Ten scientific explanations.

Dialogue

Doug Blackwell: Only a servant of God could kill His angel. You remember? What your God did to you in Sudan. What about your daughter, huh? Now that... [chuckles] ...that is your God. [Gives Katherine the knife] Katherine.

Katherine Winter: [Doesn't take the knife] That wasn't God. God didn't kill my family. A weak, godless man filled with fear and hatred... a man like you. There's still that last plague, Doug. Death of the firstborn. You come from a long line of only children.

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Doug Blackwell: [Referring to the mass dying of fish in the river turned red] When did this start?

Sheriff Cade: This morning. Bubbled up like farts in a bathtub.

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Ben: [Clears his throat] Weren't you getting me a beer?

Katherine Winter: I guess you didn't pray hard enough.

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Maddie McConnell: Are you here for my girl? Are you gonna kill my baby girl?

Katherine Winter: What? No!

Maddie McConnell: Why not?

Katherine Winter: I'm just trying to help her.

Maddie McConnell: She doesn't need help. Can't you see that?

---

Katherine Winter: [After killing Loren, and Katherine throws the knife onto the ground] You do it. [Doug picks up the knife but doesn't use it] You can't do it, can you? Because you already tried and she survived.

Doug Blackwell: No, that's not true.

Katherine Winter: [Begins to get upset] You deceived me so I would murder her. This... this innocent child. [Helps Loren to her feet and into her arms]

Doug Blackwell: She's not innocent, Katherine. [Signals fire] Look what she's done already. You see it with your own eyes.

Katherine Winter: You killed Ben... so I would blame her. [Has a vision of Doug stabbing Ben, to Loren] Come on.

---

Loren McConnell: [Gasping and shaking] I'm so lucky.

Katherine Winter: Why?

Loren McConnell: Because, silly. [Flashback to Katherine and her daughter, then back again] God gave me to you.

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Katherine Winter: How do I know? How do I know what's real?

Loren McConnell: [Reaches a shaking hand up to Katherine's face] Faith.

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Loren McConnell: What about the boy?

Katherine Winter: What boy?

Loren McConnell: The baby. The one inside you. I can hear him. We've got to take care of him too.

---

Ben: [After Katherine wakes up] Morning. Sleep at all last night?

Katherine Winter: Yeah. Where are we?

Ben: Far enough that all I'm getting is this guy. [Tunes the radio and a song plays that's apparently supposed to be crummy]

Taglines

• What Hath God Wrought?
• Himmel Eller Helvete - God Eller Ond - Nå Eller Aldri (Heaven or Hell - Good or Evil - Now or Never) (On Norwegian DVD releases)
• Heaven or Hell. Good or Evil. Now or Never.
• The Tenth Plague: Death Of First Born
• The Seventh Plague: Storms Of Fire
• The Eighth Plague: Locusts

Cast

• Hilary Swank - Katherine Winter
• David Morrissey - Doug Blackwell
• Idris Elba - Ben
• AnnaSophia Robb - Loren McConnell
• Stephen Rea - Father Costigan
• William Ragsdale - Sheriff Cade
• John McConnell - Mayor Brooks
• David Jensen - Jim Wakeman
• Yvonne Landry - Brynn Wakeman
• Samuel Garland - William Wakeman
• Myles Cleveland - Kyle Wakeman
• Andrea Frankle - Maddie McConnell
• Mark Lynch - Brody McConnell
• Stuart Greer - Gordon
• Lara Grice - Isabelle

External links

• The Reaping quotes at the Internet Movie Database
• The Reaping at Mojo
• The Reaping at Rotten Tomatoes