When Promise Keepers CEO Shane Winnings warned Christians months ago against seeing the upcoming movie “HIM,” calling the film “demonic,” he did so based on a teaser trailer that ended with a bloody figure standing on a pentagram in the same position as Jesus on the cross.
Now, the movie is out, and it is indeed full of twisted plays on Christian imagery—although you might say the way the movie beats viewers over the head with its themes is a bit…diabolical.
‘HIM’ Is a Warning Against Sacrificing Everything for Football
Editor’s note: This article contains spoilers.
“HIM” was released in the U.S. on Sept. 19 and was heavily marketed with co-producer Jordan Peele’s name. It has grossed $13.2 million domestically and received generally negative reviews from critics.
Are you too obsessed with football? Well, watch out, because being willing to sacrifice “everything” for your football dreams could lead you to cheat on your girlfriend, lose your identity, and go on a murderous rampage.
“No guts, no glory” is a mantra the main character Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) learned as a boy from his father, and there are plenty of guts by the end of the movie. Cade’s father also taught him that real men make sacrifices, an idea which even early in the film suggests the idea that any level of sacrifice is worth it for football.
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Ever since his youth, with encouragement from his father and the support of his family, Cade has pursued football while idolizing Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), a quarterback for the fictional San Antonio Saviors (get it?).
Cade grows up to be a promising collegiate athlete whose prospects of being drafted into professional football are excellent—that is, until someone in a creepy mascot outfit comes out of nowhere and hits Cade on the head from behind. The movie’s synopsis says the attacker is an “unhinged fan.”
This incident is so bizarre that it seems like a hallucination, and it is right in line with other visions Cade has later in the movie as his experiences grow increasingly nightmarish. At times these visions seem real, and at times they seem to be in Cade’s mind. The lack of clarity on this point is something that a number of reviewers have raised as a criticism of the film.
It turns out this head injury was real enough to end Cade’s luminous career prospects. The young player receives a row of staples on his head that are reminiscent of the laces on a football. But then salvation for his career arrives when his hero, White—who is rumored to be retiring—invites Cade to train at White’s compound for a week to see if Cade has what it takes to be the next great Saviors quarterback. Will he be able to fulfill his dreams of being the GOAT?
At the compound, the fun quickly turns sour as Cade is isolated from the outside world, subjected to abusive and gaslighting behavior, and transformed from an all-around good guy to someone who is willing to murder others to serve his own ends.
Religious Imagery in ‘HIM’
“HIM” is abundantly clear that White and his fan base see White as a Christ figure and that Cade is being set up to take on this role, although White seems to both desire and not desire Cade to be successful at that aim. The film is also at pains to have viewers understand that football is a religion for everyone involved with the Saviors.
“Don’t go get entertained and fascinated by dark things,” says Promise Keepers CEO Shane Winnings.Click to Post
