The Remaining

okay kinda cool but like
three words: what the f*ck
so if they choose god they die a crucial way but its still the right choice? huh weirddd

Your enjoyment of this film is almost certainly going to depend on whether or not you believe in God, because The Remaining doesn’t really treat God as a matter of interpretation or personal belief—it treats God, the Rapture, and the events of Revelation as established facts within the world of the film. It was very clearly made with a Christian audience in mind, and it is NOT shy about its religious messaging. That said, as a Christian myself, I actually really enjoyed it. 😭

The Remaining is essentially a Christian apocalyptic horror movie centered around the Rapture. We follow a group of friends who all have varying relationships with faith, and the movie begins at the wedding of two of them. Since the couple and many of their guests are Christian, the wedding suddenly turns into absolute chaos when the Rapture begins. People literally drop dead around them as those who were truly faithful are taken. And yes, this movie wastes NO time letting you know exactly what kind of film you’re watching.

One detail I actually really liked was the inclusion of children being taken as well. The film operates on the idea that children are innocent in the eyes of God, which is something my own mother used to tell me growing up, so seeing that belief actually play out on screen was really interesting to me. It also makes the opening sequence even more unsettling because you’re watching this beautiful wedding celebration completely disintegrate within seconds.

But then we get one of the more interesting ideas in the movie: the Christian couple themselves aren’t taken.

The husband — CONNOR FROM DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN 😆‼️ — was essentially only Christian because of his wife, while the wife was only Christian because she believed that was what she was supposed to be. They had the label, but they didn’t necessarily have the genuine faith behind it. Meanwhile, her parents and the other wedding guests ARE taken because they truly believed.

And we actually get to see this through a recording one of their friends is doing, which I thought was such a cool way to present it. The found-footage-style recording gives us a glimpse of the Rapture from the perspective of someone left behind. Watching everyone suddenly disappear while the people filming are left trying to comprehend what just happened is creepy as hell. 🌝

I also liked the fact that the film doesn’t portray everyone who identifies as Christian as automatically being saved. At one point, we even encounter a literal priest who was left behind. As a Christian, I found that idea interesting because there is obviously a distinction between claiming to follow Christ and genuinely having faith. The movie makes that distinction pretty bluntly, but I think it adds another layer to the story. Your title, your church attendance, your profession, or even your position within Christianity doesn’t automatically mean anything if the belief isn’t actually there.

Once the signs of the apocalypse start becoming impossible to ignore, the wife realizes exactly what’s happening. Everyone else thinks she’s losing it, but she is STANDING ON BUSINESS. 😭 She knows what’s going on and refuses to back down, even when everyone around her thinks she’s crazy.

Eventually, while the group is trying to find their missing friend, she gets grabbed by one of the creatures roaming around outside and begins slowly deteriorating from what essentially appears to be supernatural poisoning. Later events reveal that this is connected to her beginning to genuinely believe in Christ. She had been someone who technically identified as Christian but didn’t truly believe, and now, after the Rapture, she’s finally developing that faith.

And THIS is where I thought the movie had one of its most interesting ideas.

One of the traditional Christian beliefs surrounding salvation is that repentance and genuine faith matter, and the movie takes that idea and turns it into a horror concept. The people who genuinely believed before the Rapture are taken quickly and painlessly, while those who come to believe afterward can still ultimately ascend—but only after suffering horribly.

And honestly? I thought that was kind of beautiful in a really twisted way. 😭

The message is essentially it’s never too late to believe. Even after the Rapture has happened, the door to salvation isn’t completely closed. BUT if you come to that realization afterward, you’re going to have a VERY different experience. 💀

Not exactly the most comforting presentation, but as a horror concept? It works REALLY well.

That being said, I did wish the movie explored the idea of Christians being left behind a little more. The people we see who weren’t taken are people who either didn’t genuinely believe or weren’t actually following Christ. I would’ve liked to see more variation there—particularly someone who genuinely considered themselves a Christian but was still left behind because of their actions or lack therefore.

Jesus’ teachings make it pretty clear that simply claiming to follow Him isn’t enough, so I think there was a lot of potential there for the movie to explore the uncomfortable difference between believing in Christianity and actually living according to what you claim to believe. Although, I guess you could argue that if someone genuinely doesn’t follow Christ’s teachings, then whether they truly believe in Him in the first place becomes questionable. 🤔

Now, putting all the religious stuff aside for a second: this is actually a pretty effective horror movie.

The Remaining never forgets that it’s supposed to be horror. Despite all of the Christian messaging, it doesn’t suddenly turn into a two-hour sermon with some demons thrown in. 😭 There are genuinely creepy sequences throughout the movie, and it does a really good job building suspense as the world progressively becomes more chaotic.

There are SO many moments that genuinely freaked me out. The abandoned hospital sequence in particular had me stressed because there’s just something inherently terrifying about wandering through a completely deserted hospital when you already KNOW supernatural creatures are running around outside. And then when the demon appears behind the friend who ultimately chooses Christ???

HELLO????? 🌝

The creature design isn’t necessarily the most groundbreaking thing I’ve ever seen, but the movie understands that sometimes what you DON’T see is more effective than what you do. There’s a lot of tension surrounding the creatures, the destruction happening around them, and the constant uncertainty of what is going to happen next. The apocalypse itself becomes this huge horror setting—the skies changing, people disappearing, disasters happening, society collapsing, and these supernatural beings hunting people who were left behind.

I also appreciated that the movie uses its religious premise to create a different kind of apocalyptic horror. This isn’t just “zombies take over the world” or “aliens invade Earth.” The characters are dealing with the terrifying realization that the thing they’ve been warned about their entire lives is actually happening, and depending on their beliefs, that realization means something completely different to each person.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Remaining. I wouldn’t call it a perfect horror movie, and I definitely understand why someone who doesn’t believe in Christianity could struggle with the premise or find the religious messaging heavy-handed. But as someone who is Christian, I found a lot of the ideas genuinely interesting, and I appreciated that the movie fully committed to its religious premise rather than watering it down.

I would definitely recommend this one to Christians, especially Christians who enjoy horror, because it’s basically a Christian apocalypse movie that actually remembers it’s supposed to scare you. 😭

Could a non-Christian enjoy it? Absolutely. I don’t think you HAVE to be Christian to enjoy the horror elements, atmosphere, or apocalyptic story. But I would go into it with an open mind because the movie spends A LOT of time talking about God, salvation, faith, the Rapture, and the Bible. If religious messaging is something that immediately takes you out of a movie, this probably isn’t going to be your cup of tea.

Because make no mistake: this movie was made for a Christian audience. And honestly, I respect that it knew exactly who it was making the movie for and committed to it. 🌝