The Remaining
| The Remaining | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Casey La Scala |
| Screenplay by | Casey La Scala Chris Dowling |
| Story by | Casey La Scala |
| Produced by | Marc Bienstock Brad Luff |
| Starring | Johnny Pacar Shaun Sipos Bryan Dechart Alexa Vega Italia Ricci |
| Cinematography | Doug Emmett |
| Edited by | Paul Covington |
| Music by | Nathan Whitehead |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Affirm Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.7 million[2] |
The Remaining is a 2014 American apocalyptic horror film directed by Casey La Scala, who co-wrote the script with Chris Downing.[3] The film had a limited theatrical release on September 5, 2014 and centers upon a group of friends that are forced to examine their lives after the Apocalypse strikes.[4]
Plot
Skylar and Dan are happily celebrating their wedding when suddenly the Rapture occurs. Skylar's Christian parents are raptured, leaving their daughter and her new husband behind. She and Dan must find shelter from the new, extreme weather as well as from several winged demons that are keen on making Skylar and Dan their prey. They manage to take shelter in a nearby church along with several others remaining, where they re-examine their lives and personal faith in Jesus Christ, in the wake of remaining on Earth as it enters the seven years of Tribulation. The ending results in the final trumpet being blown from Heaven as thousands upon millions of fallen angels descend to Earth to finish off the human race.
Cast
- Johnny Pacar as Tommy Covington
- Shaun Sipos as Jack
- Bryan Dechart as Dan
- Alexa Vega as Skylar
- Italia Ricci as Allison
- Liz E. Morgan as Sam
- Kimberley Drummond as Lauren Neyland
- John Pyper-Ferguson as Pastor Shay
- Kim Pacheco as Nurse Rachel
- Mary Austin as Park Goer, Dead Woman in Car Accident
Production
La Scala was inspired to create The Remaining while working on the film Amityville: The Awakening and visiting the set of Paranormal Activity 5, where he wondered "What would it be like to do a global Paranormal Activity?”[5] After that, La Scala began researching mythologies for the film while also drawing upon his own past Biblical knowledge.[5] He decided to "[follow] the rules of Revelation" and tried to make the film Biblically accurate.[6][7]
Release
The film opened in the United States on September 5, 2014. In its opening week, the movie grossed $159,143 from a total of 67 screens. In its second week, the screen count increased to 85 and brought in $242,095, a 52% increase (while retaining the film's per-screen average of opening week). The movie dropped for the next two weeks. Even though the movie dropped by 38% in its fourth week, the movie almost doubled its per-screen average compared to opening week. So far, the film has made $1,109,157.[2]
The film also began its international run in both Philippines and Mexico on September 24 and 25, respectively. It expanded shortly thereafter to Argentina, Ecuador, and Bolivia at the start of October. The international total stands at $573,627.
As of October 26, 2014, the film has a worldwide gross of $1,743,230.[8]
Critical reception
Reviews have been predominantly negative.[9][10] Variety was mixed in their opinion of the film, criticizing it for using overly cliched elements of the found footage genre and for containing "ham-handed" dialogue, speechifying, and proselytizing, while stating that the film might "find an appreciative audience once this small-budget indie finishes its limited theatrical run and is resurrected in homescreen platforms."[11] Commonsensemedia and The Washington Post both panned the film,[12] with the Washington Post rating the movie at a half star and writing that "There's a fundamental problem here. The movie relies on the instinctual human fear of death, but its message is that dying is a promotion."[13]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film however currently holds a 56% "rotten" rating.
References
- ^ "THE REMAINING (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
- ^ a b "The Remaining". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^ Marie, Brownie. "Horror film about the rapture, 'The Remaining,' coming to theatres". Christian Today. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ Koonse, Emma. "'Sin City' Star Alexa PenaVega Describes the Apocalypse in Her Rapture-Inspired Film 'The Remaining'". Christian Post. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ a b Hanley, Ken W. "Exclusive Q&A: Director Casey La Scala on "THE REMAINING" and "AMITYVILLE"". Fangoria. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ Dreher, Dave. "Interview (Part One): The Anatomy Of A 'Faith-Based' Horror Film – Director Casey La Scala Discusses 'The Remaining'". HorrorNews.net. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ Courter, Barry. "Faith-based horror? New film, 'The Remaining,' hopes to straddle two genres". Times Free Press. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ "The Remaining". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
- ^ "The Remaining". Metacritic. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ "The Remaining". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ Leydon, Joe. "Film Review: 'The Remaining'". Variety. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ "The Remaining (review)". Commonsensemedia. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ Jenkins, Mark. "'The Remaining' movie review: Left behind at the altar". Washington Post. Retrieved September 26, 2014.