Domestic Abuse, Teen Suicide, Mother's Womb Abortion, Drunk Driving, Gay Marriage. All these issues and more are the main themes of the twenty-first century version of the Christian Right's "Halloween Hell House."
For around $300 bucks, you can purchase your very own Halloween Hell House Kit. Back in the day when the Rev. Jerry Falwell was roaming the planet, he hit upon a fantabulous money-making/soul-saving scheme. Why give over Halloween to the hell raisers, candy scavengers and trick or treaters, he thought? Let's get in on the action. And that's precisely what he did.
Churches around the country would set up "Hell Houses," places that young people could visit and get the crap scared out of them.
According to psmag.com's Marc Herman, "New Destiny Christian Center, a Colorado-based evangelical ministry, is the specialist in the programs." Over the years, Hell Houses have become remarkably adaptable to current issues.
While $299.00 will get you the basic kit, a few more bucks will get you "plug-in 'modules,' allowing a particular hell house to address specific sins in one's own neighborhood. The online brochure starts off with a new 'domestic abuse' stage set, moving on to the 'rave scene,' 'drunk driving,' and the 'gay wedding.'"
Newer scenes include:
"Domestic Abuse – A phenomenal surprise beginning to the production starts by including this scene. The home and family is a major target for the kingdom of hell and abuse is fuel on the fire for doing damage to marriages and relationships."
"Rave Scene – Youth culture often sees itself as wildly indestructible. The underground world of rave clubs and drug usage proves to be a deadly combination, and hell's demons rejoice."
"Teen Suicide – The seemingly insurmountable stress and pressure of teen life is amplified by the dark shadows of Satan's schemes. Suicide is the result."
"Mother's Womb Abortion – A young mother is miraculously given the opportunity to learn from her mistake upon being blessed with a visit by her aborted daughter at four different ages of life."
"Drunk Driving – Four teenagers are out on a Friday night high, alive and buzzed after the prom. There's just one problem: this night ends with two that are dead and two more left to deal with their horrible guilt and shame – and hell's bad boys will make sure of that."
"Gay Wedding – The sacred institution of marriage between a man and a woman is further disgraced by the unholy union of a man and a man, and Satan wouldn't have it any other way."
"Hell – The eternal fury and fire of hell is portrayed as the hell-dwellers, gate keeper and Satan declare that every person there is destined to burn forever in constant pain and agony."
"Heaven – This particular heaven scene also has an angelic rescue which brings all the attention to glorious eternity. A wonderful connection also occurs between this scene and the abortion scene with a surprise reunion in heaven! Jesus explains restoration and gives everyone the chance to pray the prayer of salvation."
A few years back, I reported on the Hell House phenomenon:
"Along with the Halloween traditions of carving up pumpkins, kids in costumes, trick-or-treat, scary movies, a candy industry on steroids, and ghouls, ghosts and goblins, comes another, albeit relatively new addition to the day's activities, courtesy of the religious right; Halloween Hell Houses.
"Will the religious right take a time out from demonizing Sen. Barack Obama to create Halloween Hell Houses this year? You betcha'.
"Built on fear and based in church-initiated intimidation, Scaremare—the first Hell House project—was started in the late 1970s in Lynchburg, Virginia, by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell. Since then, hell houses have sprung up in all parts of the country.
"For those unfamiliar with the concept, Hell Houses are fairground haunted houses with a twist: the scary stuff isn't the usual ghost or goblin, but is some enactment of sin, or the torments of hell. And the sins on offer are not so much greed, envy, or sloth as whatever might be at the top of the fundamentalist political agenda: abortion, homosexuality, stem-cell research...
"In some circles, Halloween Hell Houses are also known as "Judgement Houses." At the Clearwater, Florida-based Judgement House Web site you can find everything you need to stage a truly frightening event, including an informational how-to video and 10 different scripts. Each scripts is "unique in its setting, characters and story and is a relevant interpretation of events happening around the world today. However all of our scripts ask the same important question, 'What will you do with God's offer of a saving and personal relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.'"
Judgement House "is a dramatic walk-through presentation about the truth of people's choices and their consequences both in this life and the next.... No other tool is more effective at presenting people with an opportunity to choose a personal and saving relationship with Jesus Christ." Since its founding in 1983, Judgement House claims that "an estimated 3.9 million people have attended a Judgement House presentation with 390,000 of those choosing a saving and personal relationship with Jesus Christ for the first time."
Popularized by the late Rev. Falwell in the late 1970s, Hell Houses are still scaring the bejesus out young folks across America. That's one hell of a legacy.