I try to avoid being prejudiced whenever possible. But there are times when it just doesn't seem to be avoidable. And this is one of those times. There is a new movie coming out, which is premiering today, called Cassadaga. Here is the synopsis of it, which is from the official trailer site:
Devastated by the death of her younger sister, Lily Morel seeks solace at the spiritualist community of Cassadaga. But instead of finding closure, she contacts something else -- the vengeful ghost of a murdered young woman. With her life crumbling all-around her, Lily races to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding the woman's death -- a task that will bring her face-to-face with a sadistic serial killer known only as "Geppetto".If you're not already aware, Lily Dale is the capital of Spiritualism in the United States, and is located in Cassadaga, NY. That factoid should clear up the references in the movie for you. If you haven't been before, it's one of the most peaceful places on the planet. Quite the contradiction for horror film folks. From the point of view of mediumship and spirituality, I can't help but be prejudiced about it. I cannot see how a movie like this will do us any good. Yes-I-know, people get a visceral thrill out of being scared, especially around Halloween, but my view is that horror is not good for you to begin with, and a steady diet of it is harmful to your spiritual/emotional/mental functioning. The average person probably thinks I'm crazy, but my contention is that our psyches are much more sensitive than we are consciously aware of, and immersing ourselves in such things has negative effects on us, whether we're consciously aware of them or not. I wish it was a movie with a positive message around it like Ghost, Field of Dreams, What Dreams May Come, or a number of others. Be that as it may, freedom of expression (at least in the US) is pretty much a right. So movies like this are part of the landscape. I respect the rights of others to create such things, whether I like them or not. There is one positive thing I'd like to say. I'd like to say thank-you to the director and writers of the movie for being respectful enough to avoid using "Lily Dale" directly, and using character and location references instead. I really appreciate it.