{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Slaughter of the Innocents (1993)","description":"Christian imagery and biblical references abound in this violent early 1990s crime thriller, tonally similar to THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS is a lesser-known entry in the 1990s serial killer canon. Instead of a theatrical run, it premiered on HBO in 1993, which may have contributed to its obscurity. That\u2019s unfortunate, because the movie takes creative risks and deserves to be reevaluated as a cult classic. The film stars Scott Glenn as FBI Special Agent Stephen Broderick, a family man whose crime scene experience makes him a natural choice to investigate the Provo Canyon Massacre, a brutal child murder committed by someone calling himself \u201cGod.\u201d A man awaits execution for the crime, but Broderick believes the real killer is still at large. His son Jesse, played by Jesse Cameron-Glickenhaus (the real-life son of director James Glickenhaus), is a precocious 10-year-old computer whiz whose tech skills help his dad link the massacre to a recent abduction in the same Utah area. Jesse\u2019s inclusion is one of the film\u2019s funniest choices\u2014it\u2019s bizarre to see a cheerful 10-year-old browsing crime scene photos and discussing grisly details of child violence. For us at Boys\u2019 Bible Study, SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS stands out for its Christian imagery. The \u201cGod\u201d killer, Mordecai Booth (Zitto Kazann), is consumed by a biblical obsession so intense he even steals two giraffes from a zoo to honor Noah\u2019s Ark. The title itself comes from the biblical story of King Herod slaughtering infants to prevent Jesus\u2019s rise. The final scene is so strange and powerful that we won\u2019t spoil it, but it perfectly captures what we love to see as a Christian film review podcast. Though this is a secular movie, it features two actors familiar from faith-based cinema: Kevin Sorbo as FBI agent John Willison and Michael D. Weatherred (of THE BUTTERCREAM GANG) in a small role. We love when secular films engage with biblical imagery, even when it borders on blasphemy. The aura Christian symbolism lends to a story\u2014its power to evoke awe, fear, and moral imagination\u2014shows religion\u2019s lasting influence on culture\u2019s darkest corners. View our full episode list and subscribe to any of our public feeds: http:\/\/boysbiblestudy.com Unlock 2+ bonus episodes per month: http:\/\/patreon.com\/boysbiblestudy Subscribe to our Twitch for livestreams: http:\/\/twitch.tv\/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Instagram: http:\/\/instagram.com\/boysbiblestudy Follow us on Twitter: http:\/\/twitter.com\/boysbiblestudy ","author_name":"Boys' Bible Study","author_url":"http:\/\/boysbiblestudy.com","html":"