Movies with an afterlife theme.

[Svengoolie 3]

Ok i'm agnostic with a few leanings towards some belief systems,  so I can acknowledge the possibility of an afterlife. There have been plenty of movies with an afterlife theme.  Any you like?

"Between two worlds" was a good movie that I had to search for after reading a short story  in a SF magazine about  a woman who was coming to realize she had died and was facing an afterlife in egypt.  It took me a while to figure out this was the movie she referred to.

It's a rather non christian idea of an afterlife, taking place on a ship and the cast only gradually realizing they are dead,  but we get the idea there are good and bad afterlives. Sidney Greenstreet carried this film as a judge of souls.

"Heaven can wait" the 1943 version. A man who was a regular cassanova in life arrives at the entrance to hell where he  believes he belongs, to encounter a pleasant and kindly  devil referred to as "His excellency".  His excellency isn't quite sure the new arrival belongs in hell,  and has him narrate his flawed life,  only  to conclude that while not perfect he is simply not suited to hell and steers him towards "the other place",  where he might not  have top notch accommodations but his loved ones are waiting for him. The devil apparently  believes that only  the right people  belong in his domain. Apparently it took the devil to convince the movies main character he did not qualify.


"A nice place to visit".  1960. Ok,  an ep of "the twilight zone" and nit a movie,  but an interesting take on the afterlife nonetheless and quite influential despite not being one of the best known twilight zone episodes . https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Nice_Place_to_Visit

"Pamela's voice".  Yes,  another rod sterling series episode,  this time from "the night gallery". Another version of a hellish afterlife sans the old lake of fire. Also the second time john Astin was in the night gallery and ended up in hell. I guess rod sterling didn't like him.

I have a certain affinity for this story because for personal reasons I kind of hope my half brother ends up in a hell similar to the one portrayed in it. I did wonder how a person monstrous and evil as Pamela would get into heaven but later concluded the "Pamela" in this  ep was likely a part of hell and lied about being Pamela and that Pamela had gone to heaven.


https://davidjuhl.wordpress.com/2013/10/29/night-gallery-story-pamelas-voice-reviewed/

[Archivist]

Well, if your half-brother deserves it, he'll probably go there. The thing about death is this: even if there is no afterlife, no hell, no heaven, it means that those who deserve it will be erased from the earth, and those who don't will rest for eternity.

Interesting afterlife themed films and TV shows:

- Flatliners 1990 and 2017.

- Ghost (1990) was a funny one because it deals with people in limbo, rather than the afterlife. But they're still dead.

- The Burning Zone episode where death row prisoners were used as conduits for demons to deliver information about the universe. This is pretty disturbing.

[Alex]

Beetlejuice.

[RCMerchant]

Sven, the first  version of BETWEEN TWO WORLDS is called OUTWARD BOUND (1930) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Leslie Howard and Helen (DRACULA) Chandler, if your interested.

[Pacman000]

The Time of Their Lives

Lou Costello is a simpleton in the American Revolution. Accused of a crime he didn't commit, he's cursed to stay at a plantation for all eternity, unless someone can find evidence to clear him. Pretty funny.

[Allhallowsday]

A GUY NAMED JOE (1943 SPENCER TRACY, IRENE DUNNE, VAN JOHNSON)...  Remade as ALWAYS (with AUDREY HEPBURN, RICHARD DREYFUSS and HOLLY HUNTER). 

BEYOND TOMORROW (1940)

BLITHE SPIRIT (1945)


... That's LAIRD CREGAR as the Devil in the original HEAVEN CAN WAIT... 

[Alex]

A Matter of Life & Death: A British airman (played by David Niven) has to prove he is worth of being given additional time on earth following a plane crash.

[claws]

Defending Your Life (1991) with Albert Brooks and Meryl Streep: In an afterlife way station resembling a block of hotels, the lives of the recently-deceased are examined in a court-like setting.

[Allhallowsday]

HERE COMES MR. JORDAN (1941) ROBERT MONTGOMERY EVELYN KEYES CLAUDE RAINS was remade as HEAVEN CAN WAIT with WARREN BEATTY in 1978... (not to be confused with HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943) which started this thread). 

[Svengoolie 3]

Well, if your half-brother deserves it, he'll probably go there. The thing about death is this: even if there is no afterlife, no hell, no heaven, it means that those who deserve it will be erased from the earth, and those who don't will rest for eternity.

Interesting afterlife themed films and TV shows:

- Flatliners 1990 and 2017.

- Ghost (1990) was a funny one because it deals with people in limbo, rather than the afterlife. But they're still dead.

- The Burning Zone episode where death row prisoners were used as conduits for demons to deliver information about the universe. This is pretty disturbing.

Yes, the possibility of an afterlife is disturbing in both contexts. While I personally have leanings towards both the gnostic and the rosicrucian faith because they are both infinitely superior, in my opinion, to the mainstream religions the fact is there may be no afterlife, which is both good and bad as if there is non e then theire is no eternal torture in fire and agony which i find utterly unacceptable. But there is no progress either.

The so called "double slit experiment" (Get your mind out of the gutter!) in quantum mechanics proves conclusively there is in fact something very special, maybe unique, about human consciousness which transcends physicality and may or may not be evidence that human consciousness is more than just physical, implying the possibility something continues after the physical form ceases to operate.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a22280/double-slit-experiment-even-weirder/

[The Burgomaster]

[Pacman000]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Dreams_May_Come_(film)

What Dreams May Come - A visually pleasing but dull movie where Robin Williams must travel to hell to get his wife.

[RCMerchant]

The HELLRAISER series! 
Vampire movies? Zombie movies?
Any ghost movie...

[RCMerchant]

I reckon reincarnation movies? Like the MANITOU, the UNDEAD, and the SHE CREATURE?

[Allhallowsday]

THE SIXTH SENSE (1999)

STIR OF ECHOES (1999)