A Roman Catholic priest in Tennessee has issued a formal warning that Steven Spielberg's new alien film might be consecrated to Satan and packed with demons who will torment anyone who watches it. The film made $19 million on opening day. The demons, apparently, are not bad for business.
The Man, The Myth, The Exorcist
Father Dan Reehil is a priest and practicing exorcist with the Diocese of Nashville. This week, he posted a YouTube video suggesting that Spielberg's new $115 million sci-fi thriller 'Disclosure Day' could be, in his words, 'consecrated to Satan,' with actual demons attached to the film itself, lying in wait for unsuspecting viewers.
His evidence? Spielberg gave an interview to CBS News in which the director asked whether the existence of extraterrestrial life might complicate some people's religious beliefs. 'Is God, our God, only on this planet, or is God a God for every system where there's civilization, intelligent life and even developing life?' Spielberg said. Curious question. Reasonable question, even. The kind of question theologians have been wrestling with for decades.
Father Reehil heard that and thought: Satan is involved.
The Specific Threat Level Here
To be clear about exactly what Reehil is claiming, because the specifics deserve full attention: he is saying the movie itself, the physical or digital artifact, could have been ritually offered to the devil by the filmmakers, and that demons could be embedded in it, programmed to provoke anyone who watches it. 'You know, they could put a curse over the film that all who watch it would have demons provoke them. It could happen. We don't know if it did, but it could,' he said in the video, as reported by the New York Post.
He's careful to note he's not saying it definitely happened. Just that it could have. The theological version of 'I'm not saying it was aliens, but...' except in reverse, and the aliens are demons.
Reehil drew a comparison to heavy metal and rock music, which he claims has also been consecrated to Satan in the past. No word on whether he considers the entire AMC theater chain a portal to hell at this point, or just the Spielberg section.
What Spielberg Actually Said
Here is what Spielberg did not say: that he made 'Disclosure Day' to destroy Christianity. What he said, in the CBS News interview, was that the film raises questions about how religious traditions might reconcile their existing frameworks with confirmed intelligent life existing elsewhere in the universe. 'The movie also takes the position of the church. What does this do to the fundamental beliefs that many of us have?' he said.
That is called a thematic question. It is what movies do. 'Schindler's List' raised questions about human evil and divine silence. 'E.T.' made people cry about a little alien going home. Nobody called those cursed. Although give it time.
Reehil described Spielberg's remarks as 'odd' and asked, 'Why would you make a movie with the distinct outcome being people's faith would be shaken or lost?' before concluding that this line of thinking is, quote, 'very much like something the Antichrist would do, or Satan.' Steven Spielberg. The guy who made 'Hook.' Antichrist material.
This Is Not Reehil's First Alien Rodeo
The New York Post reports that back in 2024, Father Reehil was already warning that any entities claiming to be extraterrestrials could in fact be demons trying to trick humanity into rejecting Christianity. So this is a consistent theological position for him. His view appears to be that aliens are either not real, or are demons pretending to be real, and either way watching movies about them is a risk to your soul.
It's a tight framework. Unfalsifiable, even. If aliens show up and seem friendly, they're demons in disguise. If a movie asks questions about God and the cosmos, it's Satanic provocation. The whole genre is spiritually compromised. Good news for Reehil: he probably wasn't going to see 'Disclosure Day' anyway.
The Box Office, Undisturbed by Demonic Forces
Despite the alleged curse, 'Disclosure Day' pulled in $19 million on its opening day across 3,824 North American theaters, according to the New York Post, and was tracking toward roughly $44 million for the full opening weekend. The demons, if present, appear to be drawing crowds rather than scaring them off. Maybe they're better at marketing than Reehil gave them credit for.
The public reaction to Reehil's video has been, shall we say, mixed. 'Somebody should get him a mental health check,' one commenter offered. Another noted, with admirable practicality, 'If anything he's helping to market the movie, to be honest.' Both take a certain kind of wisdom.
The Dingo Take
Look, religious institutions have been nervous about science fiction since before science fiction had a name. The church's complicated history with ideas that expand the known universe is long and occasionally involved house arrest, so it's not like Reehil is working in a vacuum here. But there is a meaningful difference between thoughtful theological reflection on what contact with other civilizations might mean for humanity's understanding of God, and going on YouTube to suggest Steven Spielberg demonically cursed a movie print.
The part that gets you is the hedge. 'I'm not saying this is what was done, but this could be done.' It's the rhetorical equivalent of pulling a fire alarm and then saying you were just pointing out that fire alarms exist. You've already done the damage. People heard 'demons in the movie.' The disclaimer is furniture.
Spielberg's actual question, the one Reehil found so alarming, is one that serious theologians, scientists, and philosophers have been asking in good faith for years. Does the existence of other intelligent life change what we believe about God? It's a genuine question and a hard one. You can engage with it or you can call it Satanic. Father Reehil has made his choice, and the irony is that his YouTube video probably sold more tickets to 'Disclosure Day' this week than any studio ad buy. Satan works in mysterious ways.
