‘Sketch’ Is the “Demonic” Gateway Horror Movie Christian Moms Don’t Want Your Kids to See

Satanic panic is alive and well in certain pockets of the country.

The Toxic Avenger‘s monster dong isn’t the only genre title provoking controversy, as Christian moms are rallying against the new gateway horror movie Sketch.

In the film, a young girl’s notebook falls into a mysterious pond, bringing her monstrous drawings to life. While navigating grief following the loss of her mother, the girl must band together with her family to save their town from the vibrant but dangerous creatures.

Sketch was produced independently but acquired by Angel Studios following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. No stranger to notoriety, Angel is the distributor behind 2023’s Sound of Freedom.

It seems that Angel’s catalog of overtly Christian-themed output set preconceived notions for some viewers with which Sketch — a monster adventure with no religions connotations — does not align.

Concerned parents, many of whom identify as Christian moms, have taken to social media to express their disapproval — with some even calling for a boycott. These inflammatory remarks have been perpetuated by conservative voices who seemingly haven’t seen the movie.

A recent post from the film’s official Facebook page highlighting audience reviews only stoked the flames, contrasting five-star praise with one-star condemnations.

“This movie is demonic. I pulled my family out within 10 minutes,” reads one review. Another warns, “PARENTS BEWARE. Do not be fooled by the PG rating.”

Although the MPA rated Sketch PG for “scary action, some violence, thematic elements, language and rude humor,” the Angel Guild — a community of parents, viewers, and supporters who screen and vote on Angel projects — found the film to be appropriate for ages 10 and up.

Angel declined to comment for our story, but co-founder Jeff Harmon addressed the concerns in a recent livestream.

“We realized as it launched we did not do a good enough job of helping parents understand what’s in this movie so they didn’t bring too small of kids or that they could even recognize, ‘This is not my kind of movie. It’s a little too scary,'” Harmon said.

As if such an indictment wasn’t reason enough to pique genre fans’ interest, I found that Sketch harkens back to a lost era of gateway horror that’s flush with heart without sacrificing a sense of danger.

Described as Jurassic Park meets Inside Out, Sketch marks the feature debut of writer-director Seth Worley, based on his 2020 proof-of-concept short Darker Colors.

Tony Hale (“Arrested Development”), D’Arcy Carden (“The Good Place”), Bianca Belle (“Swamp Thing”), Kue Lawrence (“Good Girls”), and Kalon Cox star.

Sporting a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Sketch is in theaters now.

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