History Film / Frailty

* UnreliableNarrator: [[spoiler: "Fenton" Meiks' clearly told ''some'' lies in his story to Agent Doyle, considering that he later reveals himself to be Adam Meiks and the ''real'' God's Hand Killer.]]

** Bill Paxton said that the name for the axe cane from a homeless man he met. He offered the man money but he refused, saying he didn’t want charity. Instead, Paxton told the man that he would “buy“ his name for use in his film. The homeless man’s name was Otis.

* NoNameGiven: Bill Paxton's character is never referred to by name. Even in the end credits, he's "Dad."

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The song the kids are singing at the beginning.

* KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade: The sheriff.

* AnAxeToGrind: The axe is inscribed with "OTIS". Some fans think this is either the father's first name, the name of the ax, or an acronym meaning "Only The Innocent Survive". WordOfGod is that the only reason "OTIS" was put there was so that you'd know at the end of the movie that it's still the same axe, making "Only The Innocent Survive" more of a backronym.

* MeaningfulName: Adam Mieks sharing the same name as Adam of AdamAndEve.

* CassandraTruth

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: According to Christian tradition, demons are pure spirit, without bodies and which cannot be destroyed. Although, according to Christian teaching, it is possible for a demon to possess someone, the remedy for possession is an exorcism. Possessed people are just as much victims of demons as anyone else, and are not necessarily at fault for being possessed. Killing the possessed person would have absolutely no effect on the demon. It's also possible that the use of the term "demon" here is used as a synonym for an irredeemably wicked human. This seems to be the case with [[spoiler:Fenton.]]

* RewatchBonus: Like with ''[[Film/TheSixthSense]]'', a lot of things in the movie take on a new light once you know the TwistEnding.

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: According to Christian tradition, demons are pure spirit, without bodies and which cannot be destroyed. Although, according to Christian teaching, it is possible for a demon to possess someone, the remedy for possession is an exorcism. Possessed people are just as much victims of demons as anyone else, and are not necessarily at fault for being possessed. Killing the possessed person would have absolutely no effect on the demon. It's also possible that the use of the term "demon" here is used as a synonym for an irredeemably wicked human. This seems to be the case with [[spoiler:Fenton.]]

* TheReveal: It turns out that the visions that Dad and Adam Meiks saw were in fact true and the people who he abducted and killed with his ax were in fact demons who had commited horrific crimes.
** Fenton is really Adam.
** Agent Doyle is really a demon on the Angel's list to be destroyed and that Doyle had killed his own mother.
** Also, Fenton turns out to be a demon, had become a serial killer when he was older, and Adam had killed him. Succeeding where their father had failed.

* HeelRealization: Subverted like whoa. At one point the father has Fenton build a dirt cellar and locks him in it so that Fenton can find his faith. [[spoiler:Instead of realizing his dad was right, he realizes he is a demon. He buries an axe in his dad's chest and becomes a serial killer.]]

* TheEndingChangesEverything: And how! [[spoiler: TheReveal that not only is Fenton really Adam, but that he really can see demons, puts the entire movie in a new light. The fact that he's there to kill the agent in charge only adds to this. The ending also reveals that Adam was, indeed, protected from video surveillance (the VHS tape recording him at the FBI office had bad-tracking lines over his face) and an FBI agent ''who personally met and interacted with him fails to recognize him!'']]

Fenton Meiks ([=McConaughey=]) comes to a FBI agent (Boothe) with information about the notorious God's Hand Killer, who has been terrorizing the state of Texas. Through flashbacks, we learn about Fenton, his brother Adam, and his father (Paxton) who has a religious experience that plunges the entire family into turmoil. The father gathers his sons together one morning and tells them they are now soldiers in a heavenly war, and are charged with destroying demons on earth. The revelation splits the family: Adam and his dad are on one side, believing they are destroying demons; meanwhile Fenton believes they are murdering innocent people and is torn between loving his father and thinking he's completely off his rocker. Fenton makes a fateful decision and has come to the agent's office to relieve his guilt and confess his family's buried secrets...

* TwistEnding: [[spoiler:The man who calls himself Fenton Meiks is really ADAM Meiks, and he's only telling the story in order to get Agent Doyle out of the office to be destroyed. Yep, the father was really called by God to destroy demons: Agent Doyle is one, and so is Fenton, who ended up becoming a serial killer. Adam has been carrying on his father's work.]]
* UnreliableNarrator: [[spoiler:And how!]]

* TheFamilyThatSlaysTogether

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: The entire premise of the film. According to Christian tradition, demons are pure spirit, without bodies and which cannot be destroyed. Although, according to Christian teaching, it is possible for a demon to possess someone, the remedy for possession is an exorcism. Possessed people are just as much victims of demons as anyone else, and are not necessarily at fault for being possessed. Killing the possessed person would have absolutely no effect on the demon.
** It's also possible that the use of the term "demon" here is used as a synonym for an irredeemably wicked human. This seems to be the case with [[spoiler:Fenton.]]

* SoulsavingCrusader: Adam and Fenton's father seems like a deranged SerialKiller at first who tortures and kills innocent people after hallucinating that he's been given a MissionFromGod to "destroy demons", but the ending reveals that [[spoiler:it was all true: those people really ''were'' demons and their father was a SerialKillerKiller.]]

* SoulsavingCrusader: Adam and Fenton's father seems like a deranged SerialKiller at first who tortures and kills innocent people after hallucinating that he's been given a MissionFromGod to "destroy demons", but the ending reveals that [[spoiler:it was all true: those people really were demons and their father was a SerialKillerKiller.]]

* ShoutOut: Defied. The script called for Fenton to want to sneak into ''Film/{{Alien}'', but Bill Paxton changed the line to ''Film/TheWarriors'' instead, because he didn't want it to feel like a wink at the audience (Bill Paxton having been in ''Film/{{Aliens}}'').

* NoNameGiven: Bill Paxton's character is never referred to by name.

* TheEndingChangesEverything: And how![[spoiler: TheReveal that not only is Fenton really Adam, but that he really can see demons, puts the entire movie in a new light. The fact that he's there to kill the agent in charge only adds to this.]]