- In the dream broadcast, why don't they explain what they want the people in the present to do? The whole point of it is to prevent the Bad Future from occurring, but they don't say something like "whatever you do, don't touch the Artifact of Doom," or something that would actually be helpful.
- From what is shown about the dream sequences, they are really short at the start, and as the film goes on, they get longer. It could be possible that at the start, the people who are having the dream aren't sleeping long enough to receive a whole message, and by the time they do sleep long enough, it'd be well past the opening of the artifact of doom. Now, before you say anything, clearly the dreams invoke those who are sleep into waking up (as the film's entire existence is based on a dream that Debra Hill told John Carpenter about, in which a vague dark figure exiting a church which filled her with dread. It could be possible that the dreams are invoking the dread feeling to the point where it forces those who are asleep to wake up before the message is completely broadcasted. And it could be the subconsciousness of the dreamers are adjusting to receiving the message or to the dread so that they are able to sleep long enough to finally receive the full message). Besides, they didn't open the container. The container's locking mechanisms were on the inside, meaning that even if they weren't there, the evil still would have gotten out, thus leading to the bad future anyway (so, either way, the evil inside the container was gonna come out. At least with the group there, they were able to stop it, or at least delay it as the ending suggests).
- Unless there are production goofs the dreams appear more like what happens in the movie 12 Monkeys. Each dream does not continue where the previous left off and starts again with slight changes. As if it is showing you a likely future which is dynamic and changing. The only guarantee being that a satan like figure leaves the church, who it is can and does change throughout the film
- From what is shown about the dream sequences, they are really short at the start, and as the film goes on, they get longer. It could be possible that at the start, the people who are having the dream aren't sleeping long enough to receive a whole message, and by the time they do sleep long enough, it'd be well past the opening of the artifact of doom. Now, before you say anything, clearly the dreams invoke those who are sleep into waking up (as the film's entire existence is based on a dream that Debra Hill told John Carpenter about, in which a vague dark figure exiting a church which filled her with dread. It could be possible that the dreams are invoking the dread feeling to the point where it forces those who are asleep to wake up before the message is completely broadcasted. And it could be the subconsciousness of the dreamers are adjusting to receiving the message or to the dread so that they are able to sleep long enough to finally receive the full message). Besides, they didn't open the container. The container's locking mechanisms were on the inside, meaning that even if they weren't there, the evil still would have gotten out, thus leading to the bad future anyway (so, either way, the evil inside the container was gonna come out. At least with the group there, they were able to stop it, or at least delay it as the ending suggests).
- I understand not making the canister openable from the outside so it doesn't accidentally (or maliciously I guess) get opened, but why make it openable from the inside? What exactly was stopping Satan from opening it earlier if it was built that way? Why not build it so it isn't openable at all?
- You assume that it was made by human hands. Keep in mind, this film proposes that Jesus wasn't of this Earth, and that our concepts of Hell and Satan are loosely based on creatures that humanity couldn't comprehend any other way except as Godlike/supernatural beings. So, for all we know, the being that created the canister intentionally designed it to open from the inside as a means to protect the liquified creature within it until it was strong enough to come out, not to the protect the world outside from it's release.
- That raises the follow-up question: Why would the church not put the evil can that can open itself inside a larger container that can only be opened from outside? It still wouldn't be perfectly contained (its influence is enough that Alice Cooper could probably let it out) but it would provide an additional layer of security.
- Well, that's assuming that the material of the bigger container can hold the Evil. We don't know what the materials of the container the Evil is is made of. Again, the original container isn't made by humans. What makes anyone think that any container that is man-made we make would be enough to keep it contained in any degree? And, as you've pointed out yourself, it still wouldn't keep it from reaching out to find someone to unleash it. No amount of preparations humankind could make would keep it from coming out. No amount of burying it in the middle of the desert, no amount of dropping it into the deep ocean, or shooting it out into space will stop it. If it wants to get out, it will, and it will find a way to do so. And any follow-up questions about ways that the being could be contained is pointless, because nothing would be able to keep it in if it wants out. And as the ending suggests, there's a high probably that being sent into the mirror realm isn't enough to keep it for very long.
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