When I initially saw the preview for “Flatliners,” I was filled with excitement because I love thriller movies. I love trying to figure out what’s going to happen and why. Those movies tend to challenge me. That’s why when I sat down in the theatre, I expected a sci-fi thriller that would have me question what I thought happened in the afterlife. To my surprise, though, I sat down to a movie that was much scarier than the preview portrayed. With a handful of jump-scares and an unpredictable plot, my heart was beating faster than I expected.

The plot revolves around five med students who decide to play with death to try and understand more about the afterlife while unknowingly unearthing demons of the past. When Dr. Courtney Holmes (Ellen Page) accidentally kills her sister in a car accident, her guilt builds up over nine years until the movie picks up in the present. Now in medical school, Holmes and four of her fellow students, doctors Marlo (Nina Dobrev), Ray (Diego Luna), Jamie (James Norton), and Sophia (Kiersey Clemons) start dabbling in the idea of medically inducing death on patients and then resurrecting them after a certain amount of time.

The movie follows common thoughts of the afterlife with a white light,being able to float above one’s own body and seeing things from above. While each student enjoys the calmness of death, sins from their past begin to resurface and haunt the life of each unsuspecting student. One common thread runs through each haunting — the need for closure.

The underlying theme of forgiveness presents a valuable lesson in a unique way. It emphasizes the idea that letting issues remain unresolved can haunt us, in both small ways or big ways. We need to be able to confront and talk about difficult situations, or else they could turn into much more serious (or life-threatening) problems.

I found “Flatliners” as entertaining as it was thrilling — and there was plenty of thrill. It supplied me with plenty of suspense and made my heart skip a beat enough for the next week. It not only peaks your curiosity about what is going to happen next, but it really makes you think about what unresolved demons are haunting your own life.