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‘Polarizing yet undeniably fascinating, the bait-and-switch horror film lures its viewer into a false sense of terrified security before pouncing in an anything-goes frenzy’ ... Dan Stevens in Apostle

Apostle review – exhilarating Netflix horror is a wild, gory surprise

Gareth Evans, director of The Raid, shocks and confounds with an ultra-violent tale of a mad prophet that transforms into something entirely unexpected

A postle, director Gareth Evans’ first feature-length effort since his pair of The Raid action films achieved instant underground infamy, is that rarest of treats: a horror movie that starts out as one thing, and finishes having mutated into another.

Exhilarating to watch and tricky to write about, similar to such films as The Box and the more recent Annihilation, going beyond surprising its audience with mere twists, instead shaking its own constructed reality off its axis. A full shift occurs not just in tone, with suspense boiling over into scalding insanity, but in the narrative mode, as the established set of unspoken rules governing the universe get violently upended. As soon as the viewer believes they’ve got a grip on what sort of horror story they’re in for, Evans demonstrates that in the chaotic universe contained within his camera, anything can happen. And just about everything does; Evans’s maximalist more-is-more ethic piles on one Grand Guignol spectacle after another, building to an operatic, hallucinatory climax that leaves our puny reason behind for a metaphysical nirvana. Polarizing yet undeniably fascinating, the bait-and-switch horror film lures its viewer into a false sense of terrified security before pouncing in an anything-goes frenzy, and Evans’s latest is a prime specimen.

For the first hour, he’d like you to believe you’ve wandered into a particularly reverent Wicker Man homage, and he makes the legwork of setting this trap a diversion all its own. At the dawn of the 20th century, a wastrel by the name of Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) rouses himself from an opium stupor long enough to accept an assignment from the upper-crust family that’s finally found a purpose for their black sheep. He’s to set a course for the lush, faraway island where his sister Andrea (Lucy Boynton) has been taken captive by the mad prophet Malcolm (a vainglorious Michael Sheen) and his loyal followers. Relative even to his expectations for a secluded sect of zealots, Thomas immediately senses something’s amiss. Malcolm’s brood follows religious convictions, but Thomas can’t figure out what they actually worship. Naturally, their notions of the sacred and the profane commingle in blood.

At first, Evans adheres to expectations, both of his genre and of himself as a stylist. This strain of period barbarity calls for fittingly baroque torture, and he doesn’t play it stingy with the grotesquerie. (Cracked craniums, snapped spines, and flensed fingers – oh my.) Stretching racks, crude forceps, and drills of every shape and size push the gloriously gratuitous set pieces to continue topping themselves, and from the looks of it, the Netflix bean-counters spared no expense on corn syrup. Evans works with gore the way Pollock worked with oil paints, slathering layer after layer until the hectic disorder emerges as the focal point. He keeps with that manic pitch in his shooting, which favors the whip pans and shaky handheld work that made the Raid movies into a sedentary cardio workout. Though the milieu and premise don’t allow for quite as much hand-to-hand combat, Evans can’t resist sneaking in a beatdown or two, nimbly handled by Stevens as he continues to prove and re-prove his potential as an action hero. In a just world, the James Bond tuxedo would await.

He takes a circuitous path through a subplot involving a forbidden romance between villagers to get there, but when Evans does arrive at the changeover to complete lunacy, he lavishes the patient faithful with exquisite punishments. There’s going for it and then there’s going for it , and only a director in the latter camp would dare to attempt the back half’s unholy fusion of BDSM, gothic, and exploitation-blood-bucket aesthetics. He indulges every artistic whim, no matter how outré, a dicey strategy that only works when a director has technical skill and clarity of vision. Evans has the first in spades, working aerial and low-angle shots for all they’re worth, lacking only in the second. He starts to lose the thread as supernatural elements come into play, and yet any resultant confusion fits right in with the final act’s regression to primal savagery.

Anyone not put off by the bodily mutilations and hefty run time of last year’s A Cure For Wellness, anyone who sees untethered ambition as a virtue even when it goes slightly awry, anyone with a habit of ordering their sandwiches “with everything on it” — they’ll be the ones to appreciate the wild abandon with which Evans yanks out all the stops. His is the cinema of “never enough”, of not saying “when”, of “no such thing as too much”. While a viewer requires a high threshold for the bizarre to stay with him through to the final glimpse of divine ecstasy, the devout disciples that remain will not go unrewarded. This is Evans’s truest act of transmogrification: turning one type of “cult movie” into the other.

Apostle is available on Netflix on 12 October

Horror films
Gareth Evans

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Gareth Evans ’ “Apostle,” premiering today on Netflix, is an unsettling journey into a very dark corner of the world that may first seem like a radical departure for the man who made the stunt-heavy “The Raid” and its even-crazier sequel. The first hour or so of this ambitious piece of work is designed to slowly bring viewers into a mystery and raise questions about the exact dynamic at play. And then “Apostle” answers those questions with viscera, plasma, brain matter, and other bodily fluids. What starts as a psychological riff on “The Wicker Man” becomes a gore-filled riff on, well, “The Wicker Man,” with all the flair and elan you’d expect from the man who designed the stunt sequences in the “Raid” films. Not unlike “ Mandy ,” some of both halves feel self-indulgent, and I’m not sure “Apostle” quite justifies its 130-minute running time, but you have to say this about it: It’s like nothing else you could include in your annual Halloween horror marathon this year.

It is 1905 and Thomas Richardson ( Dan Stevens , in full, wide-eyed “Legion” mode) has just learned that his sister Jennifer ( Elen Rhys ) has been kidnapped. She is a prisoner on a remote island that is running out of resources to fund its increasingly desperate religious cult. The followers of Prophet Malcolm ( Michael Sheen ) are starting to lose faith as their crops have dried up and conditions are worsening on their small patch of land. Malcolm preaches patience and he sees an opportunity in this girl, who the cult can hold for ransom. Thomas travels to the island undercover, sneaking into the society, and learning that this religious group is not as harmless or even earthly as he might have first believed.

Shot by Evans’ regular collaborator Matt Flannery , “Apostle” has a gritty look; the first half is filled with mud and dirt, the second with blood and guts. But most of all this is a film about desperation—primarily religious but also carnal and societal—and that theme plays out in the design of the film as well as the storytelling. Everything feels so desperately dangerous and ruined. There’s a slicker, cleaner version of “Apostle” that simply wouldn’t work and I admired Evans' commitment to his aesthetic. He wants you to be nervous, to be grossed out, and it’s rare for a director to accomplish that kind of discomfiting filmmaking for over two hours. (And, to be fair, there’s a stronger version of this 130-minute movie that’s 15 minutes shorter.)

There are so many horror films every year that do the things that simply never cross Evans’ mind. He’s not here to hold your hand. He’s not here to present a straightforward narrative. He's not here to make you happy. Some people will consider “Apostle” incoherent, but it’s the eagerness to deliver an exact vision that I admired about this strange, frightening work. In an era when more and more films feel focus-grouped to death or designed to sell toys, it can still be refreshing to see one that it is so completely the crazy brainchild of its creator. Well, as refreshing as a movie with this much bloodshed can be.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Apostle (2018)

129 minutes

Dan Stevens as Thomas Richardson

Lucy Boynton as Andrea

Michael Sheen as Prophet Malcolm

Kristine Froseth as Ffion

Annes Elwy as Sinead

Mark Lewis Jones as Quinn

Elen Rhys as Jennifer

Gareth Evans

Cinematographer

Matt Flannery
Aria Prayogi
Fajar Yuskemal

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Apostle Review: Netflix’s New Horror Is a Cut Above Your Regular Spooky Movie

By Tom Philip

Netflix’s latest foray into big-time original filmmaking, Gareth Evans’s Apostle , will feel familiar to you at first. There’ve already been comparisons to The Wicker Man in early reviews of the film, in which Thomas Richardson ( Dan Stevens ) must infiltrate a mysterious island cult to rescue his sister, held for ransom by the fanatical and charismatic cult leader Malcolm (Michael Sheen).

The opening exchanges check nearly every box in the great horror playbook: A sparse but deeply unsettling title sequence, a perilous journey to the aforementioned island, allusions to some unseen but apparently not-all-that-benevolent higher power guiding the cult’s inhabitants, and even giggling masked children. Evans leaves no stone unturned in building a terrible world for Thomas to explore in the film’s first hour.

So how, then, do you make an effective horror movie in 2018? Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere, and the opening half of Apostle is a masterclass in the exercise. What’s in the shed Malcolm keeps hidden away from the rest of the compound, accessible only by a secret tunnel from his own home? Why do the island residents leave mason jars filled with their own blood outside their doors at night? Evans builds tension like a seasoned horror filmmaker, despite this being his first foray into the genre (and, indeed, his first film made in the English language, following the widely-adored Indonesian hits The Raid and The Raid 2 .

As Thomas, Stevens excels at being his normal wild-eyed self. If you’ve seen an episode of Legion , you get the gist: it’s empathetic and interesting but intensely (almost furiously) confused. Better is the cast surrounding him, in particular Sheen and Lucy Boynton, who plays Andrea, Malcolm’s daughter.

Sheen spoke to GQ before the film’s release about Malcolm, who bucks the trend of evil and spooky for evil and spooky’s sake. “It’s far more interesting [for me] if I’m playing someone who is genuinely trying to bring about something that will benefit people, something that will be for the greater good and yet, it's been corrupted and turned into something that’s destroying peoples' lives rather than helping them.”

In fact, Malcolm’s arc is plenty more interesting than Thomas’s, who has little to learn or do once his sister’s fate is revealed. This is Sheen’s best role in a long time, even considering his place in the pantheon of the best guest stars in 30 Rock history (“There’s only one Wesley Snipes ,” he reminds me later during our talk). Malcolm has more complex concerns at hand. His island co-founders don’t quite agree with how he’s running the place, see, and when the truth behind that “higher power” we heard about earlier is fully revealed, Malcolm’s plans become all the more transparent and precarious.

Evans himself said he’d prefer the political machinations of the film’s back half to feel subtextual, but it’s hard not to read some very modern allegories into the ego-driven power struggles between Malcolm, right-hand-man Quinn (Mark Lewis Jones), and Frank (Paul Higgins, whose In The Loop scene is seared into my memory as one of the best movie moments of all time).

It’s in this back half where the well-built horror machine of the first half gives way to a more character-driven and political tone, in the vein of quieter but equally intense works like Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England (which Evans says was indeed a major influence). To its credit, Apostle does provide some awfully creative gore now and again to remind us we’re watching a genre film.

By the time Apostle reaches its endgame, which rather amusingly plays out like a mashup of The Exorcist and Little Shop of Horrors , the terror crafted from its steady approach to building the island’s mystique dissipates, and for all Evans’s hard work, we get a fairly mechanical action movie conclusion. The final shot gives us one last disturbing image, but it neither comes as a surprise nor does it linger in the mind. But while Apostle might not entirely stick its landing, its work in getting there is an admirable example of what modern horror can be.

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Apostle resists easy scares in favor of a steady, slow-building descent into dread led by a commanding central performance from Dan Stevens. Read critic reviews

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Apostle videos, apostle photos.

London, 1905. Prodigal son Thomas Richardson has returned home, only to learn that his sister is being held for ransom by a religious cult. Determined to get her back at any cost, Thomas travels to the idyllic island where the cult lives. As Thomas infiltrates the island's community, he learns that the corruption of mainland society that they claim to reject has infested the cult's ranks nonetheless - and uncovers a secret more evil than he could have imagined.

Genre: Horror, Mystery & thriller

Original Language: English

Director: Gareth Evans

Producer: Gareth Evans , Ed Talfan , Aram Tertzakian

Writer: Gareth Evans

Release Date (Streaming): Oct 12, 2018

Runtime: 2h 9m

Production Co: Severn Screen Limited, XYZ Films

Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Cast & Crew

Dan Stevens

Thomas Richardson

Lucy Boynton

Michael Sheen

Prophet Malcolm

Kristine Froseth

Mark Lewis Jones

Bill Milner

Richard Elfyn

Gareth Evans

Screenwriter

Aram Tertzakian

Nate Bolotin

Executive Producer

Nick Spicer

Aria Prayogi

Original Music

Fajar Yuskemal

Matt Flannery

Cinematographer

Film Editing

Louise Cross

Production Design

Ceinwen Wilkinson

Art Director

Carwyn Evans

Sue Jackson-Potter

Set Decoration

Jane Spicer

Costume Design

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New on Netflix in August

Gareth Evans’ Five Favorite Films

First Man Is Certified Fresh

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Netflix's Apostle Review

A visceral and compelling horror-thriller from the director of the raid..

Netflix Spotlight: September 2018

With Apostle, Gareth Evans has proven he can not only master action films with stunning choreography, but he can also deliver a bone-chilling folk horror tale rich in mythology and shocking in violence. Apostle owes a lot to classic folk horror films, but Evans manages to make his film feel fresh and gripping enough to satisfy even the most blood-thirsty horror fan.

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Apostle (Movie Review)

Luke's rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ director: gareth evans | release date: 2018.

Gareth Evans almost single-handedly recontextualized the mechanics and intensity of the modern action/martial arts film. Then he, with the help of Timo Tjahjanto, left many jaws on the floor with the short form insanity they delivered in Safe Haven , their entry in V/H/S/2 . Stepping back into the cult arena with Apostle , released on Netflix, does Evans continue to deliver the same level of bone-crunching insanity? Sorta...kinda.

Set in the early 1900's Apostle centers on Dan Stevens as he scowls a course as Thomas, a man presumed dead who returns home to find that his sister has been kidnapped and held for ransom by a cult on a secluded island. Thomas narrowly avoids discovery as he makes landfall, but must tread carefully as he searches for signs that his sister is still alive. The cult's leader Malcom (Michael Sheen) knows that an intruder is amongst them and the film sets up a chess match. Will the cult suss out the intruder or will Thomas to rescue his sister?

Apostle is a significant left turn for Evans when compared to his work with The Raid films. It feels instead like a spiritual extension to Christopher Smith's Black Death . Anchored primarily by mounting dread and lush scenery, Evans lets the setting do a lot of the talking. The early 1900's vibe oozes a sense of despair and poverty, which is projected effectively on the cast. Nearly everyone looks to be in desperate need of a meal and a refreshing shower. Along those lines, Evan's really stamps his trademark on the film as peppered in bits of foreshadowed technology designed explicitly to dole out maximum punishment make the auidence squirm.

Stevens, as our best chance for a surrogate, has the needed effect of simply reacting to the cult's bizarre traditions, trying to navigate the information as it's slowly rolled out on-screen. The real star and scene stealer is Michael Sheen. Sheen has all the likable traits of someone who could draw in followers with a commanding voice and engaging presence. Yet, so little is done to fully develop these characters in favor of veiling the mysterious nature of the cult's beliefs. Additionally, the focus is more on the moves being made by Malcom, Malcom's right hand men, and Thomas to move toward each of their end goals that the film doesn't play toward its most interesting aspects that revolve around the supernatural alluded to in the background.

Apostle often doesn't live up to the lunacy one might expect from the man who delivered such bone shattering intensity in The Raid . Still, the film's looming dread, mysterious setting, and a wonderful performance from Michael Sheen are more than enough to forgive its sins and spare Evans a date with the Heathen's Stand.

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Apostle (3/5)

Posted by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard | Oct 12, 2018 | 3 minutes

Apostle is a new horror thriller on Netflix with an absolutely brilliant score. This along with the visual style makes the movie better than the actual story does!

Apostle is a Netflix horror thriller that takes place mostly on a mysterious island. It feels a bit like Salem during the time when every free-spirited woman was labeled a witch.

This feel and era also mean that female characters are only there to drive action from the male characters.

Whether those actions lead them to be heroes or villains (or both) is the only real question. But there is a lot of blood and it is very brutal.

The nature of men

The story in Apostle is very much about the nature of men. Both what drives them and what brings them pleasure or pain.

In the case of this story (as with most), it’s greed!

Mostly this greed is for power. But, of course, it’s also for money, since it’s necessary for food. And food means life. It’s a bit difficult to have any power over people if they’ve stared to death.

The other “driver” is to either save or punish women. Though some men believe they save women by punishing them. Ah yes, the good old days!

The only redeeming element here is the fact that the main protagonist is saving his sister. Not a romantic love interest.

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Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!

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REVIEW: Netflix’s Apostle Is Ambitious Horror That Falls Short in the End

Everything about Gareth Evans' period thriller Apostle suggests it could be great, but a poor structure prevents it from quite coming together.

Netflix’s Apostle has everything it should need to be one of the year’s best horror films. The cast, headlined by Dan Stevens and Michael Sheen, is stacked with underrated actors. The premise, about a man who goes undercover in a cult to save his sister, has intrigue but is open enough to go anywhere. The director, Gareth Evans, has two of the greatest action films of all time under his belt in The Raid and its sequel, and is returning to cult horror after an acclaimed segment in V/H/S 2 . But it's a shame the movie never quite comes together, giving each of its elements a chance to shine yet never quite working as a whole.

In The Raid and its sequel, Evans took a huge swing for the fences. The first is a claustrophobic masterclass in action cinema, and the second is a flawed but ambitious crime saga, punctuated by the director’s trademark eye for fight scenes. Apostle is every bit as ambitious as those first two efforts, but lacks the narrative cohesion to reach those highs. The action beats remain better than pretty much anything else attempted these days, but they’re strung together by a lackluster script. It feels as if the movie can’t decide whether it’s psychological horror, a gore showcase or an all-out action film, and is never able to mesh the three into something coherent.

RELATED: Gareth Evans' Bloody Apostle Trailer Pits Dan Stevens Against a Cult

Stevens stars as Thomas Richardson, who in 1905 goes undercover on an island inhabited by a fanatical cult to rescue his sister, whom they’ve kidnapped. From there, the plot takes more twists and turns than one can count, and it’s best to go in as blind as possible; if you can avoid the trailers, do so at all costs. The opening hour or so, before it takes that darker turn, is a slow burn that feels closer to Karyn Kusama's The Invitation than the wild action of The Raid . It’s this quiet, more deliberate segment where Apostle shines brightest, utilizing Evans’ proclivity for visual storytelling but never indulging in it. The film uses the freedom of having extra time to build an uneasy tone and establish the characters, while also planting seeds that there is something deeply wrong on the island.

The broad cast of characters is actually quite deep, from young lovers played by Bill Milner and Kristine Froseth to a disgruntled villager portrayed by the scene-stealing Ross O’Hennessy. The strongest of these supporting players are Sheen as the town prophet and Lucy Boynton as his daughter Andrea. Sheen is brilliant as the prophet, confident as he leads the village, but a crumbling, weak man when confronted with difficulty. He has the appearance of strong leadership in front of the cult members, but Sheen shows that he’s riddled with self-doubt, a shadow of the man who gives the sermons. Boynton is even better as his daughter, one of the village’s most compassionate members, sometimes disobeying leadership to show kindness. Her performance demonstrates just how earnest Andrea is, imbuing her every word with meaning, a refreshing change of pace from the rest of the manipulators in the cast.

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Unfortunately, a great roster of underrated actors is not enough to carry a film, and in the end an inconsistent script lets them down. The superior first act sells a growing dread quite well, slowly building the tension and teasing the darkness to come. As Stevens creeps around the creepy village, he finds clues and begins to piece together the evil that lies beneath the charming veneer of the town.

In movies that slowly build to a tone shift, there is usually a moment where the director makes a clear statement to the audience: This is no longer the same film. In Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room , it switches from a tense thriller to a massive bloodbath within seconds, punctuated by a character’s arm taking a brutal chop from a machete. It’s this sort of moment that’s missing from Apostle , which leads to a really muddled transition. Based on the appeal of the trailers and marketing, Apostle was clearly leading to a gut-wrenching shower of gore from the start. Once it finally does reach this long-awaited payoff, it lands with a thud, killing off a primary character in a mean-spirited, offhanded way that doesn’t come off meaning anything.

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From a technical perspective, every moment of Apostle is brilliantly crafted. Even the long stretch of brutality at the end, while unearned, is unmatched in modern filmmaking. Evans puts his action sensibilities to use and delivers one pulse-pounding barbarity after another. His kinetic, free-flowing camera keeps the stomach-churning bloodshed in clear view and forces you to watch, which is sure to have viewers at home screaming from their sofas. It's just really disappointing that these scenes, while well-directed, don’t gel with the rest of the film, killing off the characters with glee as if they meant nothing to the story.

In Netflix’s Apostle , life is a never-ending hell. You can choose to believe in a God who demands living sacrifices or nothing at all, but you’ll probably meet an agonizing end anyway. The first hour or so builds to a nightmare of a conclusion, but it takes a far too convoluted path to get there. Fans of horror cinema with a heavy dose of nastiness, or those who are particularly attached to Evans’ unique brand of brutality, will surely find something to love. But after making two of the greatest genre films of the century, it’s disappointing to see the director brush with greatness yet fail to reach it.

Directed by Gareth Evans, Apostle stars Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen and Lucy Boynton. The film screened at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas ahead of its Oct. 12 release on Netflix.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Graphically violent thriller has torture, gore, black magic.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Meant to shock, scare, and entertain, not inspire.

Hero is courageous, resourceful, and cautious in t

Brutal, bloody, heartless from beginning to end. N

A fully clothed young couple engage in sexual inte

"Harlot," "whore," "Jesus Christ."

Alcohol is served in a bar-like setting. Character

Positive Messages

Positive role models.

Hero is courageous, resourceful, and cautious in the face of escalating danger. Typical cult leaders are evil, motivated by desire for greed and power. No ethnic diversity; women play subsidiary roles.

Violence & Scariness

Brutal, bloody, heartless from beginning to end. No detail is left to the imagination. Characters (male and female, young and old) are slaughtered by gunfire, stabbings, impalement, various forms of torture, hanging, multiple slit throats, fire, and savage hand-to-hand combat. They are held captive in coffins, burlap bags, and dungeon-like caves. Animals are treated cruelly. An emaciated stillborn lamb is delivered. People are often covered in blood, slime, waste. Shots of a body cut in half.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A fully clothed young couple engage in sexual intercourse -- shot entirely on the girl's back. The young woman in spied upon as she maneuvers a mirror to see whether or not she's pregnant.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Alcohol is served in a bar-like setting. Characters use eyedroppers to ingest unidentified drugs. Smoking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Apostle , part horror movie, part thriller, is set on an island in Great Britain in 1905. A young man with a painful past sneaks into a religious cult to rescue the sister he loves. Believing that she's being held there against her will, he's prepared for danger, but not for the bloodshed and bizarre events he encounters. Violence is extensive and very gory. Characters are killed and severely wounded in excruciatingly detailed scenes using all manner of weaponry and torture, including, but not limited to, stabbing, impaling, hanging, burning, gunfire, and savage beatings. Grotesque human-like creatures (some mystical) are ferocious and lethal. The film is an almost nonstop blood bath, with suffering and fear heightened to extremes. Participants are often covered in blood and sometimes waste. Some mild profanity is heard: "harlot," "whore," "Jesus Christ." The hero is shown to have a reliance on a liquid drug that he ingests using an eyedropper. Alcohol is consumed; a character smokes cigarettes. A young couple, fully clothed, is shown having sexual intercourse. The young woman is later spied upon as she uses a mirror to try to determine if she's pregnant. Not for kids. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (5)
Kids say (14)

Based on 5 parent reviews

Great, but a little violent movie.

Don't get the hype..., what's the story.

Having been through his own travails in a far-off place, Thomas Richardson ( Dan Stevens ) sets out to rescue his sister who is being held captive by a religious cult in APOSTLE. It's 1905, and the island that the cult inhabits holds innumerable dangers, not the least of which is the group's religious leader, Prophet Malcolm ( Michael Sheen ). Thomas infiltrates the group. Malcolm is holding his sister for ransom and is aware that an imposter is among the newly arrived cult members. He does all within his power to ferret out the identity of the deceiver. Thomas' presence endangers other members of the group as the cult leaders kill and torture with impunity. After he blackmails a young cult member who has his own secrets, the situation worsens. What began as a treacherous task for Thomas becomes something even worse as he discovers deeper, darker secrets on the island.

Is It Any Good?

With his complex tale, driven by an exhaustive onslaught of violence and gore, Welsh writer-director Gareth Evans is considered a filmmaker to watch; it's true, but only if you have a strong stomach. Apostle is down, dirty, and grisly from start to finish. And the movie is two hours and 10 minutes long. There are twists and turns in the plot, mostly delivered by knives and spears. It would be difficult to even count the number of folks impaled and then kept on-screen to writhe as they expire. You may think you've seen the most appalling and ghastly of events, but another is only moments away. Apostle is a dark film, in content and in look, with a cast of good actors who may have relished their immersion in blood and guts. It's not certain which audiences will. Absolutely not for kids.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the violence in Apostle . Many horror films are intended primarily to scare viewers, and keep much of the blood and gore offscreen. This film revels in showing the killings in detail. When is violence excessive? How can you decide how much is too much? Why is it important to be aware of the impact of violence on kids ?

For what audience(s) do you think writer-director Gareth Evans intended this movie? Do you like to be scared? How do you feel about the "ewww" factor in filmmaking? What is there about movies with so much graphic violence that people enjoy?

When asked why he chose to play Lex Luthor in Superman , actor Gene Hackman is said to have answered, "You mean besides the two million dollars?" Have you ever wondered why actors choose particular roles? What are some of the reasons they might accept them (e.g., a great story or screenplay, relationships with filmmakers, a waning career)?

What is a "cult"? In Apostle , the cult is a religious one. This movie is set in 1905. What kinds of cults still exist today? What do you think might lead someone to abandon their independence and rely on a dominant leader?

Movie Details

On DVD or streaming : October 12, 2018
Cast : Dan Stevens , Michael Sheen , Lucy Boynton
Director : Gareth Evans
Inclusion Information : Female actors
Studio : Netflix
Genre : Horror
Topics : Magic and Fantasy
Run time : 130 minutes
MPAA rating : NR
Last updated : February 18, 2023

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Apostle review: A clever premise weighed down by aggressive violence

By john dotson | oct 14, 2018.

Apostle on Netflix, photo credit: Warren Orchard via Netflix Media Center

The horrific film Apostle starring Dan Stevens is a violent thrill fest involving a sadistic cult. Does the flinch-worthy violence outweigh its inventive premise?

Director Gareth Evans is no stranger to executing stylish takes on action films as well as horror. While he is mostly known for The Raid films, he also made one of the best horror segments in the 2013 sequel V/H/S 2 . That segment titled “Safe Haven” also involved a cult and on its own was one of the best things for the horror genre that year. With Apostle , we see Evans exploring the same idea of nightmarish cults but in a period piece.

The film stars Dan Stevens as Thomas Richardson, who is a troubled man who has been tasked to save his sister who was kidnapped by a religious cult. When we first meet Thomas, there are a lot of unspoken mysteries that involve pain that can be read in his eyes. He is constantly on a drug that isn’t explained whether it’s for medicinal use or for drug abuse– most likely the latter. Thomas has to sneak his way into this cult which is on a remote island. Once he gets there, the rescue mission is way more bizarre than he planned.

From here, things get insanely twisted. The cult knows that a trespasser is on the island but they are not aware it’s him. The town folk leaves jars of blood outside their doors at night. The town worships an alleged sea goddess and well, it gets crazier than this but revealing more would ruin a lot of surprises the film holds and many of them are quite shocking.

One of the best things about the work of Gareth Evans is his ability to establish an intensity in tone. In Apostle, the combined mixup of Mike Flannery’s cinematography and the score of Aria Prayogi and Fajar Yuskemal, give the feeling of the film an unnerving shrill composition, almost like watching someone try to keep their cool while someone scrapes nails on a chalkboard.

Overall Thoughts

Still, there’s a lot to enjoy about Apostle and it’s nothing like anything out there currently for horror fans. If you enjoyed Mandy as much as I did, then I’m sure you’ll find plenty to sink your teeth into with this movie. It takes a lot of turns that will keep you on edge at almost every second and the finale is ruthlessly nail-biting. As long as you have a stamina for intense flinch-inducing violence then brace yourself for another rollercoaster ride from Gareth Evans.

Apostle is now on Netflix.

Den of Geek

Apostle: The Influences of Gareth Evans Netflix Horror Movie

Gareth Evans' new horror movie is streaming on Netflix, and he tells us about what went into the making of Apostle.

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Gareth Evans hit the film industry like a freight train. No one saw The Raid coming, and it forever changed the landscape of action films to come. Even if you have not seen the film or its sequel, which was also helmed by Evans, you have seen the effects of its impact in other films from the latter entries in the Fast and Furious franchise to John Wick .

For his first feature length film since The Raid 2 , Evans switched gears a little and made a mystery/horror film for Netflix, Apostle. The film follows Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) as he attempts to rescue his sister from the clutches of megalomaniac Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen), who is holding her for ransom, in hopes of helping fund his fringe religious group on a secluded island which the British Empire is trying to shut down.

Premiering this month of Netflix , Apostle is a beautifully shot rollercoaster ride that will shock and thrill viewers from start to finish. We sat down with the Gareth when the film premiered at this year’s Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas to discuss the film and its influence.

Den of Geek: Netflix puts a lot of great things out there that are pushing the boundaries, but did you at anytime think while you were putting this film together that, “They’re not going to let me do this?”

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Gareth Evans: Weirdly, they were on board so early on in the process and I don’t want to sound like I’m just preaching on their behalf, but it was such a perfect collaboration, because they didn’t really tell me what the limits were on anything. I was able to go off and explore, create my vision, and they were behind that vision so early on. It was supportive all the way throughout. But yeah, there were moments that we would screen something for them and we would think, “…hope they’re ok with this.” Though, nothing got flagged up, and that kind of creative freedom was really, really rewarding; it was great.

further reading: The Best Horror Movies on Netflix

It’s a beautiful looking film too, and you came out there right off the bat with that opening shot. Was there a part of you that wanted people to understand that you’re not just the hand held guy running around with a camera?

A little bit of that. This was such a different film from The Raid and The Raid 2 and I knew there was a level of expectation going in where I’m seen as “The Action Guy.” And that’s fine! I’m very blessed to be within this industry, first and foremost, to make those films. I’ve had such a wide varied interest in films since I was a child, so I always wanted to try different things and explore different types of genres, and this is one I really wanted to try. In a way, it was slightly a conscious decision to have the more classical composition, specifically in the beginning of the film. It drip feeds, for a little while. You get little nuggets of information here and there before it gets to a point where it escalates and concludes the way it does. That is where you will see some of the DNA of the style we might have done in The Raid and The Raid 2 .

What other kinds of influences were there, because I can’t help to start thinking a little bit of The Wicker Man . The masked minions also kind of gave me a bit of a Resident Evil vibe.

Wicker Man is a definite leaping off point, without a doubt. All of that British folk horror was such a massive part of the DNA of this film. I looked at things like, The Witchfinder General , as well. Those kind of, key set piece moments in that genre of film making is what we wanted to achieve in our film as well; for instance in sections like the Heathen’s Stand sequence. The Ken Russell film The Devils , though, was probably the biggest influence for me on this I had kind of dismissed it for awhile, because as a child I had seen all these documentaries on censorship, and all they would show was the extremity of them film. So when I finally got to see the movie, I got to see what was beneath it all and what was going on in the full cut of that film, and it was such an astonishing piece of work.

Screen Rant

Apostle's ending explained.

In Gareth Evans' new Netflix horror film, Dan Stevens plays a man seeking to rescue his sister from a religious cult on a remote island.

Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Apostle

Apostle 's ending is not for the faint of heart - and it's even darker after we've explained it. In Gareth Evans' new Netflix horror film, Dan Stevens plays Thomas Richardson, a tormented man who goes to rescue his sister from a religious cult located on a remote island. Led by a self-proclaimed prophet called Malcolm (Michael Sheen), the cult worships a mysterious deity who lives on the island, but failing harvests and stillborn livestock have pushed their resources to breaking point.

In Apostle , Thomas begins covertly searching the island and learning about its dark secrets. Meanwhile, devoted young couple Jeremy (Bill Milner) and Ffion (Kristine Froseth) try to find a way to be together underneath the strict tenets of the cult - an effort that ends in tragedy and sparks discord between the settlement's founders.

Related: Watch The Trailer For Apostle

As Thomas searches for a way to free his sister, chaos escalates and we careen towards Apostle 's ending. Let's breakdown the movie's weird mythology, the god at the heart of Erisden, and how the movie ends.

This Page: The God of Erisden and Ritual Sacrifices
Page 2: Apostle's Ending and What It Means

The God Of Erisden In Apostle Explained

Referred to only as "Her" in Apostle 's end credits, the god appears as a pale-skinned woman with a hunger for flesh and blood. When the founders of the cult - Malcolm, Frank (Paul Higgins), and Quinn (Mark Lewis Jones) - arrived on the island after fleeing persecution for their beliefs, Quinn discovered cave paintings on the island that revealed the nature of the god and how she "works." The paintings are marked with the word "Exodus" - a reference to the book of the Bible in which Moses leads his people out of slavery to the promised land. It's unclear who made these paintings, but the implication is that the people of Erisden are not the first to come to the island and worship this god.

Throughout Apostle , paintings show the god being worshipped atop a fire and given sacrificial offerings in exchange for bountiful harvests, but the three men perverted this ritual by keeping the god a prisoner and force-feeding her with a funnel, essentially treating her like a "machine." As a result, the island's harvests have become poisoned and their animals cannot have live births, pushing the community to the brink of starvation. Believing that the problem is the nature of the sacrifices (rather than how they are offered), Malcolm has begun offering her human blood instead of animal blood, but Quinn believes that they need to start sacrificing people in order to satiate her.

The god appears to have two forms: one which is held prisoner in a barn and force-fed blood and entrails, and another that wanders the island in search of food, but has been rendered weak by captivity. Early in the film we see that the cult has a ritual practice of bloodletting, with each of the devotees filling a jar with their blood and placing it outside their bedroom doors at night as an offering to the god. When Thomas accidentally cuts his finger and spills a few drops of blood, the god appears beneath the floorboards, desperately trying to lap up a few drops of blood. The god in the barn is administered to by a creature called the Grinder, whose face is covered by a wicker helmet.

Thomas first encounters the god in her second form as she pursues him through a sewer filled with gore that leads out into the cave with the paintings, and is understandably terrified by her. However, by the end of the film the two of them have entered into a strange alliance.

Page 2: Apostle's Ending And What It Means

How apostle ends.

And so we get to Apostle 's ending. After a failed attempt to free his sister, Thomas wakes up in the barn to discover that the Grinder has hooked him up (literally) to a terrible machine designed for grinding meat for the god. As the Grinder turns a crank, Thomas is drawn into the machine, and eventually the fingers of one of his hands are crushed in it. However, this offers him an opportunity for escape, and he is able to free himself and kill the Grinder.

Thomas approaches the god, who smiles at him and says in a strange language, "How I've waited for you, my son." He falls to his knees in front of her and she takes hold of his head, with small thorns protruding from her fingertips and penetrating his temples. When Thomas opens his eyes again they are pale, like hers, indicating that he has become her thrall. She then instructs him to free her, so he takes a lantern and throws it into the dry wood of the bed where she's imprisoned, engulfing her in flames - just like the painting in the cave. The fire spreads rapidly through the plants that connect her prison to the rest of the island, and the entire settlement begins to go up in flames. The god's other form slaughters Malcolm's guards in the woods, impaling them on trees.

Related: Here Are The Best TV Shows And Movies Coming To Netflix In October 2018

Meanwhile, Quinn has captured Thomas' sister Jennifer (Elen Rhys) and Malcom's daughter Andrea (Lucy Boynton), and has revealed his disgusting plan: to keep them as his personal sex slaves, and feed the children they bear to the god in exchange for the island's restoration. Thomas arrives on the scene and a fight with Quinn ensues, in which Thomas is mortally wounded. Jennifer and Andrea manage to get a chain around Quinn's neck, and they use it to drag him across the ground as Thomas keeps hold of the knife in Quinn's chest - disemboweling him.

The rest of the cult's followers have fled to the boats on the shoreline, so Thomas, Jennifer and Andrea flee the burning settlement to join them. However, Thomas grows weaker and weaker from blood loss, and eventually collapses next to a tree on the hilltop. He tells the women to go on without him, and after a tearful goodbye, they do so. As they catch up to the final rowboat, a scream comes from island and a portion of the cliff explodes in a torrent of fire and blood. Andrea breaks down in tears as they depart.

On the cliff, Thomas is bleeding out when Malcolm - wounded in the shoulder after being shot by Quinn - approaches. Together, they watch the ship carrying the cult's followers begin to sail away from the island. Thomas looks down and sees that where the blood dripping from the stump of his fingers is soaking into the soil, a plant is rapidly growing. He looks up at Malcolm, who smiles at him in quiet acceptance.

Then things get a little stranger (even for a film where a group of cultists make ritual sacrifices to an imprisoned god). Thomas falls back onto the grass, and vines grow up out of the ground around him. They pierce his neck and face and begin crawling underneath his skin, and his eyes turn glassy and strange. We once again hear the god say, in her language, "How I've waited for you, my son," and then the credits roll. It's not made explicit, but the implication is that Thomas has now become a vessel for the god, and will live on in a similar form.

More: Read Screen Rant's Review of Apostle

Apostle is available now on Netflix.

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Apostle movie review: Netflix’s new horror film isn’t afraid of getting kooky

Apostle movie review: from gareth evans, director of the raid, here’s another addition to netflix’s fantastic roster of horror films, starring dan stevens, michael sheen. rating: 3.5/5..

Apostle movie review: Dan Stevens and Michael Sheen test each other’s faith in Gareth Evans’ new film.

To his credit, director Gareth Evans has made a conscious - and rather brave - choice to not repeat himself in Apostle, his first film since his breakout one-two punch, The Raid and its sequel, Berandal. Aside from a couple of muddy fisticuffs, Apostle is a great tonal, stylistic and narrative leap for the filmmaker, known for his flamboyant camerawork and fluid action.

For starters, Apostle is a dense horror-fantasy in the vein of the cult British film, The Wicker Man (not the ridiculous remake starring Nicolas Cage) and director Ben Wheatley’s Kill List - a departure from the martial arts mania of his Raid movies. It’s more sprawling in its scope - despite the claustrophobia of being set on an island - and more layered in its world-building.

This isn’t to say that Apostle is a flawless victory - far from it, in fact - but it’s a worthy (and necessary) stepping stone for a filmmaker who will only move up the ranks in the years to come.

Watch the Apostle trailer here

The year is 1905 and Dan Stevens plays former missionary Thomas Richardson, who goes on a covert mission to rescue his sister from the clutches of a mysterious cult that has confined itself to an island off the coast of England. Led by the firebrand Prophet Malcolm Howe, played by Michael Sheen, the cult prides itself on its independence from the mainland.

Howe, along with two other convicts, had washed ashore years ago, and discovered the island’s mysterious regenerative properties. Without going into too much detail about the backstory - part of the film’s fun is discovering just how kooky it’s willing to get - Howe exploited these almost magical qualities with a mixture of some old-fashioned witchcraft and his natural charisma, and established a self-sustaining community.

Michael Sheen plays the leader of a cult in Netflix’s Apostle.

Sheen, an actor who has done everything from shoddy B-movie franchises to Oscar-nominated classics, plays Prophet Howe with less of a sinister edge than you’d imagine. He cranks up his natural Welsh accent - an accent Tom Hardy once said he admired for its ‘mellifluous gentleness’ - to almost comical levels. This makes his character seem more like a particularly passionate farmer than a radical leader of a cult.

Stevens, meanwhile, has that Ryan Gosling quality of being very difficult to pin down; he’s just as capable of playing psychopaths - consider The Guest a major recommendation - and Jude Law-esque heartthrobs. In Apostle, he makes what could have been a fairly run-of-the-mill character - we’ve seen several films about cult breakouts - into an altogether more mysterious, and more meaningful person. His struggles with faith are cruelly emphasised in an environment that is as harmful to him as a bar would be to an alcoholic.

Dan Stevens in a still from Netflix’s Apostle.

Horror, more than any other genre, tends to be subjective. What scares one person might be funny to another. For horror to truly take effect, there has to be an almost mystical synthesis of several factors - the environment in which the film is being watched, the willingness of the viewer to submit, and whether or not they’re open to revealing their personal demons. Everyone has a tipping point, and Apostle breaches many thresholds, which makes it a rather foolproof experience - whether you’re paranoid about cults, or vulnerable to the sight of blood, Evans has made multiple horror films in one. He’s aided by opulent visuals, detailed production design, and a score that sounds like a thousand banshees wailing in painful unison.

He also finds time for religious critique - the cultists are essentially pagans - and for subtle feminism - the islanders worship a literal goddess, and the film’s female characters tend to be more resourceful than the bull-headed men.

We’ve been distracted by the Summer of Love, but as with last year, a fantastic selection of horror has been released on Netflix in time for Halloween. With this, Hold the Dark and the terrific series The Haunting of Hill House, we’re all set.

Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @RohanNaahar

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The 10 Best Dan Stevens Movies, Ranked

He really is the Lion of Love.

Dan Stevens has been on the scene for quite some time now and has slowly crafted an impressive and rich career in both film and television. Stevens first rose to prominence for his performance as the humble and noble Matthew Crawley , a fan-favorite character, in the drama series Downton Abbey . The show cemented him as an exciting up-and-coming actor until his departure in 2012.

Since then, Stevens has starred in other shows, most notably the underrated gem that is Legion , and cemented himself as a rising movie star in both leading and supporting roles. Stevens is an actor who continues to surprise and delight with his work, and when he shows up in a movie, viewers can expect him to always deliver. From playing Disney princes to leading intense horror vehicles, Stevens’s filmography has something for everybody, and these are his best movies .

10 ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (2017)

Directed by bill condon.

In 2017, Disney released the live-action remake of one of their most beloved animated movies ever, Beauty and the Beast . This tale as old as time tells the story of Belle ( Emma Watson ), who takes her father’s place as the prisoner of a fearsome beast. Eventually, she discovers he is a prince who has been cursed and develops a close bond with him and the enchanted inhabitants of his castle.

Stevens plays the leading role of Beast alongside Watson’s Belle, and they make for a magical pair. However, one would be forgiven for not recognizing Stevens, as his beastly appearance and performance are brought to life using motion-capture technology. Beauty and the Beast is Steven's most high-profile role to date , and he brings the perfect amount of angst and charm to Beast. While it’s difficult to top the original Beauty and the Beast , this remake offers a visually stunning and enchanting watch.

Beauty and the Beast

*Availability in US

Not available

9 ‘The Sea Beast’ (2022)

Directed by chris williams.

Another Stevens movie with the word "beast" in the title, The Sea Beast is a charming animated adventure movie, perfect for the whole family and streaming on Netflix. The film is set in a fantastical world where monsters roam the sea and are hunted by heroes like Jacob Holland ( Karl Urban ). When a young girl named Maisie ( Zaris Angel-Hator ) stows away on the legendary hunter’s ship, they embark on a journey across the ocean to find the Red Bluster.

The Sea Beast is beautiful and vibrant, full of lush colors, dynamic voice performances, and kinetic sequences.

Stevens voices antagonist Admiral Hornagold, the captain of The Imperator, a rival vessel also hunting the creature. He brings the perfect amount of villainy to his vocal performance , adopting a stern and posh yet intimidating tone to inject life into this reprehensible character. Although it lacks the same name recognition as other animated efforts, The Sea Beast is beautiful and vibrant, full of lush colors, dynamic voice performances, and kinetic sequences. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, cementing its place among Netflix's best original animated movies .

Watch on Netflix

8 ‘The Rental’ (2020)

Directed by dave franco.

The Rental is a tight and thrilling horror film and the directorial debut of actor Dave Franco . In the film, two couples rent a seaside vacation house for the weekend and are led to believe the caretaker is spying on them. Shocking revelations come to life, and friendships are torn apart as something sinister and evil lurks beyond.

Stevens plays Charlie, who is married to Michelle ( Alison Brie ). Charlie has quite the secret from his wife and brother Josh ( Jeremy Allen White ), and what starts as a nerve-wracking examination of paranoia turns into a full-out slasher flick that has a memorably chilling ending. With a runtime of under ninety minutes, The Rental is a slow burn that comes to a dramatic and violent climax . Stevens is a compelling lead, walking a fine line between light and dark and keeping things intriguing and appropriately confusing.

7 ‘Colossal’ (2016)

Directed by nacho vigalondo.

Move over, Godzilla; there’s another kaiju in town in the quirky sci-fi comedy Colossal . Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway plays Gloria, an out-of-work party girl forced to return to her hometown when her boyfriend, Tim (Stevens), breaks up with her. When there are reports of a giant monster destroying Seoul, Gloria realizes that she is connected to the creature and can remotely control its actions.

Stevens’ role as Gloria’s ex is small but meaningful . Still, this is really Anne Hathaway’s movie, and she steals the show with a comedic and unhinged performance. The film also stars Ted Lasso ’s Jason Sudeikis , as well as Austin Stowell and Tim Blake Nelson . Colossal is a strange, quirky, and deliberately absurd ride, using its bizarre premise to explore themes of toxic masculinity and trauma. However, it is a rewarding and quite hilarious experience for those willing to take the journey.

6 ‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’ (2017)

Directed by bharat nalluri.

Charles Dickens ’s A Christmas Carol is one of the most famous stories of all time and has been adapted for the screen on numerous occasions. However, The Man Who Invented Christmas offers a new take on the novel, following Dickens (Stevens) and his process while writing the story. A failed author at the time, Dickens is visited by characters from A Christmas Carol that he later writes into existence, including Ebenezer Scrooge ( Christopher Plummer ).

The Man Who Invented Christmas is a must-watch, bringing creativity, whimsy and magic to an already beloved story.

For fans of A Christmas Carol and Christmas movies in general, The Man Who Invented Christmas is a must-watch, bringing creativity, whimsy and magic to an already beloved story. Stevens offers an entertaining and charming version of one of literature's best-known names , exploiting the lack of insights into Dickens' personal life to craft an unexpectedly revealing glimpse into the mind of a genius. For his part, Oscar-winner Christopher Plummer also makes for a memorable Scrooge. The Man Who Invented Christmas is a worthy addition to the countless holiday efforts that come out each year, proving some stories are truly timeless.

Watch on Amazon

5 ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’ (2020)

Directed by david dobkin.

Stevens shows off his comedic and silly side in the hilarious Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga alongside Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams . The film follows Lars (Ferrell) and Sigrit (McAdams), two aspiring musicians who receive the chance to represent their country in the famous Eurovision Song Contest. Rival musicians and high stakes test their bond, but the pair proves their dream is worth fighting for.

Stevens plays the larger-than-life and seductive Alexander Lemtov, who is from Russia and is the favorite to win the competition. He is extremely confident and flirty with Sigrit, which causes a rift between her and Lars. Stevens’ camp and charismatic performance is utterly entertaining , as well as his epic musical performance of the original song “Lion of Love." Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga 's strength relies on the earnest admiration everyone in the production has for the titular show, resulting in an absurd yet heartwarming comedy that is among Netflix's best .

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

4 ‘marshall’ (2017), directed by reginald hudlin.

Stevens stars alongside the late great Chadwick Boseman in the 2017 biopic Marshall . The film follows lawyer Thurgood Marshall (Boseman), who eventually became the first Black Supreme Court Justice. He takes on a case defending Joseph Spell ( Sterling K. Brown ), a Black man accused of raping wealthy white society woman Eleanor Strubing ( Kate Hudson ). Stevens portrays Lorin Willis, an attorney for the state of Connecticut.

Marshall is a tribute to the titular lawyer’s trailblazing career and his fight for racial justice in America. It is an inspiring and timely film, as well as a compelling court drama. Stevens is a compelling presence in the film despite playing an effectively antagonistic role. Joined by Josh Gad , Brown, and Hudson, the ensemble supports Boseman’s winning lead performance, proving that Black Panther isn’t the only superhero in Boseman's career.

3 ‘Apostle’ (2018)

Directed by gareth evans.

One of the most intense and demanding performances of Stevens' career so far is in Netflix’s gothic folk horror flick Apostle . Set in the early twentieth century, the story follows Thomas Richardson (Stevens), who travels to a secluded island to rescue his kidnapped sister ( Elen Rhys ) from a fanatic religious cult. Richardson digs deep and uncovers the secrets and lies of the mainland society the cult is built upon and discovers something far more sinister.

Eerie and dominated by an unsettling atmosphere, Apostle is genuinely frightening and disturbing , building up a sense of dread instead of relying on cheap jump scares. It is still blood-filled and oppressively dark, with Stevens delivering a commanding central performance that makes the harrowing visuals all the more impactful. Apostle is brutal, bold, and violent, a terrifying tour de force not for the faint of heart and one of the best folk horror movies in recent memory.

2 ‘I’m Your Man’ (2021)

Directed by maria schrader.

In a world where artificial intelligence continues its unstoppable rise, the brilliant sci-fi romance I’m Your Man feels more relevant than ever. The German-language film follows Alma ( Maren Eggert ), a scientist who agrees to participate in a study to get funding for her research. For three weeks, she must live with a humanoid robot designed to be her perfect romantic match. Stevens plays Tom, who is tailored to Alma’s personality and every need.

It wouldn't be an overstatement to say Stevens delivers his most emotionally affecting performance in I'm Your Man . Despite playing a robot, Stevens adds charm and humor to his performance in a film that examines relationships and what it means to be human . I’m Your Man is a truly original and unique movie that offers thoughtful social commentary and will start timely discussions about where technology is headed.

I'm Your Man

1 ‘the guest’ (2014), directed by adam wingard.

The first major movie role of Stevens that really captured the attention of fans was the mysterious thriller The Guest . The story follows the Peterson family, who are grieving their son, who died while serving in action. A fellow soldier named David (Stevens) shows up at their doorstep claiming he knew their son, and is welcomed into their home. Soon after, a series of mysterious deaths occur in their town, and daughter Anna ( Maika Monroe ) believes that David is somehow connected to them.

The Guest really showcases Stevens’ range as an actor , as he plays this creepy and psychopathic character with perfect believability. It is his strongest performance to date, allowing him to go through a wide range of emotions while remaining sinister and commanding. The Guest has the perfect mix of dark thrills and action that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats, offering intriguing and thought-provoking ideas without sacrificing the entertainment value.

NEXT: The Best Thrillers of the 21st Century (So Far)

The Best Religious Horror Movies Of All-Time, Ranked

Some of the most frightening horror movies of all time are the ones steeped in heavy religious undertones. Whether it's ceremonial rites, dogma, or creepy cults, there's something about all the intricate symbols and repressed guilt of religious doctrine that fits perfectly with the concept of terror.

Horror movies are uniquely capable of captivating their audience with a powerful blend of spirituality and scares. From demonic possessions to apocalyptic visions, many films have delved into the darkest corners of religious belief, challenging their audience's perception of both the divine and the diabolical through their spine-tingling impact.

25 Best Horror Movies Created in the Last 5 Years

The devils is one of the most controversial horror films ever made.

Often noted as one of the most controversial films ever made, Ken Russell's The Devils is a film that every horror fan should experience at least once. Based on the Aldous Huxley book The Devils of Loudun , Russell's subversive, extravagant, and seductive film centers around a witch-hunt against a 17th-century priest (played by Oliver Reed) who is accused of witchcraft because so many people are obsessed with him.

More of an exploration of hysteria and abuse than straight-up horror, The Devils nonetheless contained a ton of Ken Russell's trademarked excess, featuring a series of scenes in which a Catholic inquisitor tortures nuns into sacrilegious ecstasy and sexual madness. The film was so extreme that it was initially censored and given an "X" rating. Over fifty years later, it remains one of cinema's most outstanding examples of realistic terror.

The Omen Taps into Fears of Faith and Parenting

Mysterious deaths surround an American ambassador. Could the child that he is raising actually be the Antichrist? The Devil's own son?

Director Richard Donner

Release Date June 25, 1976

Studio 20th Century Fox

Cast Harvey Stephens, Lee Remick, gregory peck

Runtime 111 minutes

Genres Supernatural, Horror

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The Omen takes place in the eerie underbelly of Rome, where U.S. diplomat Robert Thorn and his wife face a tragic twist of fate: their recent pregnancy ended in a stillbirth. Afterward, a sinister swap unfolds when the hospital chaplain switches their baby with that of another woman. Five years later, a series of mysterious tragedies commences, all centered around Thorn's strange son, Damien . From a deadly hellhound to a homicidal nanny, all of these unusual occurrences eventually result in a frightening revelation — Damian is the Antichrist.

Directed by Richard Donner, The Omen weaves a tapestry of dread and disbelief while also becoming a classic example of the original film in a horror movie franchise being unquestionably better than any sequel or remake to follow. Starring Hollywood icons like Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, this bone-chilling movie rightly earned Damien a permanent spot in horror film history.

The Sacrament Shines a Spotlight on Religious Extremism

The Sacrament is a 2013 found-footage horror flick that turns its POV lens toward the cult lifestyle . The premise is simple: two journalists accompany a man to the community of Eden Parish so that he can convince his sister to leave. When they get there, it becomes painfully apparent that the group's leader, known simply as Father, has trapped the community in a web of lies, violence, and terror.

With its parallels to the 1978 Jonestown Massacre, The Sacrament cuts to the heart of what makes people put their faith in cults, religious extremism, and the danger of puritanically blind faith. Director Ti West masterfully created an atmospheric film full of dread and tension counterbalanced by a powerful representation of the never-ending struggle between good and evil.

The Exorcist III Was Nearly as Good as the Original

People don't talk much about Exorcist II: The Heretic , and for good reason — it's pretty awful. Unfortunately, people also fail to mention The Exorcist III , which, ironically enough, is something of a sin because it might be one of the absolute best horror films ever made. Building upon the first film's legacy, The Exorcist III explores the dark world of demonic possession through an eerie story of a vengeful spirit seeking revenge.

Considering The Exorcist III's many behind-the-scenes problems, including extensive studio-mandated reshoots, it's pretty remarkable that the film turned out as well as it did and even featured one of the absolute best jump scares committed to celluloid . The fact that the film wasn't afraid to ask tough questions about selflessness, devotion, and religious piety ensured its legacy, even if it's still often overshadowed by its groundbreaking predecessor.

Apostle Visualized the Abyss of Human Depravity

Main Genre Horror

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Apostle follows the story of a former missionary who infiltrates a remote island controlled by a sinister cult to rescue his kidnapped sister. Thanks to the film's evocative visual style, the terrible secrets that lie at the heart of this cult are slowly revealed with a dark and foreboding tone that occasionally erupts into graphic violence. In many ways the kind fans would probably expect from a horror film directed by Gareth Evans, the same man who created The Raid .

Due to its thought-provoking exploration of religious extremism, Apostle unfolds like a nightmare painted in blood. With its haunting atmosphere and unflinching tone, Apostle emerged as a spine-tingling masterpiece and rightfully earned its place as one of Netflix's most acclaimed originals while never compromising on its vision of exploring the abyss of human depravity.

Prince of Darkness Found the Perfect Cross-Section of Science and Faith

Prince of darkness.

A group of graduate students and scientists uncover an ancient canister in an abandoned church, but when they open the container, they inadvertently unleash a strange liquid and an evil force on all humanity.

Director John Carpenter

Release Date October 23, 1987

Cast Susan Blanchard, Lisa Blount, Jameson Parker, Donald Pleasence, Victor Wong

Runtime 1 hour 42 minutes

Genres Supernatural

John Carpenter is a horror film maestro, so it only makes sense that his often-overlooked classic, Prince of Darkness , is still a hit with fans. The film's premise is out of this world, masterfully combining science fiction and apocalyptic religious horror elements. It featured a group of researchers who discovered an ancient canister of malevolent liquid that embodied Satan himself.

In Prince of Darkness , a Catholic priest (played by Donald Pleasance) enlists the help of quantum physics students who soon become possessed and start murdering one another. The most interesting part of the film is the idea at the heart of its narrative — namely that science and religion are two different ways of interpreting the same phenomenon. John Carpenter's expert use of tension and trippy visuals in Prince of Darkness pushed the boundaries of what religious horror films were capable of.

Mother! Found a Way to Make Everyone Uncomfortable

A couple's relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.

Director Darren Aronofsky

Release Date September 13, 2017

Cast Ed Harris, Brian Gleeson, Domhnall Gleeson, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Pfeiffer, Javier Bardem

Runtime 115 minutes

Genres Drama, Mystery, Documentary, Horror

Writers Darren Aronofsky

Main Genre Drama

Despite a somewhat controversial reception, Darren Aronofsky's Mother! is a thought-provoking exploration of the darker side of faith. Its surreal and nightmarish narrative explores themes of creation, destruction, and the nature of divinity through the story of a young woman who finds her perfect existence disrupted by the arrival of a strange couple and their legion of devoted followers.

Thanks to the film's evocative visual style , Mother! culminates with an unforgettable descent into chaos and madness, brought to vivid life by Jennifer Lawrence's devastating performance. While some might find Mother! and its messaging offputting, those audience members willing to get uncomfortable will be rewarded with a film that pushes the boundaries of traditional religious horror cinema.

The Witch Showcases the Dark Side of Family

A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.

Director Robert Eggers

Release Date February 19, 2016

Cast Anya Taylor-Joy

Runtime 92 minutes

Genres Horror

Distributor(s) A24

Set in 17th-century New England, Robert Egger's The Witch follows an isolated family falling prey to paranoia and religious fervor. After her baby sister goes missing, the teenage Thomasin finds herself being blamed for her disappearance by her puritanical parents, even though her eerie twin siblings and a billygoat named Black Phillip seem to know much more about what's happening than she does.

An absolute masterclass in style, costume, and framing, watching The Witch is like experiencing a painting come to life. The incredibly oppressive atmosphere that Robert Eggers cultivates effectively allows the audience to feel the suffocating presence of the family's strict religious beliefs , serving as a powerful reminder of the destructive potential of unchecked religious devotion.

The Exorcist Kickstarted the Religious Horror Movie Genre

The exorcist.

When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.

Director William Friedkin

Release Date December 26, 1973

Studio Warner Home Video

Cast Lee J. Cobb, Max Von Sydow, Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn

Runtime 122 minutes

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There's no denying that The Exorcist set the bar for the religious horror genre. In the movie, the demon Pazuzu takes possession of a young girl named Regan, leading to hair-raising occurrences of self-mutilation and some truly expert use of vulgarity. Through it all, Regan has no control over what's happening to her as her body becomes a battleground for the never-ending battle between good and evil — as well as God and the devil.

Known as a notorious perfectionist, director William Friedkin pushed his actors past the limit to create one of the most seemingly realistic horror films ever. The Exorcist's iconic scenes have become lasting images of corruption and sin, turning the film into a touchstone of the genre that pushed the boundaries of terror further than most contemporary horror films could ever dream of.

Midsommar Takes Religious Fervor To Terrifying New Heights

A couple travels to Northern Europe to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.

Director Ari Aster

Release Date July 3, 2019

Studio Paramount - A24

Cast Will Poulter, William Jackson Harper, Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor

Runtime 148 minutes

Midsommar grabs hold of its audience from the very beginning with one of the most haunting and unforgettable opening sequences in modern horror film history. In this section of the film, its main protagonist, Dani, discovers her family's haunting death — a double homicide perpetrated by her sister, who committed suicide immediately after. From there, the film only gets bleaker as Dani, her boyfriend, and a few of his friends travel to Sweden for a midsummer festival, only to find themselves drawn into a neopagan cult with sinister plans for almost all of them .

Even with the horror at the heart of its story, Midsommar's beauty is often beguiling, drawing viewers into a visual kaleidoscope of dread and desire. Underneath the seemingly banal normalcy of the Hårga community lurks one of the most frightening cults ever seen in film, and the questions it raises about faith, community, and grief are all intricately linked to the concept of religion. As the boundaries between sanity and sacrilege blur, Midsommar transcends mere horror by diving deeply into the primal recesses of faith.

The Best Religious Horror Movies Of All-Time, Ranked

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Entertainment

The Absolute Best Horror Movies on Hulu

Here are some highly rated scary films to try.

Hulu is packed with fascinating horror titles. Before we get into a list of the absolute best options on the streaming service, let's cover some worthy alternates.

Hulu is home to David Cronenberg's Crimes of the Future (2022) and Bong Joon-ho's The Host (2022). There's also action flick Shadow in the Cloud (2020), spine-chilling sci-fi Alien (1979) and romance-gone-wrong Fresh (2022). Finally, you should check out The Descent (2005), The Omen (1976) and post-apocalyptic sequel A Quiet Place Part II (2020).

Now on to a roundup of the best horror movies on the streamer. All these films scored higher than 70 on Metacritic.

Hatching (2022)

This Finnish creature movie is plucked straight from your feathery nightmares. The flick introduces Tinja, a 12-year-old girl who discovers a strange egg that hatches into a monstrous bird. The horrendous creature contrasts greatly with her family's expectations of perfection. So it's kind of like a cursed version of E.T. Well, maybe not. You can watch and come to your own conclusions.

Prey (2022)

If you count incredibly capable, invisible killing machines as scary, you may be watching some of the scenes in Prey through your fingers. This addition to the Predator franchise takes place in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago and centers on a young warrior named Naru. Watch this one for a compelling underdog story about a human determinedly fighting against a powerful alien.

The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

For surprises and plenty of nightmare fuel, The Cabin in the Woods is the way to go. The twisty and terrifying horror-comedy introduces a group of unsuspecting college kids, including one played by Chris Hemsworth, who head to a remote cabin for a fun weekend. The first half hour or so is relatively calm, but when the horror show starts, it doesn't let up.

You Are Not My Mother (2021)

You Are Not My Mother is a creepy, slow-burn mystery you'll want to stick with, anchored by a strong central character. The movie introduces Char, a bright teenage girl who's living with her grandmother and mentally ill mother, Angela. Angela disappears, and when she returns, she acts eerily different.

Piggy (2022)

A teenage girl is viciously bullied at a local pool and then happens upon a stranger abducting her three tormentors. This gripping, Spanish-language movie is based on a short film and stars Laura Galán.

Infinity Pool (2023)

Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård star in this disturbing film directed by Brandon Cronenberg (son of horror filmmaker David) about a vacationing couple that ventures outside their island resort and accidentally commits a crime. You won't be able to take your eyes off scream queen Goth, and Succession fans will enjoy more of the talented Skarsgård.

The Babadook (2014)

A seemingly made-up monster creeps more and more into the lives of a single mother and her young son in this critically acclaimed movie. The horror escalates after a haunting storybook turns up. The film is written and directed by Jennifer Kent, who also wrote and directed the 2018 thriller The Nightingale.

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After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they're locked inside with no normal little girl. After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they're locked inside with no normal little girl. After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they're locked inside with no normal little girl.

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
Tyler Gillett
Stephen Shields
Dan Stevens
Kathryn Newton
Giancarlo Esposito
4 User reviews
8 Critic reviews
61 Metascore

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Trivia Angus Cloud 's final role before his passing in July 2023. Although production wasn't completed until months after his death due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Cloud still managed to film all of his scenes before production was shut down.

Abigail : [from trailer] What can I say? I like playing with my food.

Connections Features Pantry Panic (1941)

User reviews 4

Apr 7, 2024

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April 19, 2024 (United States)
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Radio Silence Productions
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Runtime 1 hour 49 minutes

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Review: ‘The First Omen’ plays to the faithful, but more nun fun is to be had elsewhere

Two women look skyward at something ominous.

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“The First Omen,” as it happens, is neither the first “Omen” (1976’s half-loved horror hit ) nor the first “Omen” reboot (a misbegotten 2006 attempt ). It’s not even this spring’s first movie about nuns in trouble and baby bumps in the night; that would be March’s “Immaculate” starring an unbound Sydney Sweeney , a film that compares favorably to this one for being crazier, gorier and ultimately more defiant.

But “The First Omen” does have a certain swagger, like it was the only evil-pregnancy thriller in the world. Let’s credit debuting feature director Arkasha Stevenson (a former photographer for this paper) with the stylishness to pull off a potent sense of atmosphere and the kind of lovely period detail that deep studio pockets can fund but rarely have cause to summon. The movie is set in the seething, hippified Rome of 1971, a shaggy backdrop straight out of Federico Fellini’s “Roma” or, more aptly, Dario Argento ’s post-Manson masterworks “The Bird With the Crystal Plumage” and “Four Flies on Grey Velvet.”

Traipsing into these lushly hued shadows is Margaret (Nell Tiger Free of “Game of Thrones”), a wide-eyed novitiate who is quickly supplied with the type of companions that naive Americans typically get in these movies. There’s a kindly-but-clearly-malevolent mentor, Cardinal Lawrence ( Bill Nighy ), a louche, sexually experienced roommate unlikely to be taking vows anytime soon named Luz (Maria Caballero) and a spooky overseer, Sister Silvia ( Sônia Braga ).

Margaret, it is hoped, will be able to connect to the wayward generation currently protesting in the streets. (“A rejection of authority,” sighs Nighy’s cleric — as scripted by Stevenson, Tim Smith and Keith Thomas, this is a film that often says the quiet part out loud.) But mainly we’re waiting for the creaking, clanking scaffolding mishaps of “Omen” movies of yore: the rooftop suicide leaps and mark-of-the-beast reveals. Those moments do arrive, confidently, in ways that fans will tick off approvingly without ever being wholly traumatized by.

There is a genius at work here, though: the makeup and prosthetics designer Adrien Morot , elsewhere the creator of the vicious robot girl in “M3GAN” and an Oscar winner for “The Whale.” Morot has a gooey ball with these full-to-bursting wombs; one nightmarish image, surely pushing the R-rating to the limit, shows an unlikely clawed digit emerging from where delivery doctors would anticipate a crowned head. (I can’t wait to watch this on a plane.)

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How long will it be before Margaret, teetering around in heels at a disco, suffers a mysterious pregnancy that somehow manifests in weeks, not months? Don’t question “The First Omen” too hard. Its dark magic, such that it works, functions in sensory impressions: the gravelly basso of “ The Witch” star Ralph Ineson’s voice (a special effect in itself) or the choral doom of Jerry Goldsmith’s original score from 1976, revived to fine effect.

The problem, of course, is that you know where this is going. You even know, somehow, that the final word uttered in the film will be a boy’s name, famous to even non-horror fans. A prequel to one of the most conservative movies of the 1970s, “The First Omen” is destined to disappoint anyone hoping for something a little more imaginative. It brings us straight to Gregory Peck’s ambassador, detailing a backstory we never needed in the first place. But it mainly speaks in a language of suspense, not jump scares, and if you ever wanted to spoil an omen with an omen beforehand, it should get you converted for a couple of hours.

'The First Omen'

Rating: R, for violent content, grisly/disturbing images, and brief graphic nudity Nunning time: 2 hours Playing: Now in wide release

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April 12, 2024

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March 20, 2024

Los Angeles, CA - February 20: Actor and producer Sydney Sweeney poses for a portrait ahead of the SXSW premiere of the religious horror-thriller "Immaculate," at Smashbox Studios on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

Sydney Sweeney is in a new horror film. She wants to remind us how dorky she is

March 12, 2024

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Joshua Rothkopf is film editor of the Los Angeles Times. He most recently served as senior movies editor at Entertainment Weekly. Before then, Rothkopf spent 16 years at Time Out New York, where he was film editor and senior film critic. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Sight and Sound, Empire, Rolling Stone and In These Times, where he was chief film critic from 1999 to 2003.

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Abigail Review: This Ballerina Vampire Bloodbath Is A Perfect Horror Movie [Overlook 2024]

Most filmmakers would kill to have a track record like the filmmaking collective known as Radio Silence. Breaking in with the anthology horror films "V/H/S" and "SOUTHBOUND" as well as the found footage flick "Devil's Due," the crew skyrocketed to new heights with the crowd-pleasing horror-comedy favorite "Ready or Not," which more than proved they were capable of taking over the reins for "Scream V" and "Scream VI." Now, collective co-founders Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett are back in their directors' chairs for an original horror story, unleashing the balls-to-the-wall "Abigail," aka "the ballerina vampire movie." The trailer alone had already firmly placed this on my most anticipated films list of 2024, but my deep love of "Ready or Not" meant my expectations were sky-high. And yet, somehow, those wild Radio Silence boys knocked this out of the park and into the stratosphere, crafting arguably their best film yet.

The story is centered on a group of criminals who have enlisted to kidnap and hold the young, ballet-obsessed daughter of a powerfully wealthy man for ransom for 24 hours. What should be a standard get-rich-quick scheme almost immediately turns into a demented bloodbath once they discover that the mansion safehouse they're keeping her in is actually a trap, and this kidnapped child is actually a hungry vampire with a penchant for sardonic one-liners and dancing with decapitated bodies.

With a pitch-perfect ensemble cast, exquisitely timed laugh-out-loud moments of humor, a barrage of twists (or should I say pirouettes?), an unbelievable amount of blood, killer action set pieces, and a downright transcendent performance by one of the best child actors in the game — "Abigail" sets the bar as the most fun you can have with a horror movie of the year. In other words, "Abigail" is horror on pointe.

Draining the blood of The Usual Suspects

Radio Silence struck casting gold with their horror-comedy version of "The Usual Suspects," as handsome jagoff leader Frank (Dan Stevens), empathetic medic Joey (Melissa Barrera), ditzy rich-girl hacker Sammy (Kathryn Newton), lovable lunkhead beefcake Peter (Kevin Durand), stoic lookout sniper Rickles (William Catlett), and disaffected runaway driver Dean ( Angus Cloud, in one of his final roles ) have electric chemistry and play off of one another to brilliant results.

They are brought to the mansion by Giancarlo Esposito's mysterious Lambert, who gives them all code names based on members of The Rat Pack, declaring the miscreants his "pack of rats." Each character beautifully falls into their archetypal role, but their bombastic personalities prevent the film from ever feeling like a stale rehash. We know these characters already, sure, but it's what the actors do with the characters that keep "Abigail" fresh and interesting.

Dan Stevens continues his year of being the weirdest, hottest guy in the cast and makes a feast of his "I Think You Should Leave" inspired character . Melissa Barrera, who served as the leader of Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett's "Scream" series, commands her position as the emotional anchor for the film with ease, but the rest of the cast seems to be taking turns stealing scenes from one another — and I mean that as a compliment. This is a group of people who are so easily detestable, but "Abigail" leaves plenty of room for the audience to get to know them and decide whether to root for their survival or crave this tiny dancer to grand jeté so hard she knocks their head of their shoulder. Even the "worst" people are ones that you love to see on screen, especially when a pint-sized, bloodthirsty terrorist of the undead is having the time of her endless life messing with them.

Alisha Weir is revelatory

"Abigail" does not work without its titular vamp, and the "Matilda the Musical" star is in control of every second of the film's runtime. She effortlessly fluctuates between a precocious little ballerina, a terrified child at the center of a kidnapping, a ruthless killing machine with animalistic rage, and a sarcastic sense of humor with jokes wise beyond her years. This is an exhaustingly demanding role for even the most seasoned actors, and Weir makes it look not just easy, but the must-attend murder party of the year. Watching her face off with Dan Stevens is particularly delightful, especially in one particular scene that had me practically jumping out of my seat. Between "Matilda the Musical" and "Abigail," Weir has shown she's the future of Hollywood as long as the industry keeps giving her these phenomenal roles to sink her fangs into. I honestly cannot imagine another actor in her place, she's that great.

Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett clearly realized the strength of their cast and perfectly paced the film to showcase their strengths. They establish the characters quickly and efficiently, allowing for more room to absolutely tear the roof off the place. If you thought "Ready or Not" was a gory good time at the movies, get ready for "Abigail" to crank things up to 11. And like that film, there's nothing subtle about "Abigail" either. It's as if they heard undisputed horror legend Garth Marenghi say "I know writers who use subtext and they're all cowards," and wore it like a badge of honor. It probably won't work for some people, but this is precisely my favorite flavor of movie.

And that flavor is shouting "HAHAHA, HELL YEAH" at the screen more than once.

A perfect connection to the classic monster

As silly as "vampire ballerina" sounds on paper, this is actually an inventive way to connect "Abigail" to Tod Browning's 1931 Universal Monster movie classic, "Dracula." The main title theme of the film is "Swan Lake, Op. 20, TH.12 / Act 2," which becomes the central sound of "Abigail." Just about every American-made horror movie in the last 100 years can be traced back in some way to the building blocks set by the Universal Monster movies , but this direct throughline only enhances the fun to be had. If Universal Studios isn't already planning a maze for Halloween Horror Nights where people try to survive the mansion while a vampire ballerina chases them, something is seriously wrong with the world.

Traditionally, films that are this delightfully raucous, bloody (and I mean BLOODY), and silly are relegated to B-movie schlock ( not a bad thing, for the record ), but "Abigail" still embraces the excessive and ornate gothic aesthetics of classic horror movies. The result is an old-school vampire movie with modern frisk and flair and an absolute blast of a movie to watch with a crowd. I'm sure there will be plenty who think I'm overhyping the film or exaggerating how good it is, but I honestly wouldn't change a thing. "Abigail" is a perfect horror movie and already one of the best films of 2024. I pinky promise .

/Film Rating: 10 out of 10.

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COMMENTS

Apostle review
Apostle review - exhilarating Netflix horror is a wild, gory surprise. Gareth Evans, director of The Raid, shocks and confounds with an ultra-violent tale of a mad prophet that transforms into ...
Apostle movie review & film summary (2018)
Gareth Evans ' "Apostle," premiering today on Netflix, is an unsettling journey into a very dark corner of the world that may first seem like a radical departure for the man who made the stunt-heavy "The Raid" and its even-crazier sequel. The first hour or so of this ambitious piece of work is designed to slowly bring viewers into a ...
Apostle Review: Bloody Thoughtful Prestige Horror
Ambitious and unsettling, Netflix 's Apostle delivers prestige horror in this early 1900s tale of kidnapping, zealotry, and the perversion of power. Written and directed by Gareth Evan s ...
Apostle (2018) Movie Review
Apostle blends atmospheric storytelling with grisly brutality to mixed results, but makes for an effectively nasty (and bizarre) horror movie overall. Set in the UK circa 1905, Apostle stars Stevens as Thomas Richardson, the disgraced son of a wealthy family who is called upon when his sister Jennifer (Elen Rhys) is kidnapped and held for ...
Apostle Review: Dan Stevens Battles a Cult in Brutal Horror Movie
Haleigh Foutch reviews 'Apostle', the new horror movie from 'The Raid' director Gareth Edwards, starring Dan Stevens as a man on a mission to save his sister from a mysterious cult.
'Apostle' Review: Netflix's New Horror Is a Cut Above Your Regular
October 12, 2018. Warren Orchard/Netflix. Netflix's latest foray into big-time original filmmaking, Gareth Evans's Apostle, will feel familiar to you at first. There've already been ...
Apostle
Apostle. 2018, Horror/Mystery & thriller, 2h 9m. 71 Reviews 1,000+ Ratings ALL CRITICS TOP CRITICS VERIFIED AUDIENCE ALL AUDIENCE. What to know. ... Audience Reviews for Apostle.
APOSTLE Is Folk Horror of the Strangest, Goriest Order (Review)
That movie, Apostle, is eerie and strange like the genre mandates, but with small glimpses of Evans' Raid roots.The tenets of folk horror mandate that God-fearing Christians get caught up with ...
Apostle (2018)
Apostle: A truly savage Horror Film which only falls down on it's excessive running time. Thomas (Dan Stevens) goes to an isolated island to track down his sister who has been abducted by a strange religious cult, they worship She, the Goddess of the Island. The religion was founded by three men who claim to be escaped felons, imprisoned for ...
Netflix's Apostle Review
The movie effectively builds suspense about all this until the final act explodes in a bonkers and thrilling ride that pulls Apostle away from the thriller genre and fully into folk horror.
Apostle (film)
Apostle is a 2018 gothic folk horror film written, directed and edited by Gareth Evans, and starring Dan Stevens, Lucy Boynton, Mark Lewis Jones, Bill Milner, Kristine Froseth, Paul Higgins and Michael Sheen.It had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in September 2018, and began streaming on Netflix on October 12, 2018. The story follows a British man as he attempts to rescue his sister from ...
Apostle Movie Review: Netflix's New Cult Thriller Is a Creepy Ride
Netflix's New Thriller 'Apostle' Is a Wild Ride Into the World of a Bloodthirsty Cult. Dan Stevens makes a great puzzled face, which comes in handy throughout Netflix's brutal, pulverizing ...
Apostle (2018)
Apostle: Directed by Gareth Evans. With Dan Stevens, Richard Elfyn, Paul Higgins, Bill Milner. In 1905, a drifter on a dangerous mission to rescue his kidnapped sister tangles with a sinister religious cult on an isolated island.
Apostle (Movie Review)
Apostle (Movie Review) Luke's rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ Director: Gareth Evans | Release Date: 2018. By Luke on November 05th, 2018. Gareth Evans almost single-handedly recontextualized the mechanics and intensity of the modern action/martial arts film. Then he, with the help of Timo Tjahjanto, left many jaws on the floor with the short form ...
Apostle (2018)
Apostle is a new horror thriller on Netflix with an absolutely brilliant score. This along with the visual style makes the movie better than the actual story does! Apostle is a Netflix horror thriller that takes place mostly on a mysterious island. It feels a bit like Salem during the time when every free-spirited woman was labeled a witch.
REVIEW: Netflix's Apostle Horror Thriller By Gareth Evans
Movie Reviews; REVIEW: Netflix's Apostle Is Ambitious Horror That Falls Short in the End. By Justin Jones Published Sep 28, 2018. Everything about Gareth Evans' period thriller Apostle suggests it could be great, but a poor structure prevents it from quite coming together. Netflix's Apostle has everything it should need to be one of the ...
Apostle Movie Review
Apostle is down, dirty, and grisly from start to finish. And the movie is two hours and 10 minutes long. There are twists and turns in the plot, mostly delivered by knives and spears. It would be difficult to even count the number of folks impaled and then kept on-screen to writhe as they expire.
Apostle review with spoilers: A mixed bag of clever writing and flinch
The horror film Apostle starring Dan Stevens is a violent thrill fest involving a sadistic cult. ... Apostle review: A clever premise weighed down by aggressive violence ... The horrific film ...
Apostle: The Influences of Gareth Evans Netflix Horror Movie
Gareth Evans' new horror movie is streaming on Netflix, and he tells us about what went into the making of Apostle. ... Movies Apostle Review: Bloody Thoughtful Prestige Horror October 15, ...
Apostle Movie Ending Explained
Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Apostle. Apostle's ending is not for the faint of heart - and it's even darker after we've explained it.In Gareth Evans' new Netflix horror film, Dan Stevens plays Thomas Richardson, a tormented man who goes to rescue his sister from a religious cult located on a remote island. Led by a self-proclaimed prophet called Malcolm (Michael Sheen), the cult worships a ...
Apostle movie review: Netflix's new horror film isn't afraid of getting
Apostle movie review: From Gareth Evans, director of The Raid, here's another addition to Netflix's fantastic roster of horror films, starring Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen. Rating: 3.5/5.
Apostle Ending Explained: Director Gareth Evans Unpacks the Chaos
Boy, Gareth Evans sure knows how to mangle some bodies. The Raid and The Raid 2 director brings his talents to the horror genre with Apostle, the new Netflix film that stars Dan Stevens as Thomas ...
What do you think of the movie Apostle (2018) : r/horror
I'm fuzzy on the details but I do remember thinking it meandered a bit too much at certain points, but no other real complaints. I'm a sucker for period-piece horror and while it treaded some familiar territory with the cult, i also remember thinking it did a lot of unique things. solid 7.5/10 in my book.
10 Best Dan Stevens Movies, Ranked
Directed by Dave Franco. Image Via IFC Films. The Rental is a tight and thrilling horror film and the directorial debut of actor Dave Franco. In the film, two couples rent a seaside vacation house ...
The Best Religious Horror Movies Of All-Time, Ranked
The Sacrament. Rotten Tomatoes. 59%. IMDb. 6.5/10. Metacritic. 48%. Exorcist II: The Heretic The Exorcist III The Exorcist III. The Exorcist III's the absolute best jump scares committed to celluloid.
What 2024 Horror Movies are there + where to watch : r/horror
A new spider one is coming to Shudder on April 26 called Infested . It looks awesome and the director was hired to direct the next Evil Dead movie because of this film. Apparently it's a nightmare for ppl who suffer from arachnophobia! So it seems very promising in other words 😅.
The Absolute Best Horror Movies on Hulu
There's also action flick Shadow in the Cloud (2020), spine-chilling sci-fi Alien (1979) and romance-gone-wrong Fresh (2022). Finally, you should check out The Descent (2005), The Omen (1976) and ...
Abigail (2024)
Abigail: Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett. With Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton, Giancarlo Esposito, Matthew Goode. After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they're locked inside with no normal little girl.
'The First Omen' review: A prequel that plays to the faithful
Review: 'The First Omen' plays to the faithful, but more nun fun is to be had elsewhere. Nell Tiger Free, left, and Nicole Sorace in the movie "The First Omen.". "The First Omen," as ...
Abigail Review: This Ballerina Vampire Bloodbath Is A Perfect ...
I'm sure there will be plenty who think I'm overhyping the film or exaggerating how good it is, but I honestly wouldn't change a thing. "Abigail" is a perfect horror movie and already one of the ...

Apostle review – exhilarating Netflix horror is a wild, gory surprise

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