Azrael, the latest from director E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills) and writer Simon Barrett (The Guest, You’re Next), takes the golden rule of showing, not telling, to heart. Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, Scream VI) takes on the title role in this survival horror movie set in a post-Rapture world where speaking is forbidden. It makes […]
Azrael, the latest from director E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills) and writer Simon Barrett (The Guest, You’re Next), takes the golden rule of showing, not telling, to heart. Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, Scream VI) takes on the title role in this survival horror movie set in a post-Rapture world where speaking is forbidden. It makes for a fascinating experiment in dialogue-free horror, where most the world building is left to the viewer to discern amidst minimalist storytelling and propulsive action.
A text card reveals that the Rapture has already happened when we meet Azrael, a terrified woman on the run with her lover (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett). Azrael is terrified and on edge, constantly looking over her shoulder as her lover tries to soothe her. They can’t say what they’re running from, though, as the cross-shaped scars on their throats indicate speaking is an impossibility for either. It doesn’t take long for their cultish persecutors to reveal themselves, though, pummeling both and dragging Azrael against her will to be sacrificed.
But just as her executioner – a burned, bloodthirsty humanoid – arrives, a stroke of determined luck frees Azrael and kickstarts a violent bid for survival.