‘The Holy Boy’ Trailer – Paolo Strippoli Unleashes an Angel’s Vengeance on Shudder this November

Have you confessed your sins? Because The Holy Boy is coming.

Shudder has released a new trailer for the upcoming religious horror film from director Paolo Strippoli (A Classic Horror Story, the upcoming Spiral). And it looks like pure madness.

Here’s the official synopsis: Sergio (Michele Riondino), a teacher tormented by his past is transferred to Remis, a secluded village known as the happiest town in Italy. But Sergio soon discovers that behind the town’s joyful facade lies a disturbing secret: Each week, the villagers gather to hug Matteo (Giulio Feltri), an introverted fifteen-year-old whose embrace can free one of all pain and sorrow. As Sergio uncovers that the village’s devotion to Matteo is far from benevolent, his attempt to rescue the boy known as the Angel of Remis ignites the community’s vengeful nature.

Watch the Trailer

Nightmarish visions. Hangings. Malevolent spirits. I’m sufficiently unnerved. And curious. Coming from Strippoli, I have no doubt we’re in for a folk horror treat with this one.

Paolo Pierobon, Romana Maggiora Vergano Sergio Romano, Anna Bellato, Sandra Toffolatti, and Roberto Citran also star.

Strippoli directed from a script he co-wrote with Jacopo Del Giudice and Milo Tissone.

In his review for The Holy Boy, Dread’s Chad Collins described it as “A holy experience in folk horror worth canonizing. Director Paolo Strippoli’s immensely unsettling Italian chiller reaches straight through the chest to grab hold of your heart and squeeze it dry.”