While religious freedom is a beautiful thing, countlesshorrorfilmsstress how a person’s blind devotion to some teaching or figure can be twisted into something truly unholy. But while many movies try to portray this, few do it at such an apocalyptic level asE. L. Katz’sAzrael, released last year. Following a young woman trying to escape her fanatical cult,this forest-set film sees her battle not only these violent zealots but the roaming demons that populate their wilderness home.It sets new standards for religious horror; not only is the maniacal, completely silent cult at its center unnerving to watch, but its unique demon is a disgustingly innovative take on the zombie archetype. All of this is disturbing,but it pales in comparison to Azrael’s true terror: the lack of choice. Because, as viewers learn just what atrocities this cult commits in the name of their extremist belief system, it shows how horrific the world can become when one violent group decides everyone else should think like they do.
‘Azrael’ Is a Gruelling Post-Apocalyptic Horror-Thriller
Azraelintroduces audiences to a world that has already ended, with its only “refuge” being the ramshackle lodgings of a fanatical cult in a forest filled with roaming, burning demons. It focuses on the titular heroine, Azrael (played to perfection, as always, bySamara Weaving), a young woman who fled the cult with her boyfriend, Kenan (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), and is hoping to find safety away from their old home’s harsh doctrine. The group believes that speech itself is a sin, meaning that every member has their vocal cords surgically removed at a young age — but even without dialogue, viewers can feel this pair’s immense love, which drove them to risk it all in the hopes of finding peace elsewhere. It’s what makes it so horrifying to watch them be hunted down and separated by the cult for savage “punishment.” And, after narrowly escaping becoming a sacrifice to the creatures in the forest, it drives Azrael to pursue two very important goals:get her boyfriend back, and tear the cult apart.
Even without its poignant portrayals of religious horror,Azraelterrifies with the scorched monsters our protagonist tries hard to evade.They’re an eerie fusion of hellish demons and stumbling zombies, with these charred corpses wandering the forest with their skin constantly cracking and oozing. And while they initially don’t appear that dangerous — Azrael outruns a few with relative ease — as darkness descends, viewers watch them become fast predatorswho relish in eating anyone they can find. From prying open one man’s neck to tearing off another’s face using tree bark and an unfortunate amount of friction, these are not only intriguing twistson the demons horror fansare used to but endless supplies of stomach-churning body horror. Yet while terrifying, the movie reiterates how they can be evaded, how they are only threatening when people let their religious rage overtake them and stop paying attention to their surroundings. But rather than striking the simple “people are the real monsters” argument that is common in horror,Azraelfocuses on another theme: the importance of choice.
‘Azrael' Twists the Religious Horror Movie with Its Gore and Demons
While cult-driven mania is common in horror films, nowhere is it more prevalent than in post-apocalypse features likeAzrael. And it’s understandable why; religion can always be distorted into something terrifying, but it’s when people are left with nothing else that they are most vulnerable to some false idol’s influence. And, as troubling as it is,in many of these post-apocalypse scenarios, living with the harsh rule of a cult is the best possible outcome. It takes the edge off of this film’s main group of maniacal devotees, making audiences understand that while they are brutal, it’s all because of the desolate world they’ve been forced to inhabit…until halfway through the film when Azrael learns that that may not actually be the case.
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More than the demons and their prophesied apocalypse, what this group fears most is choice, knowing that if their members suddenly developed autonomy, they’d understand what a petty and ridiculous society they’d committed themselves to. This elevates the film from a simple religious thriller into a critique of those who feel so strongly that their way of life is the correct onethat they’d brutalize anybody who dares to think differently. And, with this knowledge in mind, it makes the wild ending into a strangely uplifting one. Because, finally, Azrael gets to make a choice that is finally her own…even if it may hurt thousands in the process.
’Azrael’s Hell Is Not Having a Choice
WhileAzraelcertainly has a lot to say about the value of choice, that doesn’t mean the film won’t satisfy fans looking for an outright horror-thriller.Along with its ingenious monster design and brutal gore,the movie offers many exhilarating action scenes as our main character finds herself squaring off with some of the cult’s beefiest members.Yet, above all this superficial violence, where the film truly thrives is in using its bloodshed as a metaphor for the way zealots like this torture others for simply thinking differently. It’s a sadly realistic portrayal of the way many real cults operate — driven to its most apocalyptic potential, of course — that strikes to the heart of these groups' real sin: ripping away the freedom of their members. It’s an ingenious, gore-filled way to communicate this message,and it adds yet another iconic film to Weaving’s ever-growing filmography.
