Azrael – Review

“Many years after the rapture 

Among the survivors

Some are driven to renounce 

Their sin of speech”

This is all we know about the world of E.L. Katz’s latest feature. Writer Simon Barrett takes on a chilling challenge, testing his craft as a storyteller when a lean script takes away any chance to rely on exposition. This test extends to the cast, who must rely on body language and the expressiveness of their faces to deliver their performances. Samara Weaving, an actress who is so known for her deep and guttural screeching in films like Ready or Not, takes this challenge by the throat. Azrael asks its audience to trust the journey, to become a believer. Expert sound design amplifies the creaking wood, the misty air, and the sounds of whispering winds. Never has the sound of foliage crunching beneath footsteps been so terrifying. 

The first inhabitants of this world that we meet are Azrael (Weaving), whose name means God’s angel of death, and her partner Kenan (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett)–although their names are never spoken. The two of them have a cross burned into their necks, which can be assumed to not only be a brand marking the renouncement of speech but also an indication that the ability has been taken from them altogether. They are being hunted by a group of devout believers, members of a cult nestled deep into the woods, who capture them with the purpose of sacrificing them to the creatures lurking about. Drawn to blood, and moving with an unsettling stride, these grotesque and uncanny creatures have charred blackened bodies, as if they have crawled straight from the depths of Hell. 

After Azrael is able to escape, once one of the creatures latches onto the neck of one of her captors in a bloody and gruesome display, the rest of the film is a non-stop thrill as she fights her way through the various entrapments that the cult has set for her. Although stumbling upon remnants that remind us of the post-apocalyptic setting, the film never attempts to answer the questions the audience may have about how this world came to be. Those questions, nonetheless, are fleeting as the film is always quick to turn you to the next threat waiting for Azrael.

Having no dialogue is much more uncomfortable than anticipated, which could cause some viewers to feel quite frustrated. Not only do they not speak, but there is no unspoken language present in the film. They simply whistle to communicate their location and read each other’s nonverbal cues. Although we have had a myriad of films in recent years with post-apocalyptic settings that steal away one of the senses, such as A Quiet Place and Bird Box, there is something different about not having the ability to speak, rather than having to refrain from speaking or seeing for survival. As Azrael endures an onslaught of cult members determined to bring her down and bodies begin to gush blood, this film makes you realize how cathartic it is to listen to the sound of screams and integral that is to the horror-watching experience. Throughout the runtime of the film, the tension is constantly rising, building through Weaving’s gripping performance. Azrael will have you begging for a release, but it will never give you the satisfaction.

That is not to say that this film is anything but satisfying. With the resurgence of religious horror, it was a wonder how Azrael would ensure it stands apart and competes with the epic finales of films like Immaculate or The First Omen. The believers who make it to the end of this violent story of survival will surely be rewarded.