Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Film Review

**This gruelling survival horror replaces dialogue with torrents of gore to deliver a tour de force of genre greatness.**

Azrael and her partner have been left behind after the rapture to confront constant danger from a heathen cult. Like the brutal cultists, they, too, have had their voice boxes surgically removed in a stringent attempt at atonement. They are stranded in a speechless world of mounting terror and must also evade the cannibalistic ‘burnt people’ who roam the woodlands.

Kidnapped by the cult, Azreal survives a sacrifice attempt but becomes separated from her fella. Determined to save the only thing she loves in a world ravaged by divine wrath, she initiates ‘Angel of Death’ mode to unleash retribution of a more earthly design.

Firstly, let’s deal with the silent elephant in the room. Although Azreal parallels the A Quiet Place franchise, it seeks to derail that bandwagon rather than jump on it. Infinitely more violent and nihilistic, its wordlessness is a by-product of religious desperation, and human blood is the catalyst for jeopardy. Its scenario is of theistic persecution rather than alien interloping, and its soundscape is bombastic and unsettling. Stylistically and strategically, it is, in fact, the antithesis of the very film it will doubtless be compared to. The gaming community will find much more commonality in The Last of Us.

Director E.L. Katz and writer Simon Barrett are well-known to fans for creating crowd-pleasing genre movies such as Cheap Thrills and You’re Next, respectively. Azreal marks the pair’s departure into darker territory. Less reliant on humour and leaning more into savage gore, it’s reminiscent of vintage Neil Marshall directing an action movie version of E. Elias Merhige’s underground classic Begotten.

Once again, the filmmakers show they know what fans want, this time in an apocalypse action picture. It’s pacy and pulverising as it aquaplanes on a river of blood towards an air-punching final third. From festival crowds to mates with beers, it will scratch your survival horror itch while agitating your latent heathenism.

These days, Samara Weaving‘s agent must have a checklist regarding the need to be spattered head to toe in blood and beaten like a Mafia informant. Her performance is expressive and physical, and I spent much of the run time longing for her to put her feet up with a fireside cup of herbal tea and a cosy blanky.

ASC Spotlight Award winner Mart Taniel’s cinematography never swamps the action, and some of his framing is typically beautiful. He is not averse to lingering over the ugly spectacle of visceral carnage either.

Indeed, the gore is superb throughout, anchored in practical waters for maximum impact. It’s gloriously gushy like Giannetto De Rossi’s legendary work on Zombie Flesh Eaters with a modern edge.

Depending on the viewer’s religious bent, the film’s post-rapture premise will be either ridiculous or righteous. Either way, we must buy a ticket to its theological theme park before enjoying the thrill ride. Decoding the exact point of the rapture timeline being showcased here is tricky.

It appears to be set during the advent of the great tribulation, an escalation of torment and distress midway through the seven years of already traumatic tribulation when God finalises his judgment of the unbelieving world. The film’s grotesque ending seems to verify this, heralding a further upscaling of misery and suffering upon God’s children.

Rapture anxiety is commonplace in Christian eschatology. It manifests in children as a paralysing fear of being separated from loved ones forever and often infiltrates adulthood. After viewing this terrifying and bloody movie, one can see why.

★★★★

Azreal had its UK premiere at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024.

Pigeon Shrine FrightFest / Samara Weaving, Vic Carmen Sonne, Katariina Unt, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett / Dir: E.L. Katz / Signature Entertainment / 18 / 30th September 2024 (UK Digital) 7th October (UK, Blu-Ray)