Directed by E.L. Katz and written by Simon Barrett, in a world where no one speaks, a devout female-led community hunts down a young woman who has escaped imprisonment. Recaptured, Azrael is due to be sacrificed to an ancient evil in the wilderness but fights for her own survival. Starring: Samara Weaving, Vic Carmen Sonne, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Johhan Rosenberg, Eero Milonoff, Sebastian Bull, Rea Lest, Phong Giang and Katariina Unt.
Making your leading character in a horror-action film mute is a very interesting choice as it completely changes up the usual dynamic of screams or sarcasm. It inspires a more singular focus and lets the atmosphere become more spooky, as there’s nothing to interrupt the tension. Something that works well because they cast Samara Weaving, who is such an expressive actress.
If it weren’t for her being able to portray so much while saying nothing, it would be a completely different film. The performance is reminiscent of Ready or Not, with its intense survival mode and endless determination, for every reason you love Weaving in that film, you’ll also love her in Azrael.
Another great box to tick that will satisfy horror fans is a violent one and E.L. Katz gives audiences some nice and grizzly moments from early on. The violence is also not overused, it’s a big presence but it’s not overwhelming, and it helps to balance out the lack of dialogue. Another element is its cat and mouse game, except that it’s not all chase, Weaving’s Azrael gets repeatedly tested, she’s constantly having to fight her way out of capture, rather than simply evading it.
Which nicely brings you to another great aspect which is the creatures, or people depending on your interpretation, that they’re trying to sacrifice her to, are really well designed with excellent makeup work. They have a zombie basis but using that burnt style adds something new and born in pain.
Then you have the religious and devout element, which in so many films can become irritating and preachy but here it’s peppering the story rather than driving it. Simon Barrett keeps the focus of this story on Azrael, it’s about her survival not about the cult-like community chasing her down. Although that does also bring us to one of the weaker aspects which is how many unanswered questions Azrael leaves you with. We never really get to know too much about this group or where Azrael came from, so it does remove a bit of the power from its finale.
Azrael is a grisly game of cat and mouse, a familiar concept but E.L. Katz adds plenty of his own spin to give audiences a new experience. Samara Weaving gives you everything you could want, without ever saying a word which is even more impressive. The woodland setting nicely enhances the spooky atmosphere, there’s tonnes of tension, a great amount of violence and while it could use a touch more story, there’s plenty to keep things going.
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