Film Review: Azrael (2024)
Directed by E. L. Katz
Genre: Action, Horror
Format: Streaming
Azrael has one of the greatest horror openings I’ve seen in ages. We’re dropped in media res, as two lovers are kidnapped then separated by an unknown group. No one speaks – we’re told in static red text that many of those left after the “Rapture” have gone mute to atone for their sins. All the action is quiet. No one screams, shouts, or calls to one another.
Samara Weaving’s character, Azrael, is taken to an altar like area, where her shin is cut, and a strange demon looking entity approaches. She manages to get away, sacrificing instead one of her kidnappers, a man who is eaten alive by the creature. From here, we watch as Azrael must a) avoid/destroy the group of kidnappers, b) avoid/destroy the demon-creatures, c) find her lover, and d) stay alive.
We don’t know much about this strange world we’ve been dropped in, other than there seems to be one faction of normal humans roaming about, and another faction which likes murdering and sacrificing other humans to demons. It doesn’t matter that we don’t have specifics – what we need to keep watching is given to us, and the rest is slowly metered out/assumed by context clues. We don’t know much about our main character, either, but we like her. She is plucky, makes good choices, and can be thoughtful and loving, an easy heroine to root for. This helps the audience be on board with ambiguity elsewhere in the movie.
The pacing is excellent. We are given enough mixture of action and moment of slowness to build the suspense. The cinematography aids the pacing. We are shown images in glimpses, focused on the shadows in the corners of shots, much like the work in Ari Aster’s Hereditary. This helps keep us guessing, looking for what hides in the darkness. The setting works, too. It all takes place in a large, wooded area with skinny, naked trees as far as the eye can see. The soundtrack is limited. Most of what we hear are people breathing, the wind blowing, and the creak of the trees. It’s very effective, especially when put together.
While I am not a fan of gore, I understand the gore in this movie was purposeful, and it is what initially moves the genre from post-apocalyptic/action into horror territory. The ending solidifies the genre for me. It is biblical, diabolical, and somewhat unexpected, but in keeping with the theme of many recent horror movies (think The First Omen, Immaculate).
This is a movie that shows restraint and expects its audience to keep up on their own. In doing so, it becomes one of the smarter American horror movies of the last few years. I’d give it a 3.5/5.
Available on Shudder
Review By Chelsea Catherine
chelseacatherinewriter.com
