Seeing Samara Weaving in the cast list for a horror film makes it an automatic must-see, especially given the rising star’s stellar track record. Between Ready or Not, The Babysitter duology, and even a scene-stealing turn in last year’s Scream VI, Weaving’s penchant for working with mavens of the genre definitely makes her a talent worth watching. This very same quality ends up as the main redeeming factor in Azrael, a post-apocalyptic survival movie with a hollow script penned by usually-reliable Simon Barrett (Blair Witch, You’re Next). Almost entirely dialogue free, Azrael fully leans on Weaving’s performance, having little to say about what remains of humanity in the aftermath of the Rapture.
When we first meet Azrael (Weaving), her romantic rendezvous with Kenan (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Femme, Candyman) sadly gets cut tragically short. Both are kidnapped by drifter freaks, smuggled away in two separate cars. The introduction is jarring for sure, punctuated by a random quote about mutism that only tangentially applies to the movie at hand. Without the crutch of dialogue, we rely only on the facial expressions and actions of the characters to carry us through. Before any type of explanation occurs, Azrael gets strapped to a tree stump, left as a sacrifice to a burnt-up humanoid creature hungry for blood. That she manages to escape is a minor miracle, setting the gears into motion for a relentless pursuit. This encampment of religious fanatics will stop at nothing to retrieve Azrael and finish what they started. Plenty of time is allowed for Weaving to push her acting chops, often channeling the badass energy she brought as Grace in 2019’s Ready or Not.
The monsters themselves are undoubtedly freaky-looking; in the best sequence of the film, Azrael hides in a tree for shelter as three of them devour a prey. The tension wrought would have been a blast to see extended out into the remainder of the movie. Instead, this seems to suggest that the worst kind of evil is actually humanity itself. Gory murders certainly play up the savagery of the creatures, and the practical effects work never fails to impress. Director E.L. Katz, best known for his excellent small-screen work on series including Scream, Channel Zero, and The Haunting of Bly Manor, also directed indie crime dramedy Cheap Thrills back in 2013. Here, Katz fails to give his central heroine breathing room amongst the horror elements, losing a vital piece of believability in the process.
If awaiting further definition as to the end goals of this potential cult, a steadfast reason as to why some of the survivors have “renounced their sin of speech,” or even a twisty explanation for the creatures and their motivations, expect to be disappointed. Barrett is less interested in the whys and the hows, and more concerned with the survival of Azrael. Kenan, the only other major character, barely leaves an imprint. At a briskly-paced eighty-five minutes, Azrael’s battle against these strangers moves along quickly without ever slowing down enough for audiences to question its logical omissions. Yet, there are plenty of them to be found. Even Azrael herself seems to have murky morality—attempts to draw parallels between the monsters and Azrael embracing the inner monster in herself fall flat. Devoting mere minutes to this idea leaves it feeling fully half-baked. Despite some solid effects and intense gore, Azrael ultimately disappoints, especially given the pedigree of talent involved.
Take the vow of silence when Azrael tears into limited theaters on Friday, September 27th.
