The horror thriller “Azrael” tries to captivate the audience without using any words. In the trailer, it works pretty well, as you can see here. Are you putting the title, which will soon be released in US cinemas, on your watchlist?
While in the hugely successful “A Quiet Place” franchise no one is allowed to speak in order not to attract the attention of the hostile aliens, in the new horror shocker “Azrael” no one can. A mysterious event in the past, which is also not specified in detail, has apparently caused all people to lose their voices. Instead, they are hunted by forest monsters who want to drink their blood. How the whole thing develops and whether the characters in it perhaps find their way back to speech over the course of the film is something we will hopefully soon be able to check out in the cinema.
So far, the film has only been shown at festivals in North America (South By Southwest, Overlook, Fantasia), Finland (Night Visions) and Great Britain (FrightFest). However, it will be released nationwide in the USA on September 27th before being added to the program exclusively on the streaming service Shudder, which specializes in horror content, later in the year. However, it is still unclear when and how “Azrael” will come to Germany.
The production was directed by EL Katz, the creator of the comedy thriller “Small Crimes” on Netflix. Most recently, the New Yorker had mainly directed episodes of TV series such as “Channel Zero” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor”. The screenplay for “Azrael” was written by Simon Barrett (“Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire”).
The lead role is played by Samara Weaving. The Australian has plenty of horror experience, as you can see from her appearances in “Scream VI”, “Ready Or Not” and “Mayhem”. Other parts include Victoria Carmen Sonne (“Godland”), Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (“Candyman”), Katariina Unt (“November”) and Eero Milonoff (“Border”).
“Azrael”: This is the story
Many years after an apocalypse that robbed the human population of the earth of their voices, Azrael (Weaving) and her partner (Stewart-Jarrett) are on the run from the members of a brutal religious cult. It was only with great luck that they managed to escape their clutches. When the henchmen finally catch her again, the young woman is strapped to a chair. Meanwhile, her tormentors begin a ceremony in which she is to be sacrificed. The recipients of the homage are demonic forest creatures that feed on human blood.
But Azrael is not prepared to simply surrender to her fate. She manages to destroy the chair and free herself, just as one of the monsters is about to attack her. Using the broken armrest as a weapon, she fights her way through and runs away again. But that is all over now. She decides to go back and finally actively get rid of her pursuers and take revenge in the process…
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Do you like high-concept horror à la “Azrael”? Then take a look at the extraordinary teaser trailer for this highly interesting work by a true master director:
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