Set some time after the rapture, where speech is considered a sin, Azrael (Samara Weaving) is captured by a devout cult who want to sacrifice her to the evil lurking in the wilderness in exchange for their salvation. When Azrael escapes—as she often does—the cult, led by pregnant priestess Miriam (Vic Carmen Sonne), will stop at nothing until she is recaptured, while Azrael will stop at nothing to ensure her own survival and freedom. Thus ensues a relentless action-packed hunt that unfolds in real time.
Directed by E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills) and written by Simon Barrett (You’re Next, The Guest), Azrael contains a lot of stunning yet macabre imagery, including beautiful cinematography which stretches across scenes shot in both daylight and nightfall. The practical effects are one of the film’s highlights. There’s plenty of gore, mud, and blood, and the creature design is terrifying. Throats are ripped out, heads are cut off, and people are disembowelled—though some of these actions are the work of humans. The bloodthirsty demons, which appear half human, half zombie, have blackened skin as though burned. They are visible to us, but are often obscured by darkness or appear out of focus, which only adds to their terror. Title cards tell us that they are connected to the angel of death (sometimes known as Azrael).
Palpable tension is created thanks to the effectivity of the sound design, including both diegetic and non-diegetic sound. It manages to feel claustrophobic, allowing us to hear every breath, footstep, and crackle of fire while also highlighting the vastness of the outdoors, of the hunt. Without dialogue or an overbearing soundtrack, the action feels more raw and atmospheric. They may have surrendered their voices, but violence is more primal. The solid directing, well choreographed fight scenes, impressive creature design, and strong performance from Weaving only aid this.
Weaving has become a fan-favourite among horror fans following her roles in Mayhem, The Babysitter, and Ready or Not—not to mention her cameo in Scream VI. The silent and physically demanding role of Azrael highlights Weaving’s natural charisma and emotional expressiveness. She didn’t need to say a word for us to understand what she was feeling every step of the way. Weaving kicks ass and gradually becomes more aggressive as Azrael’s need for survival and freedom turns into ferocious revenge. While I would love to see Weaving star in some comedies and dramas, which I’m sure she’ll get to do, I hope that she continues to star in horror films throughout her career. I strongly feel that there is something even bigger waiting for her in the genre, as it’s one she excels in.
Unfortunately, Azrael provides zero context outside of its religiously cryptic, dark red title cards, which flank the acts like in a silent movie. We know very little about Azrael and the world she lives in. We also don’t know if the man (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) she travels with is her lover because there is no context to clarify their relationship. There’s a brief scene with an outsider speaking Esperanto, suggesting that their fear-stricken selective mutism may not be as widespread as initially thought—unless their silence isn’t of their own volition, but even that is something we don’t know. Barrett leaves much of his post-apocalyptic revenge story up for interpretation, keen to not spell everything out for us. While it’s possible to root for Azrael, it’s hard to be emotionally invested in the story or her plight because the intriguing lore is classified information, which creates a disconnecting hollowness between the film and its audience. It’s a shame that this is the case because Azrael could have been something special.
It’s difficult to make a truly effective film that contains little-to-no dialogue, but it has been done: Don’t Breathe, Hush, No One Will Save You, and the A Quiet Place trilogy. Barrett’s screenplay is not without its flaws, but it’s commendable because it takes serious talent to make something decent that doesn’t have any dialogue to move the story forward. At 85 minutes, the film is well-paced and entertaining which is a win. While Azrael ends rather abruptly, the ending itself makes the film feel worthwhile—much like with this year’s Immaculate. It’s a real shocker, but it would’ve been way more impactful if we have a stronger inkling as to what in the ever-living fuck was going on. Nonetheless, Azrael is a fine entry into the Samara Weaving Covered in Blood Cinematic Universe.
Azrael is in US cinemas on 27th September and will be available to stream on Shudder at a later date. The film will be released on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on 28th October under the title Azrael: Angel of Death.
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