Samara Weaving is sort of a nepo baby. Her uncle Hugo was in a couple of huge franchises and I’m sure that helped her get her foot in Hollywood’s door. It helps that she is gorgeous in a conventionally attractive way. It also helps that she’s a pretty damn good actor. And she seems to be becoming a scream queen with roles in Ready or Not and the Scream and Babysitter franchises. So, when I read that she was starring in a horror film with no dialogue, I was intrigued. I definitely thought she was up to the task but I had to see for myself. On top of that, Azrael is written by The Guest writer, Simon Barrett and directed by Cheap Thrills director, E. L. Katz! And that’s why I chose it as my 25th movie of this month’s 31 Slays in 31 DaysTM. Let’s get into it, shall we?
Azrael and her lover escape from a post-apocalypse (post-rapture) cult’s forest enclave. The cult members – and our hero – have all had their vocal chords severed for presumably fanatical religious reasons. They are not too happy about losing two of their number and send enforcers after the couple. Despite their best efforts they are captured and Azrael is tied up and left for the “burned ones” – charred people who are attracted to blood and feed on flesh. She escapes but her boyfriend isn’t so lucky. With nothing left to lose, she returns to the encampment to exact her revenge.
Holding audience attention in a wordless role is a tall order, but it is one that is met in Azrael. Weaving was indeed up to the task. Her grimaces and glares and silent screams draw us into her plight wonderfully. We are on this resourceful young woman’s side and rooting for her without exposition. The opposite is true for the cult members who are after her. They are perfectly established as the bad guys through action alone. Keys to understanding the mysterious post-rapture circumstances are meted out judiciously so that the viewer isn’t kept in the dark for the runtime. This serves to maintain a sense of curiosity throughout that keeps us rapt and wondering what will be revealed of this world next. And the payoff is fantastic. It’s a refreshingly unique entry in our beloved genre for sure. One that I imagine was hard to “sell” to investors/studios, but I’m glad that the money folks took a chance. It is a big swing for an independent movie, and it paid off for viewers (but it looks like it didn’t really pay off at the box office. that’s probably why we can’t have nice things.) It’s exciting and gruesome and has a pervasive sense of the uncanny that will surely entertain even the most jaded of horror aficionados.
The Final Cut: Azrael is a superb action horror with an intriguing sense of mystery woven throughout its nearly dialogueless runtime. Weaving puts in a compelling performance.
No Real Danger 