The Angel of Death Comes Like a Thief in the Night: 'Azrael' (2024) Review
In the Hebrew scriptures, Azrael is known to be the Angel of Death. Azrael is not inherently evil or good, they just carry out the role that they have from God. The name Azrael is interpreted as "helped by God". So when "Azrael", portrayed by Samara Weaving, stands before a collective of wailing humanoid creatures, you can't help but wonder what everything that just happened actually means.
Azrael is about a devout female-led community that hunts down a young woman who has escaped imprisonment. When she is recaptured, Azrael is due to be sacrificed to an ancient evil in the wilderness, but she fights for her own survival. Directed by E.L. Katz (The Haunting of Bly Manor, Channel Zero) and written by Simon Barrett (You're Next), Azrael is a wild ride sure to leave you wanting more after its under 90 minute runtime.
Set many years after the Rapture (we aren't told how many but there are context clues to suggest it's a lot), we are thrust into a secluded encampment that is home to a cult with the belief that speaking is sinful. So much so that everyone in the cult has had their vocal cords removed. Led by Miriam (Vic Carmen Sonne), a priestess that is able to receive holy messages through a hole in the church wall, the group is determined to sacrifice Azrael to the demonic creatures of the woods. We meet Azrael and her partner, Kenan (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), as they attempt to escape the cult. When they are recaptured, Azrael is offered up ceremoniously but she is able to escape before being killed by the creature. When she faces a major loss, Azrael turns her act of escape into an act of revenge.
Azrael features some of the best practical effects we've seen in horror this year. If you love a little gore with your horror, you will find plenty of blood and guts within the folds of this survival narrative. Somewhere on the scale between The Descent (2005) and You're Next (2011), this film does not let up. Even without much dialogue, it packs a mega punch in story, performances, and tension. Dynamic cinematography go hand in hand with the storytelling, allowing us to put the pieces of the story together on our own, for the most part. There are a couple memory flashes that weren't really necessary to know what was happening, but Katz and Barrett do a good job of not spoon-feeding viewers along the way.
The film ends with Azrael covered in blood with a slight smirk on her face leaving us wondering about who she really was and what did her survival mean for what is to come. I can already see the "Ending Explained" videos doing well with this one as you can glean various theories based on the religious tones throughout the film.
Katz and Barret deliver a thought-provoking, mind-bending, and scary apocalyptic horror thriller that deserves to be at the top of your watchlist. Azrael is now streaming on Shudder.
Directed by E.L. Katz
Written by Simon Barrett
⭐⭐⭐⭐