#209 - Apostle (2018)

"Apostle, thankfully, takes great time and care in developing its sinister atmosphere over cheap jump scares, which leads to a grim laden period mystery/horror which keeps you guessing as the plot is slowly revealed.

Following a man searching for his kidnapped sister in the early 1900's, he infiltrates a strange cult living and worshipping on a remote, craggy island. 

Greys and brown splash the screen at almost every moment, the dullness only accentuating the ferocious streaks of blood red when the violence begins. The decision to make the violence sparse but striking for the first two thirds of the film is a good one as the results are far more impactful - every strike and slash feels genuine and life threatening. 

The performances are good for the most part; our lead wears an eternal scowl as he prowls his way through the landscapes trying to find answers to the mystery of his kidnapped sister - the leaders of the cult are both wildly energetic and fearsome.

 Perhaps too much time was spent on developing these characters into believable villains as the ending goes from 1-10 pretty quickly, almost rushed after such a calm and collected build up, verging almost into the horror schlock it worked so hard to distance from"


- 7/10