Do you like period-specific mystery-thrillers? How about creepy cult movies? Well, Apostle delivers on both fronts as it went all-in on its bizarre, heavily-stylized horror.
This was giving off strong Wicker Man vibes with some Midsommar sprinkled in. Obviously, this was made before the latter but it works for comparison purposes. Set at the beginning of the 20th century, the story follows a man who is sent to a secluded island to infiltrate a cult and retrieve his sister. Upon his introduction, he starts to unravel the group’s dark and mysterious practices while trying to leverage the members against one another.
Writer/Director Gareth Evans had a very clear vision for this story, and it works great as a period piece thanks to incredible visual design and presentation. Matt Flannery captures Tom Pearce’s meticulous production design and showcases the film’s earthy color palette, but everything from the costumes to the set pieces to the subtle details in the makeup did wonders for worldbuilding. Evans’ screenplay is loaded with detail and informs some excellent performances from Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen, and Mark Lewis Jones with varying degrees of intensity. As the visceral ferocity ratchets up, their performances serve as the pillars of the film’s identity.
Due to the nature of the story and stylistic approach, it’s a bit slow early on as the setting and characters are established but it’s like climbing that initial hill on a roller coaster. Once the momentum takes over around the halfway point, it’s a wild ride to the finish.
I was pleasantly surprised by the hard turn and this is definitely one of the better horror movies available on Netflix, especially in terms of contemporary options. I would have had it on my Halloween list had I gotten around to watching it sooner.
Recommendation: While not entirely original, Evans refined his film’s position within its group of similar premises. If you like horror movies, this is one of the better recent ones.