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This review of Azrael was originally published during the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival.

Azrael, the latest horror starring scream queen Samara Weaving, hails from the minds of director E.L. Katz and screenwriter Simon Barrett. The movie follows a relatively simple premise: a young woman is hunted by a frightening cult and demonic creatures in a post-rapture world. Their sinister plan for her is unclear, but one thing's for sure she will survive at any cost.

Azrael

Director E.L. KatzRelease Date September 27, 2024Writers Simon BarrettCast Sonia Roszczuk, Sebastian Bull Sarning, Phong Giang, Lucie Jan, Karen Bengo, Johhan Rosenberg, Katariina Unt, Peter Christoffersen, Vic Carmen Sonne, Eero Milonoff, Samara Weaving, Nathan Stewart-JarrettRating RRuntime 85 MinutesGenres Action, Horror

The premise is one that many horror fans will recognize, as it's the basis of many classic horror films. The Rapture and its consequences have been a playground for science fiction and horror creatives for some time now,...

Samara Weaving returns to the horror movie genre in 2024, and there are multiple options for where to watch Azrael in a short amount of time. After making a name for herself with horror movies like Ready or Not and The Babysitter, plus having a cameo in Scream VI, the actress is cemented as a modern scream queen. Samara Weaving's horror movies filmography grew again in 2024 thanks to Azrael, the action horror movie from the minds of director E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills) and writer Simon Barrett.

Azrael's story is set in a world where no one speaks. The movie revolves around a cult's attempt to imprison and sacrifice Weaving's Azrael to a mysterious evil. With Azrael's reviews being mostly positive, the inherent interest for some in seeing Weaving return to horror becomes even more exciting. This is especially true considering the involvement of Shudder, the horror-focused production company behind acclaimed films like In A Violent Nature,...

As with most festivals in a pandemic world, Slamdance Film Festival is changing things up with their 2021 edition. Moving a few weeks back to February 12-25, no longer directly competing with Sundance Film Festival, the festival will be taking place primarily virtually. In quite a feat of accessibility, a full festival pass is also now available for free––if you secure yours by December 31st. After that, they are going up to $10, which is still a steal.

The festival has also announced its full lineup, with 25 features along with 107 shorts and episodic. Films, Q&As, and panels will be available on Slamdance.com, AppleTV, Roku, Firestick, and YouTube, while in-person events will take place in Joshua Tree with drive-ins open to the public on February 13th and 14th as well as the closing night screening at a Los Angeles drive-in on February 25.

Check out the lineup below and reserve your festival pass here.