IFC Films and Shudder have released the first trailer for Cheap Thrills director E.L. Katz's second feature, Azrael, which had its world premiere at South by Southwest festival back in March before screening at the Overlook Film Festival and at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival shortly after.
Playing out in real-time, the movie stars Samara Weaving (Scream VI, Ready or Not) as a woman named Azrael - the Biblical name for the Angel of Death - living in a post-Rapture world where nobody speaks (whether by choice of not is unclear) who is captured by a devout cult and taken into the forest as a sacrifice to a mysterious demonic creature.
In the teaser, we see that Azrael manages to escape her bonds, and proceeds to exact bloody revenge on her pursuers. There are also a couple of creepy shots of the evil entity from the woods, but it's difficult to make out exactly what the monster is.
The movie was mostly well-received following its initial screenings, but full reviews were a little more mixed, and it currently sits at 65% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Azrael is a chilling, heart pounding experience that will grab at your senses start to finish,” said Shudder’s Emily Gotto. “We are thrilled to work with these bold and innovative filmmakers to bring E.L. Katz’s distinct vision to theaters, and to Shudder, later this year.”
Katz added, “I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Azrael released by our good friends at Shudder/IFC. Their support of wild, uncompromising genre films is unparalleled.”
Check out the trailer below, and let us know what you think in the comments section.
“In a world in which no one speaks, a devout female-led community hunts down a young woman (Weaving) who has escaped her imprisonment. Recaptured by its ruthless leaders, Azrael is to be sacrificed to pacify an ancient evil that resides deep within the surrounding wilderness – yet she will stop at nothing to ensure her own freedom and survival. From the seeds of this gritty, relentless parable of sacrifice and salvation, comes an immersive, real-time, action horror tale.”
Azrael also stars Vic Carmen Sonne, Katariina Unt and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, and is set for a theatrical release on September 27.