Holy Spider
In this nihilistic and terrifying thriller, director Ali Abbasi takes us on a sleazy ride through the Mashhad underground. As we follow journalist Arezoo Rahimi (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) through her investigation of the Spider Killer, we see how bureaucratic nonsense and misogyny against sex workers made the killer so prolific. Abbasi’s direction of “Iran’s spiritual capital” is grimy and ugly, reflecting the hypocrisy behind the spiritual focus of the community. The film’s intensity only gets more maddeningly horrifying as the stakes grow and the obstacles become more frustrating. It has one of the most chilling endings of any film this year. For those looking for a creative crime film, Holy Spider will deliver a haunting experience, unlike anything you’ve ever seen.
