Concept-forward horror is always appreciated, and Azrael does not disappoint. To be reductive and compare this to things that came to mind while watching, it's like a The Last of Us Part 2 cutscene with shades of Dog Soldiers and zero dialogue; so 100% my shit. Samara goes through the absolute ringer and still looks cool as fuck covered in blood and weilding whatever she can find. The zero dialogue concept almost gets the better of the narrative when lots of the context is left unexplained, but the abstract nature is also refreshing in the modern landscape of overly expositioned settings. Short, slick and bloody romp that's perfect for the spooky season.

Not really sure what the point of this was. The only part of this movie I found interesting was that random driver who just seemed baffled by what was going on.

Like sign language: silent but has a lot to say. I'm a world of nonverbal horror (Silent Night, Monster, Out of Darkness...) Azreal speaks volumes.

A cinematic experiment, not a word is spoken [spoiler](except in a short sequence of Esperanto)[/spoiler]. The movie is somewhere between horror, end-time movie and thriller, and has some drama sprinkles, but overall stays true to end-time horror and tells a story about an occult community living in the forest that hunts people to sacrifice them to zombie-like humanoids with extremely burnt skin. Samara Weaving and her partner Nathan Stewart-Jarrett (known from the series Misfits or the Candyman remake from 2021) are captured, separated from each other and the viewer accompanies Samara Weaving throughout the entire length of the film. We are close to her and basically only know what she knows. I won't say any more about the plot, which I knew nothing about before watching the film, except that it is a film without dialog. The ending is open to interpretation. The setting is somehow apocalyptic and this occult community follows a religious delusion, but you don't really learn much about worldbuilding because the forest is never left. The movie is pretty rough and gory in places, the original score feels 80s Electro Carpenter light, the effects are practical throughout and know how to convince. I had slight Fulci vibes here and there. Technically, the movie is very well filmed and the camera work knows how to captivate me. Samara Weaving is convincing with her physical action and a bit of dirt and blood, which reminded me of the challenges she already took on in the movie 'Ready or Not' (2019). Deductions are made in the 'logic' that the people didn't learn sign language to communicate with each other. Wouldn't that make sense for a cult that demonizes speaking in general to communicate with hand signs? Probably not. Further deductions: There are situations where the movie could have basically ended, but then deus ex machina plot twists come along to move the story along. I think the script should have come up with a different solution or been consistent. You can tell that the makers have built up some mystery elements and would like to continue them or reveal them towards the end. A curiosity: the actors' role names are shown in the end credits. They play no role in the movie itself or for the viewer, as they are not revealed. As I said, the movie is an experiment and the setting sets guidelines and thus forces a lot of things, which also brings with it some limitations in the storytelling. If you accept that, you might enjoy the movie. The movie positively surprised me in some places. I found it interesting to be thrown into this speechless world and to have to find my way around like the main character, which unfortunately means that the identification with the character and the gripping nature of the story suffers. But, after a while, the movie has me, because I am close to the main character. Gripping, bloody, interesting.

Samara Weaving being covered in blood should be a new horror sub-genre