well-paced and entertaining as hell. the escalation is hilarious. and so fucking gory in the best way, wtf.

Going in with rather low expectations and it's a lot better than I expected. This Scottish/Irish supernatural horror thriller is amazing right from the start all the way to the very end. It's slick, stylish, thrilling, brutal and goofy at times. The opening sequence and the score to the opening are simply fantastic and really set the tone for what's to come. I was completely in the dark at first, trying to figure out what it's actually about. It's one of those films where you have to pay attention to detail as there's a lot of biblical references but once you understand it, it is a blast. The characters appear bland at first but as it moves along, they get just enough background which make them much more interesting and it's really fun once they start spiraling down into madness. There's also plenty of violence and gore to keep me satisfied. It can feel a bit slow in the middle but brilliantly ratchets up the tension to an absolutely buck-wild ending.

Let Us Prey is what happens when a group of deeply unpleasant cops discover that their shift has been sponsored by Old Testament justice. The movie delivers plenty of blood and gore with enthusiastic commitment, as if the special effects team was paid by the gallon, and the cinematography looks far too classy for a film where most of the cast is busy being terrible human beings. The plot doesn’t always make complete sense, but honestly, that just adds to the dreamlike feeling that nobody—including the characters—is fully in control of what’s happening. It’s predictable in the sense that you know terrible things are coming, but fun in the sense that you’re curious exactly how much worse they’ll get. For a low-budget indie horror, it punches above its weight—and serves as a helpful reminder that if you’re a corrupt cop, maybe don’t tempt mysterious, silent strangers who look like they already read your obituary.

[spoiler]You can never trust the police chief.[/spoiler]

One of the best horrors from the past 10 years.