This upcoming gory Netflix horror film 'Apostle' is already being called 'truly gobsmacking'

Cults and excellent horror films very often go hand in hand; just think of The Wicker Man, Rosemary’s Baby or recent Brit film The Ritual. There’s just something bewitching about the idea of people losing their minds and doing unspeakable things as part of an unthinking, twisted crowd.

And that’s very much the premise for Netflix’s newest horror film Apostle, starring Dan Stevens and Michael Sheen.

Here’s the premise for the film, due to be released on 12 October:

The year is 1905. Thomas Richardson travels to a remote island to rescue his sister after she’s kidnapped by a mysterious religious cult demanding a ransom for her safe return. It soon becomes clear that the cult will regret the day it baited this man, as he digs deeper and deeper into the secrets and lies upon which the commune is built.

And the trailer looks both gory and frightening in an old-school sorta way:

The film, which will first premiere at Fantastic Fest, is from by Gareth Evans, writer and director of The Raid franchise.

And it’s already attracting some positive buzz. Film writer Simon Crook, who was invited onto the set of the film, said the footage he saw was “truly gobsmacking.”

“Expect Ken Russell’s The Devils for the 21st century,” he added.

Dan Stevens, who first came to fame on Downton Abbey, told film site Flickering Myth about the movie: “It’s really, I hope, a pretty special work. It was a really unique experience, very, very tough shoot, but Gareth Evans is a wonderful, wonderful filmmaker – the Welsh Tarantino – he’s quite something.”

(Image: Netflix)