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‘Lambs of God’ is a Twisting, Turning Gothic Fairy Tale

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Lambs of God

Lambs of God is one of those series that isn’t easy to define. It blends genres so seamlessly that it feels fresh and new by the time the credits roll on the final episode, though the elements used to create the series are all tried and true.

Based on the novel by Marele Day, the series centers on the lives of three nuns living a life of seclusion in a forgotten abbey dedicated to St. Agnes on a remote island. These are no ordinary nuns, however.

For starters, they believe their flock of sheep is made up of the reincarnated souls of the nuns of their order who have died. While they spend their days in prayer and knitting and creating various herbal medications and dyes, the stories they tell around their tables are twisted version of fairy tales many of which relate more closely to the source material of those tales than the versions most of us heard as children.

These three generations of women each have their own role to play, but none of them are prepared when a young priest stumbles into their sequestered lives. When they realize the priest is there with the intent of assessing the abbey to be sold and converted into a luxury hotel, they take the man prisoner and their lives quickly spin out of control.

Directed by Jeffrey Walker (Riot) with  scripts written by Sarah Lambert and Day, Lambs of God grips its audience from the very first moments not only because the series is well-written and directed, but because their four leads are absolutely spectacular.

Emmy-winner Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s TaleHereditary) is remarkable as Sister Margarita, the oldest of the three nuns. She quickly turns from harsh violence to abject humility and vulnerability without ever falling to caricature. We believe her belief without question, even as we glimpse the events in her past that led her to the abbey.

Likewise Essie Davis (The Babadook) is stunning as Sister Iphegenia. She is without a doubt the leader of their unlikely convent, which she manages with patience and a stern hand when needed. Davis’s performance is raw and hypnotic. She is a woman on a ledge with almost-expert balance.

Jessica Barden (Hanna) rounds out the trio of nuns. Sister Carla is the youngest, and she breathes life and a starry-eyed innocence into the character who, at 24 years old, has managed to hold onto the freshness of youth while locked away from the outside world.

Rounding out the central cast, Sam Reid (Anonymous) takes on the role of Ignatius, the interloper priest, and like his co-stars, the actor brings honesty to his role that makes Ignatius’s journey believable and at times, heart-wrenching.

It’s almost a cliche to refer to the setting of a film as a character all its own, and yet it is undeniable here. The convent of St. Agnes is dramatic with richly textured walls and statuary. There are moments when the very building seems to breathe and to actively take part in the conspiracy to hide the lives of its nuns away from the world.

Sadly, most of the supporting cast isn’t given as much development. With the exception of Kate Mulvany in the role of Ignatius’s sister, Frankie, most are given little to do, and there were moments when I expected the Priests aka The Villains to twirl their non-existent pencil line mustaches.

As I said from the start, Lambs of God is difficult to pin down. It is part psychological thriller, part dark fairy tale, and part family drama. Yet, somehow, those things never seem to get in the way of or detract from the other.

The writers wisely left the supernatural elements of the story up to the viewer to interpret while still using them to advance the story with a light layering of mysticism. Though they are Catholic nuns dedicated to the Convent of St. Agnes their roles and lives become archetypes much larger than the faith of the Church.

Lambs of God is currently available to stream on Topic, a streaming platform with a variety of interesting programming options. Check out the trailer for the series below!

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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