2020 has been a year of horrors, mostly unintended – but as we approach autumn and Halloween looms, you’ll be looking for frights of a much more cinematic kind. Step in Saint Maud, the feature debut of writer-director Rose Glass that packs in all kinds of creeping tension, unholy visions, wince-worthy moments, and smatterings of dark laughs into a tight 84-minute runtime. In short, it’s very, very good, putting a Godly twist on the usual Devil-worshipping horror tropes, boasting stellar turns from Morfydd Clark as the titular Maud – a nurse whose love for and relationship with God might not be the healthiest – and the legendary Jennifer Ehle as Amanda, Maud’s terminal patient who’s enjoyed a life of parties and pleasures and is living out her final days in a large creaky house on the British coast. Maud and Amanda prove a combustible combination – a dynamic that’s reflected in this flame-licked alternative artwork for the film, created by Empire Design (no, not us).
And that's not all: here’s a brand new TV spot, teasing some of the holy terrors to come, expertly handled by Glass – sure to be a major name to follow in the years to come.
Seek out Saint Maud when it arrives in UK cinemas from 9 October – and check out Empire's interview with Morfydd Clark in the Dune issue, on sale now.