Based on the brutal true story of Saeed Hanaei, a serial killer who murdered 16 women prior to his capture in 2001, Holy Spider explores the captivating and compelling story behind one of Iran's most notorious murderers, while also serving as an unflinching exploration of a society wherein rough justice can become a harsh way of life. Lauded at this year's Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered, for its daring and unwavering approach, the movie is ultimately not for the faint of heart, per reviews, though it will likely find an audience who find themselves compelled by such vile, prolific personalities.
Certainly, as recently seen with the intrigue surrounding Netflix's new streaming series, DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, audiences can't help but be drawn to learn about such dark, disturbing people, and Hanaei's vicious criminality is no exception. Now, as the movie's first trailer reveals, the story behind a journalist who will risk everything to find the truth and justice will prove to be a darkly rich and meditative investigation into what it takes to uncover a lawless man in a city full of great terrors.
As this promo showcases, Zar Amir Ebrahimi plays Rahimi, a journalist who travels to the holy city of Mashhad in order to investigate a man known as the "Spider Killer" (Mehdi Bajestani), a serial killer who believes he's doing the work of God by "cleansing" the streets and murdering sex workers. As Rahimi travels deeper into the dark underbelly of Mashhad, horrors continue to plague her. The body count only grows higher, and the chance to take down the Spider Killer gets harder when prominent figures believe this man is not a criminal but a hero to the people. Therefore, this journalist must fight a number of insidious forces in order to prevail and seek redemption for such brutal, God-fearing slayings.
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Though understandably the source of some early controversy, Holy Spider has also inspired a wealth of praise, as well as awards consideration. Namely, Ebrahimi won Best Actress at this year's Cannes, while writer-director Ali Abbasi won the Best Director prize at this year's Fantastic Fest. Additionally, it was recently announced that the film will be Denmark's official submission for the 95th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature category. While the filmmaker told Indiewire that he was "really afraid of the consequences" related to this film, particularly as it related to Bajestani's portrayal of the infamous murder, the movie is already been celebrated as a major triumph. Abbasi had received great notice and acclaim for his previous film, Border, and Holy Spider continues his recent trend of critical appreciation.
At the moment, Holy Spider doesn't have an official release date, but we can expect the movie to come out in the next few months, especially with its awards hopes in consideration. In the meantime, check out the trailer below: