After her unforgettable performance as Rey in the Star Wars saga, Daisy Ridley has chosen a striking new direction with We Bury the Dead, a sobering blend of horror and emotional drama directed by Zak Hilditch.
The story follows Ava, a woman shattered by loss, who joins a body retrieval unit after a world-changing catastrophe. Her mission takes a devastating turn when she learns that the dead don’t stay buried.
The trailer showcases Ridley’s character trudging through desolate terrain, haunted by memories and the distant hope of finding her husband. This central emotional drive sets the film apart from typical apocalypse stories, as love fuels Ava’s resilience amid a world consumed by death.
Ridley portrays grief and determination with raw energy, carrying the story’s heart through both silence and chaos.
Since the Star Wars trilogy’s conclusion, Ridley has made deliberate choices to prioritize emotionally complex roles. With previous performances in The Marsh King’s Daughter and Young Woman and the Sea, her path has evolved toward stories grounded in personal turmoil rather than spectacle.
We Bury the Dead fits perfectly into that journey, portraying survival as both a physical and psychological struggle.
Brenton Thwaites joins Ridley in the leading cast, bringing his own action experience from Pirates of the Caribbean and Titans. The dynamic between their characters elevates the emotional tension, as their shared mission reveals the human cost of facing the undead.
Their chemistry holds the potential for some of the film’s most affecting scenes, where despair meets faint hope.
Zak Hilditch’s Vision: Humanity Amid Horror
Zak Hilditch has long displayed a fascination with disaster, choice, and remorse. His previous works, the grim apocalyptic drama These Final Hours and the Stephen King adaptation 1922, each dealt with ordinary people cornered by extraordinary catastrophe. We Bury the Dead continues this approach but magnifies it through the lens of love and loss.
The SXSW Film & TV Festival premiere earlier this year gave critics and audiences a first look at Hilditch’s understated yet terrifying direction. The film earned an 89% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 19 reviews, with praise for its tension and emotional sincerity.
Reviewers commented on the film’s haunting sense of realism, as the horror stems not from exaggerated effects but from how people crumble and rebuild under trauma.
The teaser reflects Hilditch’s signature pacing, deliberate, quiet, and filled with dread. Light flickers through broken ceilings, muddy roads stretch endlessly, and silence becomes the most effective scare.
Rather than presenting the undead as endless hordes, the film turns each reanimated body into a symbol of guilt and memory.
This approach could make We Bury the Dead one of 2026’s standout horror releases. By centering heartache instead of chaos, it may connect with viewers seeking substance beyond shock value. In a genre saturated with jumps and bloodshed, Hilditch’s work delivers something rarely emphasized: empathy within darkness.
Timing and Competition in the Zombie Genre
The film’s January 2, 2026 release places it directly ahead of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, one of next year’s most anticipated blockbusters.
That timing could prove strategically wise. With a quiet pre-release window, We Bury the Dead may attract viewers eager for a haunting start to the new year, marking itself as a precursor before the major sequel lands.
Industry watchers suggest the movie’s smaller scale and emotional storytelling could help it stand out despite competition. The zombie genre faces renewed popularity thanks to 28 Days Later, but Ridley’s film offers a distinct tone, reflective, tragic, and grounded.
If it’s marketing leans into human emotion and survival rather than high-intensity horror, it may find strong resonance among both drama and horror fans.
We Bury the Dead (Credit: Umbrella Entertainment)
Grant Hermanns from ScreenRant highlighted the movie’s “modest execution” and its success in presenting zombie tropes through human emotion.
Both Ridley and Thwaites earned critical approval for authentic performances that keep the horror believable and emotionally rooted. The film’s strength lies in its quiet anguish how humanity survives when love itself feels buried.
Such praise suggests We Bury the Dead may not just appeal to genre fans but also broader audiences seeking character-driven storytelling.
The current wave of emotionally charged thrillers, from Leave the World Behind to The Marsh King’s Daughter, points toward a growing appetite for stories mixing psychological realism with fear. Hilditch’s latest creation arrives at precisely the right moment to meet that demand.
Ridley’s Career Rebirth and Audience Connection
For Ridley, We Bury the Dead marks another chapter in redefining her career after blockbuster fame. She’s proving her range not through high-budget productions but through atmosphere and emotion.
In interviews, Ridley has spoken about choosing roles with deeper psychological impact, and Ava’s journey exemplifies that ambition.
We Bury the Dead revolves around survival powered by love, a theme that sits perfectly with Ridley’s expressive acting style.
The trailer’s powerful visual moments depict her trembling gaze and weary persistence against dreadful odds. Watching Ava’s fight to find her husband gives audiences a deeply relatable motive amid the terror.
Fans have responded strongly online since the trailer’s release. Social posts featuring the film’s tagline and stills have gone viral, with #WeBuryTheDead and #DaisyRidley trending steadily. Many viewers praised the film’s mood and Ridley’s evolution as an actor willing to take bold risks after mainstream success.
Critics’ early reactions underline this shift. They describe the project as Ridley’s most emotionally layered role yet, one that demands viewers engage with loss rather than merely fear it.
That perspective could easily enhance the film’s reputation, turning it from a simple zombie thriller into a story about the endurance of human connection amid chaos.
A Haunting Start to 2026
With its chilling atmosphere and emotional depth, We Bury the Dead may offer more than traditional horror thrills. It’s a film about remembrance, survival, and the fragile line between life and grief. The story doesn’t rely solely on the undead; it focuses on those who are still breathing but spiritually buried by tragedy.
Ridley’s performance anchors that theme, portraying Ava’s determination with pain and vulnerability. Hilditch’s slow-building direction amplifies the tension, making each silence feel heavier than screams. Every frame reflects solitude, humanity clinging to hope when the world around it decays.
If audiences respond as critics predict, We Bury the Dead may stand among Ridley’s finest works and secure Hilditch’s reputation as one of horror’s most thoughtful storytellers. Its January release could make it the film that sets the emotional tone for 2026, proving that horror thrives not only through fear but through feeling.
As the countdown to release begins, We Bury the Dead looks ready to claim its place as an unforgettable cinematic experience, one that blends despair, devotion, and dread in unforgettable fashion.
Nicolas Cage stars as Joseph, with Noah Jupe portraying a troubled adolescent Jesus torn between divine purpose and human uncertainty.
The trailer, recently released online, has already sparked intense reactions for its unsettling tone and eerie imagery. It begins with quiet domestic moments before spiraling into disturbing visions of decay, possession, and doubt.
Jesus, portrayed by Jupe with haunting honesty, begins to question whether Cage’s Joseph is truly his father. That dispute becomes both emotional and spiritual, shaking the fragile balance within their small, isolated community.
Mary, played by the multi-talented FKA Twigs, is caught between these two opposing forces. Her quiet anguish and maternal fear ground the story, making her portrayal a crucial emotional anchor amid escalating chaos.
Isla Johnston, known for her role as young Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit, brings menace to the screen as a mysterious stranger later revealed to be Satan, who seeks to lure Jesus away from his family’s guidance.
The film’s premise alone would raise eyebrows, but its tone pushes it further. Blurring ancient parable with psychological horror, The Carpenter’s Son transforms what might have been a spiritual drama into a deeply unsettling meditation on temptation, belief, and identity.
Lofty Nathan’s Vision of Faith and Fear
Director Lofty Nathan draws on his Coptic Christian background to shape the story’s religious foundations.
While the film is not based on any canonical Bible text, its inspiration is believed to trace to the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, an early and non-canonical work describing Jesus’ childhood and youthful anger. Nathan’s version extracts this forbidden legend and molds it into modern horror.
Set in a quiet Egyptian village surrounded by endless desert, the film’s atmosphere resembles Gothic isolation transposed into biblical times.
Nathan uses sparse light, whispering winds, and haunting silences to build a sense of divine absence. His aim isn’t to retell scripture but to probe the terrifying possibilities of faith gone astray.
Critics who viewed early footage describe the visual tone as both ancient and intimate. Mud-brick homes, flickering fires, and hushed conversations contrast with horrifying dream sequences filled with crimson skies and uncanny distortions.
The film’s tension grows with every passing moment, paralleling Jupe’s internal descent as he begins sensing otherworldly voices and prophetic nightmares.
Nathan’s previous works already hinted at his flair for realism mixed with mysticism. Yet The Carpenter’s Son stretches his boundaries as a storyteller, combining theology, horror, and emotional tragedy.
For Nathan, it’s not about shocking the audience with violence but unsettling them through doubt, the doubt of faith, of parenthood, and of one’s divine calling.
Noah Jupe’s Transformation: Faith Meets Fear
Noah Jupe, widely recognized for his emotional depth in A Quiet Place, Honey Boy, and HBO’s The Undoing, steps into his boldest role yet. His portrayal of Jesus in The Carpenter’s Son demands a layered performance at once innocent and tormented, childlike but burdened by destiny.
The Carpenter’s Son (Credit: Magnolia Pictures)
In the trailer, one moment stands out: Jupe’s eyes reflecting fear and disbelief as Joseph confronts him over his defiance. His version of Jesus isn’t saintly perfection; instead, it’s a boy struggling beneath the weight of divine expectation.
When doubt infects his belief system, it leads him toward Johnston’s Satan, who appears kind, almost comforting, as she tempts him to reject faith altogether.
This reimagined coming-of-age framework turns Jupe’s performance into the emotional core of the film. He must embody both grace and rebellion, bouncing between confusion, trust, and terror.
Audiences familiar with his tender vulnerability in Honey Boy will likely see shades of that emotional honesty here, though elevated by an eerie spiritual tension.
The psychological confrontation between Jupe and Cage adds another key layer. While Cage delivers intensity through restraint, Jupe’s performance operates on emotional volatility.
Their on-screen relationship, shifting between love and fear, becomes the film’s anchor, one portraying desperate paternal control and the other seeking cosmic independence.
Nicolas Cage’s Modern Renaissance Continues
Nicolas Cage’s creative resurgence has become one of Hollywood’s most intriguing narratives of the decade. After acclaimed performances in Pig, Dream Scenario, and this year’s Longlegs, he has earned newfound respect for choosing challenging, psychologically rich characters. In The Carpenter’s Son, his role as Joseph extends that streak.
Cage’s Joseph embodies both moral strength and spiritual unease. No longer a stoic biblical figure, this Joseph is flawed, uncertain, and visibly cracked under pressure.
His faith wavers as his son displays unnatural powers and defiance. The result is a performance both haunted and human, the carpenter father not merely protecting his family but struggling with the fear that his son may not belong to him or even to this world.
Cage’s trademark blend of subtle intensity and fragile empathy fits the tone perfectly. His recent horror venture Longlegs proved his ability to project dread without theatrics.
Here, he channels that same shadowy quiet, conveying more with silence than outburst. His performance appears poised to mirror Pig’s subdued power, making Joseph one of his most complex characters yet.
FKA twigs and Isla Johnston Add Feminine Power and Mystery
FKA twigs, renowned for her experimental artistry and music, once again proves her ability to inhabit unconventional screen roles.
Following her appearance in the remake of The Crow, she brings emotional depth and eerie stillness to Mary. Her portrayal seems rooted in both love and helplessness, devoted to her son yet terrified of what his visions may mean.
Meanwhile, Isla Johnston has drawn early praise from critics for her portrayal of Satan. Unlike traditional depictions of demonic evil, Johnston’s Satan is calm, intelligent, and softly persuasive.
Her performance reportedly carries the same unsettling charm that made her turn in The Queen’s Gambit memorable. She embodies temptation not through loud defiance but through quiet seduction, whispering truth twisted into sin.
The chemistry between Johnston and Jupe, both young yet remarkably assured actors, could become one of the film’s standout elements. Their dialogue, a mix of theological questioning and psychological manipulation, forms the emotional core of temptation in The Carpenter’s Son.
What to Expect When It Hits Theaters
The Carpenter’s Son premieres on November 14 and is already being positioned as one of the year’s boldest horror films. While it’s not a direct religious adaptation, its shocking premise and stylistic boldness ensure heavy debate upon release. Some may view it as blasphemous; others will see it as a daring study of faith and rebellion.
What makes this movie stand apart is its refusal to offer easy answers. Nathan’s script challenges viewers to confront doubt as both a human and divine condition. There are visions, exorcisms, and moments of true terror, but at its heart lies a family drama torn by love, secrecy, and unanswered prayers.
The trailer ends in a swirl of haunting imagery: a young boy standing against firelight, Joseph’s voice trembling with despair, and Mary’s silhouette framed by shadow and flame. Those images alone have left film fans buzzing with theories and anticipation.
With its powerhouse combination of Cage’s intensity, Jupe’s innocence, and Nathan’s theological horror vision, The Carpenter’s Son could become one of this decade’s most talked-about genre films.
Expect a release filled with discussion, controversy, and haunting beauty, a modern myth about faith, fear, and family destined to test the limits of belief itself.
