The Holy Boy
The brief
Paolo Strippoli builds dread through deceptive tranquility, letting Michele Riondino's increasingly unhinged PE teacher guide us into a mountain community that feels wrong from the first frame. The film mines genuine horror from religious devotion twisted around a child's supernatural gift, with Riondino delivering a performance that grows more unsettling as his good intentions curdle into something darker. At over two hours, it takes its time layering on the wrongness, which either deepens the creep factor or tests your patience depending on your tolerance for slow-burn horror. Perfect for fans of folk horror like The Wicker Man or Midsommar who want their religious terror served with Italian Gothic atmosphere.
The verdict
If you crave slow-burn folk horror with genuine religious dread and can appreciate a two-hour descent into supernatural wrongness, this delivers unsettling Italian Gothic atmosphere that rivals The Wicker Man. If you need faster pacing or aren't drawn to creeping psychological horror that prioritizes mood over scares, the deliberate runtime will test your patience.
Watch with
- 👤 Horror fans who appreciate slow builds
- ⚠️ Those sensitive to child endangerment themes
Heads up
- Child exploitation and endangerment (frequent)
- Disturbing religious rituals (moderate)
- Psychological manipulation of minors (moderate)
- Violence escalating in final act (moderate)
Credits
- Director
- Paolo Strippoli
- Cast
- Michele Riondino, Giulio Feltri, Paolo Pierobon, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Roberto Citran, Sergio Romano, Anna Bellato
Official synopsis
A PE teacher moves to a isolated mountain village where the people appear to live in unshakeable serenity, but soon stumbles across a disturbing ritual. Once a week, the locals are freed of their pain by a lonely boy born with the power to heal one's soul just by hugging them. Trying to rescue him from this madness, the man unleashes his dark side.
The Double
Make a night of it
Pair this with Leviticus (2026)
Both explore religious communities hiding dark rituals behind sacred facades.
Total runtime: 2h 2m + 1h 28m = 3h 30m
