Overview
A chilling exploration of faith and fanaticism, where morality is twisted in the name of divine justice.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- brooding
- disturbing
- paranoid
- serious film night
- arthouse cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a gripping and politically charged true-crime thriller, while noting that its confrontational exploitation of violence can feel heavy-handed.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The investigation repeatedly encounters social and official indifference toward murdered sex workers and the ideology used to justify their deaths.
Saeed frames his serial murders as a sacred cleansing mission and seeks validation for that religiously justified violence.
Rahimi’s search for the killer is intercut with Saeed’s domestic and occupational routine, creating sustained dramatic irony.
The holy city of Mashhad is presented through its street prostitution, police investigation, religious rhetoric, and violence against women.
Films like Holy Spider, and why
Zodiac
shared investigative crime structure, institutional indifference, and feminist social critique
Memories of Murder
shared serial-killer procedural tension, bleak urban atmosphere, and moral ambiguity
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
shared female-centered investigation, patriarchal violence, and brooding thriller tone
The Boston Strangler
shared true-crime subject matter, social institutions, and grim psychological realism
Movie Details
- Director
- Ali Abbasi
- Release Date
- 2022-07-13
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (546)
Cast
- Zar Amir Ebrahimi
- Mehdi Bajestani
- Arash Ashtiani
- Forouzan Jamshidnejad
- Sina Parvaneh
- Nima Akbarpour
- Sara Fazilat
- Alice Rahimi
- Ali Nazarian
- Sima Seyed
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Pijama Films
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Holy Spider about?
- A determined journalist confronts a self-righteous serial killer whose religious crusade exposes the lethal misogyny embedded in a sacred city.
- What is Holy Spider like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Holy Spider as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Holy Spider violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Holy Spider as graphic.
- What did critics think of Holy Spider?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a gripping and politically charged true-crime thriller, while noting that its confrontational exploitation of violence can feel heavy-handed.
- Which films are like Holy Spider?
- Films with a similar feel include Zodiac, Memories of Murder, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Boston Strangler.
- How long is Holy Spider?
- Holy Spider runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch Holy Spider?
- In United States, Holy Spider is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Pijama Films.
