Cinequest Film Festival 2025 – The story of Mary and the birth of Jesus Christ has been adapted and told countless times. However, there’s never been a retelling quite like writer/director Ramone Menon‘s short film Virgin. His take on the tale is a bloody and punishing horror film.

Initially, Menon’s short starts with what’s familiar. We see Mary/Miryam (Jessica Damouni) and Joseph/Yosef (Herman Gambhir) walking with a donkey, desperately seeking shelter. Miryam is pregnant and quite far along, sporting a baby bump. They eventually find shelter in a darkened barn. Then comes the thunder. Then comes the rain. The shadowy barn, simple as it is, goes far in establishing an eerie setting and unsettling tone that remains consistent. Soon, Miryam starts hearing voices that repeatedly ask, who’s the father? This rewrites the familiar story of Mary and the virgin birth. Maybe, in this case, Miryam isn’t a virgin after all.

Not long after they enter the barn, a sinister entity possesses Yosef, berates Miryam, and turns more violent. The short’s final few minutes are unrelenting and quite brutal. Without spoiling anything, let’s just say that possessed Yosef isn’t playing games. He’s quite the nasty antagonist in this film and certainly not a secondary character. That said, the creature design could have used a little more work. It’s mostly a red-faced demon that comes and goes, and it’s not all that unsettling. This short works best when Yosef and Miryam face off.

Virgin is one demented take on the familiar story of Mary and the birth of Christ. It’s possible this short may offend some folks for its depiction of Christ’s birth. Menon doesn’t hold back in the last few minutes, and he totally rewrites a well-told tale. This film is moody, surprising, and violent.