Regret, atonement, and accountability are at the heart of writer-director Mark O’Brien‘s brilliant new horror thriller The Righteous. The film follows a tormented priest and his wife in the wake of tragedy who are confronted by moral dilemmas and spiritual crises when a stranger arrives at their door. O’Brien, who also plays the role of stranger Aaron Smith, serves up a caustic hot-take on piety and the hollow comforts we all seek under the weight of guilt.  This is bracing, challenging horror cinema that ranks as one of my top ten of the year.

As the film opens town priest Frederic Mason (Henry Czerny) and his wife Ethel (Mimi Kuzyk) are burying their adopted daughter. The weight of grief looms heavy in their humble home yet, they still find the strength to offer comfort to the child’s biological mother Doris (Kate Corbett) who still visits for words of encouragement and advice. Shortly after the tragedy, Frederic hears a scream in the patchy woods outside their rural homestead. He finds a black-clad, paper-white-skinned man outside in the dark and helps him in for brief shelter and nourishment. When asked, the stranger fumbles the name Aaron… Smith. Elderly couple Frederic and Ethel let Aaron sleep on their couch with the idea that he will be leaving in the morning.  But of course, that’s not what happens. The incredulous Ethel has taken a shine to Aaron and Frank must endure her indulgences.

Then the games begin. Not able to expunge this new element from his home, Frank realizes that their guest may be far more than initially perceived. A game of mental chess commences between guilt-ridden Frederick and oddly prescient Aaron with the innocent collateral of Ethyl and Doris. That’s not to mention the spiritual stakes at hand as one misstep could spell the arrival of The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.

Leaning into the strengths of indie cinema, O’Brien has produced one of the best horror films of the year. We start with the script. It’s tight, minimal cast, almost single location, aside from a few supporting scenes. Then we get to the story. Here we have tortured, yet well-meaning protagonists who are trying to attain spiritual equilibria while their sins pursue them. With the idea set, O’Brien and crew have carefully cast the handful of actors at their disposal that will not just sell the story but nail their nuanced performances. Then we get to the production. We first throw the spotlight on Scott McClellan’s pristine cinematography that reflects the polarized perspectives of its characters. We then must note the razor-sharp, string-based score from Andrew Staniland that echoes the fluidity of emotive and spiritual accountability.

THE RIGHTEOUS is an intimately crafted horror film that owns its limitations and leans into them with savage creativity. This isn’t mass-produced, crowd-pleasing horror because it can’t be. Instead, this is an indie production that assembled the best team possible and aimed for the fences. I feel that they knocked it out of the park. Well done, Mr. O’Brien.

  8 Out of 10