When the trailer for The Carpenter’s Son dropped, I predicted it would “make Twitter go crazy in a bad way.” To be honest, I was completely wrong. Despite its wacky Nicolas Cage vibes and overt biblical tone, it bombed. Making only $141,193 gross per Box Office Mojo, The Carpenter’s Son simply went straight to VOD with little fanfare. I didn’t see many reviewers even mention it, despite its unique direction and setting. I couldn’t get it out of my head though, so in the spirit of Easter (sorry for the sacrilege), I finally gave it a watch.
The events of the story follow an unnamed family in the ancient Middle East, travelling town to town, escaping some form of unknown threat. The father (Cage) is deeply religious and constantly stresses over his son’s inadequacies. The mother (FKA twigs) is a more nurturing presence in her son’s life, but even she doesn’t know exactly who her son is, or what he’s capable of.
The Carpenter’s Son is not a Christian movie, but it’s also not not a Christian movie. The story of the film is based on the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, an apocryphal writing from the second century. I won’t get too into religious history, but most Christians range from disavowing it to shrugging and writing it off as biblical fan fiction. Regardless, the apocryphal writings offer a historical look at other stories about Jesus that, in a different Council of Nicaea, may have made the final cut.
I love the vibe of this movie. The biblical canon (both the Bible itself and the Apocrypha) are full of stories that would make the most seasoned horror fan squirm, and turning these writings into a horror film is just untapped territory. The setting is dim and cloudy, full of dirt and rocky footpaths. The darkness is unrelenting, even during the day the scenes still carry a sinister energy. In terms of scares, The Carpenter’s Son is much more of a slow burn, but that doesn’t mean it’s not effective. The practical effects in the goriest scenes just add to the already dark setting, and it all just perpetuates this feeling of dread.
Unlike a lot of Christian movies, we have real characters in the main cast instead of weightless holy folk reciting lines like they’re in a classroom. Noah Jupe is a pretty compelling Jesus, full of fear, lust, and curiosity. Surprisingly, Nicolas Cage’s performance feels a bit restrained. Don’t get me wrong, he still gets some classic bug-eyed yelling and screaming, but there’s a weight to his character that really brings everything together. Though I didn’t dislike Jupe or FKA twigs, I think without Cage, the whole film may have fallen apart. He is the strongest actor in the cast by far and holds the core group together. I have to mention the incredible performance Isla Johnston gives as Satan, because she’s absolutely chewing the scenery, and it works. I loved every moment she was on screen.
Overall, I think this movie is solid and offers something genuinely unique. It strikes a sweet spot of handling its religious content with care for those who practice Christianity, while still creating a dark horror tale for the uninitiated. Though far from perfect, I’d call it a (hopefully) future cult classic if it ever hits Tubi.
