Denmark’s Official Submission to the 2023 Academy Awards, Holy Spider is a gripping and darkly atmospheric crime thriller inspired by the true story of Iran’s most notorious serial killer.

Set in the holy city of Mashhad, Ali Abbasi’s haunting latest feature follows journalist Rahimi (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) as she investigates a serial killer targeting sex workers. Labelled the ‘Spider Killer’, the man responsible for these murders is Saeed Hanaei (Mehdi Bajestani), who believes he is on a divine mission to cleanse the city of sinners. As Rahimi desperately tries to bring Saeed to justice, support for his actions begins to grow throughout Mashhad as many hail him as a hero on a religious quest.

Led by a compelling performance from Ebrahimi, who won the Best Actress Award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, this is a blistering critique of contemporary Iranian society from the director of the award-winning Border.

The Garden Cinema View: A neon soaked trip into stygian depths that grips and repels in equal measure. Short of neither style nor substance, Abbasi's confident direction, Zar Amir Ebrahimi's superb performance, and Martin Dirkov's pulsating/hair-raising score will lead you into dark places. A serial killer drama to hold alongside Zodiac and Memories of Murder.  

An open captioned screening for the hard of hearing is scheduled for Wednesday 8 February at 17:45.

Cast:
Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Mehdi Bajestani