The Carpenter's Son Review: The Childhood Of Jesus Is Now A Horror Movie Starring Nicolas Cage

When you think about it, the Bible is the original horror story. "The tropes and themes that we find in slasher movies, body horror, folk horror and zombie apocalypses were kickstarted by the Bible," writes Brandon R. Grafius, author of the recently published book "Scared by the Bible." One person's miracle is another's nightmare, and the Good Book is loaded with tales of bloodshed, annihilation, demonic possession, and the dead rising from the grave. So the idea of a full-blown Biblical horror movie isn't the most outlandish idea, which brings us to Lotfy Nathan's surprisingly creepy "The Carpenter's Son."

Loaded with the type of iconography that gets burned into your impressionable brain at Catholic school, "The Carpenter's Son" asks, "What if the story of Jesus' childhood was turned into a horror movie?" In the canonical gospels, Jesus' childhood is something of a mystery. Everyone knows the bullet points, about how he was born in a manger and how his family fled to Egypt, and those well-versed in the faith likely know the tale of how a young Jesus was able to out-rabbi the rabbis at the temple. But for the most part, Jesus' youth remains shrouded in secrecy, as the Bible doesn't fully pick up with him until he's an adult launching his ministry.

It wasn't always that way, though. There are a plethora of books that never made it into the Bible as we know it today, including the apocryphal "Infancy Gospel of Thomas." This text has the young Jesus as a holy terror who can kill his playmates with a clap of his hands — and then bring them back to life just as easily (Vampire Chronicles creator Anne Rice, someone who knew a thing or two about horror stories, actually drew on this book for her novel "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt"). Sounds like the perfect material for a horror movie, doesn't it?

In "The Carpenter's Son," Jesus' youth is portrayed as a series of nightmarish torments as this young savior, played by Noah Jupe, grapples with the almighty being he will become some day. Plagued by demonic forces, the Boy (as he's called in the credits) must confront both his fate and his devout father, the Carpenter, played by a committed Nicolas Cage. Cage is obviously going to be a big selling point, and the consistently watchable actor doesn't disappoint, playing his character as a pious, angry man who is overprotective of his strange son and occasionally cruel to his much younger wife (FKA Twigs, bringing just the right ethereal quality to her role).

Shot on 35mm film and loaded with a genuine sense of menace, "The Carpenter's Son" uses visions and nightmares to convey its horror, as danger and temptation lurk in every dusty corner. Little by little, the Boy begins to realize he's not like the other children in the village his family calls home. The one figure who seems to know who or what he truly is is a threatening young girl called The Stranger (Isla Johnston), and you can probably guess who she really is from the jump as she keeps trying to tempt the Boy into embracing his dark side.

The idea of a Jesus horror movie starring Nicolas Cage sounds like something cooked up to push buttons and infuriate believers, but "The Carpenter's Son" isn't interested in controversy. Indeed, a part of me wishes writer-director Nathan had been a bit more, well, disrespectful. While there are R-rated moments here that don't shy away from blood and gruesome imagery, "The Carpenter's Son" could've pushed the envelope even further to make something a bit more provocative.

Jupe handles his challenging role with just the right amount of curiosity. Here is a future messiah who really doesn't understand his purpose yet. He seems constantly at war with himself and his capabilities, as well as with his father. Cage's Carpenter character is pious in a potentially lunatic way, but even doubts begin to creep into his own mind as darkness gathers at the edge of the frame.

"The Carpenter's Son" has an almost episodic approach to its storytelling, unfolding at a deliberate pace across a series of days that all start to blend into each other. It gives the film a dreamlike quality that only heightened the atmosphere, although some may find it a bit of a chore from time to time. But as a lapsed Catholic who has always been fascinated with the darker side of the religion, I found the film's mix of holy horror to be engrossing, even if we all know exactly where this story is going in the end.

But a question rises in my head: Will those not well-versed in Jesus-lore be baffled by what's on display here, or will they be able to embrace the film on its own supernatural terms? "The Carpenter's Son" might just be creepy enough to work for you even if you've managed to go your whole life without religion or faith. But I imagine it works even better if you've spent some time in church.

/Film Rating: 6.5 out of 10

"The Carpenter's Son" opens in theaters on November 14, 2025.