Okay, I’ll just say it: I wasn’t expecting a horror movie to make me think more about my faith. But here we are.
Somewhere between googly-eyed rocks, brooding priests, and a bagel that might be the Antichrist, A24 has accidentally become one of the most spiritually honest storytellers of our time.
Their latest release, The Legend of Ochi, fits right into this weird, wonderful pattern. It’s a fantasy film about a teenager named Yuri who ditches her dad’s rigid beliefs to help a mythical creature. It sounds like a children’s story, but it hits surprisingly deep. There’s a clear tension between inherited religion and lived compassion. In other words: faith vs. rules, mercy vs. control, daughter vs. dad (classic biblical vibes).
Director Isaiah Saxon said he wanted to explore “the mysteries of nature,” which is basically Psalm 19 with more animated creatures. There’s no altar call, but it’s still one of the more spiritual movies I’ve seen in a while. It asks real questions—like what kind of faith actually leads to healing? Spoiler: it’s not always the loud kind.
That’s kind of A24’s thing. They never quote Scripture, but they somehow echo it. They ask the hard questions:
What does it mean to live well in a broken world?
Is grace real, even when we don’t feel it?
Can you still believe when everything looks hopeless—like, say, after reading the news?
First Reformed is the perfect example. It’s a slow, painful dive into a pastor’s crisis of faith. Reverend Toller isn’t leading youth group lock-ins or posting inspirational Instagram quotes. He’s asking if God will forgive us while staring into the ecological abyss. Honestly, it’s like Ecclesiastes with fluorescent lighting.
The Green Knight plays like a Sunday sermon if your pastor had a fog machine and a thing for medieval guilt. It’s about shame, mortality, and grace you don’t earn. The main guy, Gawain, wants glory but doesn’t deserve it (relatable). It’s only when he finally stops pretending that redemption becomes possible. Messy? Yes. But also? Kind of biblical.
And then there’s Everything Everywhere All At Once. If someone described this movie to me—hot dog fingers, talking raccoons, an everything bagel of despair—I’d assume they were sleep-deprived or leading youth group games. But somehow, in all that chaos, the film lands on something deeply Christlike: love matters. Presence matters. Kindness matters. Even when life is an absolute multiverse mess.
The Daniels, who directed it, said they wanted the movie to be a “foolish prayer.” And maybe that’s what makes it work—it’s a film that’s not afraid to sound ridiculous while chasing real truth. Kind of like Peter stepping out of the boat only to faceplant into the Sea of Galilee. (Still walked though.)
Even A24’s horror films don’t mock faith. Heretic, one of their most recent thrillers, has Hugh Grant as a scary nutcase who traps two Mormon missionaries. It’s terrifying—but it doesn’t treat belief like a joke. Instead, it digs into the vulnerability of sharing your faith, especially with people who think they already have the truth. The directors said they wanted to show the real search for God—and they do. You might watch it from behind a pillow, but the heart is there.
And then there’s the intense meditation on the memory and trauma of warfare in the film Warfare. This intense, visceral film focuses on a single encounter between Navy SEALs and insurgents during the Iraq War, aiming to capture the unfiltered experience of combat. It does this by prioritising authenticity over traditional war movie tropes, presenting a real-time, almost documentary-style depiction of the event based on the memories of those involved. The real-time experience felt like entering into the trauma of these devoted soldiers, “walking a mile in their shoes” if you will. Isn’t that what we’re meant to do with our faith? The film is meant to provoke contemplation in us as viewers and understand, love and care for those whose lived experience has put them in harms way and sacrificed their lives for others.
What I appreciate most is that A24 doesn’t force tidy endings. They don’t pretend the answers are simple. Honestly, that’s refreshing. Often at church we are handed laminated answers before we even knew the questions. These films let you ask. And sit in the silence. And sometimes, that’s the most honest form of worship.
Sure, their movies can be weird. Dark. Even confusing. But have you read Ezekiel? Or Job? Or that time Jesus spat in the dirt and wiped it on someone’s eyes? Scripture is full of weird, holy moments that don’t always make sense until they’re lived.
No, A24 isn’t trying to be church. But in a time when many of us are tired, burned out, and a little disillusioned, they’re telling stories that make room for mystery, grace, and the long, messy search for God.
They’re not handing out answers. But they are inviting us to ask better, more interesting questions.
And maybe that’s where faith really starts.
