Religion and horror have always made for a potent pairing, with the genre twisting faith, control, and obsession into something deeply unsettling. From the paranoid dread of Rosemary's Baby to the visceral terror of The Exorcist, cinema has long explored the dark side of devotion. More recent gems like Saint Maud have shown how a single believer's delusions can spiral into psychological horror. Now, The Ones Who Grieve is set to join that tradition, making its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest with a chilling new look at a masked figure that promises to haunt audiences.
Set in the French countryside at the end of the 19th century, the film plunges viewers into a world ravaged by a mysterious affliction known as the Black Veil. At the center of this bleak landscape is Zélie, a 17-year-old girl trapped in a household ruled by her father, Jacob, a self-proclaimed "Masker." Jacob believes he is saving the souls of the sick by imprisoning them behind hand-carved wooden masks, subjecting them to brutal purification rituals that are anything but merciful. His iron-fisted control over his family and the community is a chilling reminder of how fanaticism can curdle into tyranny.
Our exclusive image captures the horrifying result of Jacob's "mercy." A man stands in a river, his body covered in scratches, wearing only a cloth. The mask clamped around his head is a grotesque contraption—hollow eyes, a haunting mouth, and rough metal bolts that make it look more like an instrument of torture than a tool of salvation. The man is infected, and his "purification" means wandering the earth, unable to see, eat, speak, or scream, as the disease slowly consumes him. It's a stark visual that underscores the film's central theme: the greatest monster isn't the plague, but the man who uses faith as a weapon.
Thierry Frémont steps into the terrifying role of Jacob, bringing a menacing presence to the screen. Frémont, known for his work in the adventurous series Nautilus, is joined by Zélie Rixhon, Isabelle Anciaux, and Jean-Baptiste Maunier. Behind the camera, French filmmaker Quarxx takes the helm, marking his third feature and a return to Fantastic Fest after his 2018 sci-fi drama All the Gods in the Sky. Quarxx co-wrote the screenplay with Frederic Soulier, crafting a story that promises to be as bleak as it is gripping.
The film's narrative follows Zélie as she seeks an escape from her father's tyranny. After venturing to a neighboring farm for food, she encounters Jane, a woman with a dark secret, and Carmin, a man tormented by his own demons. When Gabriel, an infected soldier, stumbles into their barn and offers to kill Jacob, Zélie sees a glimmer of hope. But when her father discovers her betrayal, he punishes her mercilessly, setting off a chain of tragedies that spiral into madness.
The Ones Who Grieve is a stark reminder that horror often finds its most terrifying expression in the human capacity for cruelty. As Jacob's masks turn faith into a cage, the film asks us to consider what happens when belief becomes a tool for control. It's a theme that resonates beyond the screen, making this a must-see for fans of folk horror and psychological dread.
The film makes its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest on Friday, September 18, at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar in Austin, Texas. For more on the festival's lineup, check out our first look at Little Doors, another Fantastic Fest entry. And if you're in the mood for more horror, our guide to hidden Netflix horror gems might be just what you need.
Stay tuned to ShowtimeSpot for more exclusive previews from Fantastic Fest, and prepare to face the nightmare that is The Ones Who Grieve.
