Before ‘Abigail,’ Dan Stevens Had a Showdown in This Netflix Horror Movie

The big picture

• Dan Stevens shines in both 'Apostle' and 'Abigail' with his portrayal of morally gray characters, showing his versatility as an actor.
• 'Apostle' delves into themes of eco-horror, criticizing human superiority and the danger of underestimating the power of nature.
• The intense atmosphere of 'Apostle' is heightened by the isolated setting and relationships within the cult, adding emotional weight to the story.

Dan Stevens gave one of the most outstanding performances Abigailstarred alongside Melissa Barrera i Kathryn Newton. However, it wasn't the first time he played a morally gray horror character, as he previously did so in the Netflix cult horror. apostle next to Michael Sheen i Lucy Boynton. In apostle, Stevens plays Thomas Richardson, a man who secretly enters a cult in search of his missing sister. Richardson is undoubtedly the star of the film, but he doesn't always feel like the hero due to his cold exterior and withdrawn personality. Despite this, his fierce loyalty shines through and Stevens manages to create a character who isn't necessarily likable but is easy to root for. apostle takes place in total isolation and sees a village worshiping a God who supposedly controls the growth of their crops and the quality of the land. As the film reaches its climax, apostle offers critiques of human superiority and the danger of underestimating the power of nature, making it not only a cult film, but also an example of the ever-growing eco-horror subgenre.

What is 'Apostle' about?

apostle begins by introducing us to Thomas Richardson. A letter read to him by a close family friend reveals that his sister is being held for ransom by a cult, and since his father is inconsolable, he must travel to where the cult lives to retrieve his sister. The journey to the island highlights how isolated the community is, with Richardson and the other newcomers traveling by boat across treacherous seas to reach their destination. When Richardson picks up a sheep that was almost thrown overboard, one of his traveling companions throws the creature into the sea. This fleeting moment acts as the first outline of the film's environmental themes, as the man explains that “she” decides who lives or dies, referring to a higher being. Richardson begins to learn about the cult's beliefs, with the townspeople following a divine being who makes their land fertile through blood sacrifice. He is given a cup to present his offering each night, and it becomes clear that the cult is not half-hearted in its commitment when Richardson watches one of his fellow newcomers cut his arm deeply to make the sacrifice.

However, apostle it succeeds in how it creates community, and while the cult as a whole is intense, the individual members the film spends time with give it nuance and show that it's not without its cracks. Leaders Malcolm (Michael Sheen), Frank (Paul Higgins), and Quinn (Mark Lewis Jones) are dominant and their presence is large and difficult to ignore; they have a lot of power over the community. This is starkly contrasted by his children, Malcolm's daughter Andrea (Lucy Boynton) is headstrong and driven, often acting as Thomas' avenue into the cult and also his moon of hope to win back his sister. Quinn Ffion's daughter (Kristine Froseth) and Frank's son Jeremy (Bill Milner) are involved in a secret relationship, often drifting off after hours to see each other. The three children as characters represent the loss of control the leaders experience when their crops fail to grow. It indicates that not even those who raised have faith in their beliefs and represent the outcome of the cult. Younger characters are also important for the audience to empathize with the cult, with these characters much easier to root for. It's their eventual fates that give this film its brutal reputation, because of how unwilling participants feel.

Dan Stevens plays a morally gray character in 'Apostle' and 'Abigail'

Richardson serves as an audience surrogate apostle as we learn about the cult through their discoveries and things are only revealed to the audience if Richardson sees them. However, he is not the standard hero; in fact, he is much colder and withdrawn. This makes him difficult to read and what he is thinking or feeling is not always easy for the audience to decipher. But what is clear throughout the piece is that he loves his sister deeply and is very motivated to get her back, despite an implied troubled relationship with his father. This love also predominates through the pockets of empathy he finds within the cult. When he finds Jeremy after hours, he threatens him not to talk about their encounter, but he does so in a compassionate and fatherly manner. It is immediately obvious that she would never hurt Jeremy, and the two develop a close bond.

Richardson shares many traits with Stevens' character Abigail, Frank, but the actor plays them in a completely different way. Although at times Richardson is inhospitable, it comes across as a personal reserve and never feels intentionally forceful or rude. In contrast, Frank is still unwelcoming but in a much more arrogant way. He is often rude to Joey (Melissa Barrera) and talks down to him despite his intelligence. There's an unsettling, unreliable tension between them that makes Frank hard to bear. Stevens is undoubtedly magnetic Abigail, and before Frank's fate at the film's climax, makes him boastful but never really a hater. In apostle, Stevens still plays a character who is sure of himself but his portrayal is much more muted and ambiguous; tonally fits the piece much better and shows his versatility as an actor.

'Apostle' represents the growth of eco-horror

In the revelation of the creature on which the cult leaders have based their entire religious system, apostle explores themes of humanity's relationship with nature. The cult's goddess is revealed to be an old woman who requires blood sacrifices to keep the crops growing. This figure acts as an embodiment of Mother Nature through her ability to grow the world around her. However, her entrapment by the cult leaders shows how she is being exploited to benefit the city. Through this, the film warns of the dangers of trying to control nature, emphasizing that it is an unpredictable force that cannot be reasoned with. The goddess seems suffocated and completely lacking the autonomy she needs to thrive and this is reflected in her rapid deterioration and inability to provide the scale the city requires.

The abuse of power by the leaders is not only present in the treatment of the deity, but in all aspects of the life of their city. This is seen in the subplot which focuses on Ffion becoming pregnant with Jeremy's child, with the two agreeing to run away and marry. However, her father is very vocal about his disapproval of the baby, and how unnatural it is for Ffion to be pregnant out of wedlock. Add another layer a of the Apostle conversations about the natural and how those in positions of power manipulate it for ulterior motives.

apostleThe isolated setting of 's creates an intense, brutal and bloody atmosphere. The smaller networks in the city make even the small moments feel significant and add great emotional weight to the big moments later. Dan Stevens is a moderate leading man who contrasts the extreme of the cult, giving apostle so much room to explore his themes of power and nature.

apostle is available to watch on Netflix in the US

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