Timely Thriller “Holy Spider” Gets Gripping Trailer

After a major win at this year's Cannes Film Festival, American audiences are getting their first glimpse at a controversial Oscar contender.

Loosely based on a true story, Holy Spider follows the case of a serial killer targeting sex workers in Mashhad, Iran. Zar Amir Ebrahimi plays the journalist on the killer's trail. Initially a casting director, she stepped into the role at the last minute, and ended up winning Best Actress at Cannes. Director Ali Abbasi (Border), a native who now lives in Denmark, shot the film in Jordan. After numerous COVID delays and alleged interference from the Iranian government, production wrapped in just over a month. Although condemned by officials in Iran, the film was nominated for the Palme d'Or, and officially submitted by Denmark for the Oscars' Best International Feature.

Holy Spider opens in limited release on October 28.

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.