The Carpenter’s Son presents one of the boldest horror concepts of 2025. Directed and written by Lofty Nathan, the film takes a terrifying step into biblical myth, reimagining the bond between Joseph, Mary, and a teenage Jesus through the lens of supernatural dread.
Nicolas Cage stars as Joseph, with Noah Jupe portraying a troubled adolescent Jesus torn between divine purpose and human uncertainty.
The trailer, recently released online, has already sparked intense reactions for its unsettling tone and eerie imagery. It begins with quiet domestic moments before spiraling into disturbing visions of decay, possession, and doubt.
Jesus, portrayed by Jupe with haunting honesty, begins to question whether Cage’s Joseph is truly his father. That dispute becomes both emotional and spiritual, shaking the fragile balance within their small, isolated community.
Mary, played by the multi-talented FKA Twigs, is caught between these two opposing forces. Her quiet anguish and maternal fear ground the story, making her portrayal a crucial emotional anchor amid escalating chaos.
Isla Johnston, known for her role as young Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit, brings menace to the screen as a mysterious stranger later revealed to be Satan, who seeks to lure Jesus away from his family’s guidance.
Also read: National Treasure 3 Update: Jerry Bruckheimer Says Nicolas Cage Could Finally Return
The film’s premise alone would raise eyebrows, but its tone pushes it further. Blurring ancient parable with psychological horror, The Carpenter’s Son transforms what might have been a spiritual drama into a deeply unsettling meditation on temptation, belief, and identity.
Lofty Nathan’s Vision of Faith and Fear
Director Lofty Nathan draws on his Coptic Christian background to shape the story’s religious foundations.
While the film is not based on any canonical Bible text, its inspiration is believed to trace to the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, an early and non-canonical work describing Jesus’ childhood and youthful anger. Nathan’s version extracts this forbidden legend and molds it into modern horror.
Set in a quiet Egyptian village surrounded by endless desert, the film’s atmosphere resembles Gothic isolation transposed into biblical times.
Nathan uses sparse light, whispering winds, and haunting silences to build a sense of divine absence. His aim isn’t to retell scripture but to probe the terrifying possibilities of faith gone astray.
Critics who viewed early footage describe the visual tone as both ancient and intimate. Mud-brick homes, flickering fires, and hushed conversations contrast with horrifying dream sequences filled with crimson skies and uncanny distortions.
The film’s tension grows with every passing moment, paralleling Jupe’s internal descent as he begins sensing otherworldly voices and prophetic nightmares.
Nathan’s previous works already hinted at his flair for realism mixed with mysticism. Yet The Carpenter’s Son stretches his boundaries as a storyteller, combining theology, horror, and emotional tragedy.
For Nathan, it’s not about shocking the audience with violence but unsettling them through doubt, the doubt of faith, of parenthood, and of one’s divine calling.
Noah Jupe’s Transformation: Faith Meets Fear
Noah Jupe, widely recognized for his emotional depth in A Quiet Place, Honey Boy, and HBO’s The Undoing, steps into his boldest role yet. His portrayal of Jesus in The Carpenter’s Son demands a layered performance at once innocent and tormented, childlike but burdened by destiny.
In the trailer, one moment stands out: Jupe’s eyes reflecting fear and disbelief as Joseph confronts him over his defiance. His version of Jesus isn’t saintly perfection; instead, it’s a boy struggling beneath the weight of divine expectation.
When doubt infects his belief system, it leads him toward Johnston’s Satan, who appears kind, almost comforting, as she tempts him to reject faith altogether.
This reimagined coming-of-age framework turns Jupe’s performance into the emotional core of the film. He must embody both grace and rebellion, bouncing between confusion, trust, and terror.
Audiences familiar with his tender vulnerability in Honey Boy will likely see shades of that emotional honesty here, though elevated by an eerie spiritual tension.
The psychological confrontation between Jupe and Cage adds another key layer. While Cage delivers intensity through restraint, Jupe’s performance operates on emotional volatility.
Their on-screen relationship, shifting between love and fear, becomes the film’s anchor, one portraying desperate paternal control and the other seeking cosmic independence.
Nicolas Cage’s Modern Renaissance Continues
Nicolas Cage’s creative resurgence has become one of Hollywood’s most intriguing narratives of the decade. After acclaimed performances in Pig, Dream Scenario, and this year’s Longlegs, he has earned newfound respect for choosing challenging, psychologically rich characters. In The Carpenter’s Son, his role as Joseph extends that streak.
Cage’s Joseph embodies both moral strength and spiritual unease. No longer a stoic biblical figure, this Joseph is flawed, uncertain, and visibly cracked under pressure.
His faith wavers as his son displays unnatural powers and defiance. The result is a performance both haunted and human, the carpenter father not merely protecting his family but struggling with the fear that his son may not belong to him or even to this world.
Cage’s trademark blend of subtle intensity and fragile empathy fits the tone perfectly. His recent horror venture Longlegs proved his ability to project dread without theatrics.
Here, he channels that same shadowy quiet, conveying more with silence than outburst. His performance appears poised to mirror Pig’s subdued power, making Joseph one of his most complex characters yet.
FKA twigs and Isla Johnston Add Feminine Power and Mystery
FKA twigs, renowned for her experimental artistry and music, once again proves her ability to inhabit unconventional screen roles.
Following her appearance in the remake of The Crow, she brings emotional depth and eerie stillness to Mary. Her portrayal seems rooted in both love and helplessness, devoted to her son yet terrified of what his visions may mean.
Meanwhile, Isla Johnston has drawn early praise from critics for her portrayal of Satan. Unlike traditional depictions of demonic evil, Johnston’s Satan is calm, intelligent, and softly persuasive.
Her performance reportedly carries the same unsettling charm that made her turn in The Queen’s Gambit memorable. She embodies temptation not through loud defiance but through quiet seduction, whispering truth twisted into sin.
The chemistry between Johnston and Jupe, both young yet remarkably assured actors, could become one of the film’s standout elements. Their dialogue, a mix of theological questioning and psychological manipulation, forms the emotional core of temptation in The Carpenter’s Son.
What to Expect When It Hits Theaters
The Carpenter’s Son premieres on November 14 and is already being positioned as one of the year’s boldest horror films. While it’s not a direct religious adaptation, its shocking premise and stylistic boldness ensure heavy debate upon release. Some may view it as blasphemous; others will see it as a daring study of faith and rebellion.
What makes this movie stand apart is its refusal to offer easy answers. Nathan’s script challenges viewers to confront doubt as both a human and divine condition. There are visions, exorcisms, and moments of true terror, but at its heart lies a family drama torn by love, secrecy, and unanswered prayers.
The trailer ends in a swirl of haunting imagery: a young boy standing against firelight, Joseph’s voice trembling with despair, and Mary’s silhouette framed by shadow and flame. Those images alone have left film fans buzzing with theories and anticipation.
With its powerhouse combination of Cage’s intensity, Jupe’s innocence, and Nathan’s theological horror vision, The Carpenter’s Son could become one of this decade’s most talked-about genre films.
Expect a release filled with discussion, controversy, and haunting beauty, a modern myth about faith, fear, and family destined to test the limits of belief itself.
Also read: Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Update: Margot Robbie Still Onboard for Disney’s Next Big Voyage
