“Holy Spider” presents a disturbing crime thriller rooted in the true account of Saeed Hanaei, known as the “Spider Killer,” who murdered 16 female sex workers in Iran during the early 2000s. It’s a disquieting exploration of how religion, culture, social standing, and sexism intertwine, and despite director Ali Abbasi occasionally venturing into graphic territory, it remains a genuinely unsettling film with a disheartening message about the worth of women. Journalist Rahimi (Zar Amir-Ebrahimi) goes to the Iranian city of Mashhad to look into a serial killer who is preying on local prostitutes. With persistence and skill, she gets closer each day to revealing the person responsible. When it’s revealed that the murderer is Saeed (Mehdi Bajestani), a seemingly normal family man, the case appears straightforward—until he claims to be acting on a divine mission from God to cleanse the city by eliminating what he considers corrupt women. Shockingly, many embrace him as a hero. This makes achieving justice even more difficult because Saeed isn't perceived as culpable. Zar Amir-Ebrahimi delivers an entirely captivating performance, portraying Rahimi with both strength and intelligence. She is excellent as a journalist pursuing justice while caught in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a disturbed serial killer who uses religion to justify the deaths of more than a dozen women. Amir-Ebrahimi conveys a sense of calm that conceals simmering anger, and her powerful performance anchors the film. Although inspired by actual events, co-writers Abbasi and Afshin Kamran Bahrami have created a fictional story intended for entertainment purposes. This is imagined storytelling, even though elements are based on reality. The film is alarming and deeply unsettling, particularly when it depicts the murders in graphic detail, and especially when Rahimi confronts the harsh realities of ingrained misogyny prevalent in Iranian society—a problem that extends far beyond Iran’s borders. “Holy Spider” is a forceful, uncompromising film that will provoke anger and outrage. The decision to tell the story from a female perspective makes it feel even more disturbing and relevant.

Source on TMDB