Saint Maud (2019)

Saint Maud (2019) is a slow-burning psychological horror-drama about faith, loneliness, and fanaticism. You follow Maud, a reclusive, devout young hospice nurse whose brittle piety and unresolved trauma push her toward an obsessive mission: to save the soul of her dying patient, Amanda, a former dancer who rejects Maud’s ministrations. Writer‑director Rose Glass frames Maud’s inward spiral with clinical intimacy, and Morfydd Clark delivers a riveting, quietly unnerving central performance opposite Jennifer Ehle’s world‑weary Amanda. Watching Saint Maud is an immersive, often claustrophobic experience. The film leans on tight close-ups, hushed sound design and an eerie, dreamlike visual palette to blur the line between Maud’s religious visions and objective reality. It’s a measured, accumulating dread rather than jump-scare horror — the mood grows increasingly oppressive as Maud’s conviction hardens and her grip on the world loosens. Glass borrows from classic religious-horror touchstones while keeping the story grounded in character study, so the terror feels intimate and inevitable. Expect to be slowly drawn in, unsettled by the mixture of sincere devotion and escalating delusion, and ultimately hit by a devastating, shocking climax. The film alternates moments of strange tenderness with scenes that provoke discomfort and moral unease; it asks whether Maud’s actions are monstrous, merciful, or both. Content warning: contains intense themes of religious obsession, mental illness, self-harm and other disturbing material. Recommended for viewers who appreciate atmospheric, character‑driven slow-burn horror rather than straightforward scares.

Actors: Morfydd Clark, Caoilfhionn Dunne, Jennifer Ehle

Director: Rose Glass

Runtime: 84 min

Genres: Drama, Horror, Thriller

6.1 /10 83 /100 6.7 /10 7.0 /10