Horror was one of the best film style of 2025, and the good slate of movies we had been handled to final 12 months makes me ponder whether we’ll have such a powerful vary of horror cinema anytime quickly. As one of many best years for cinema, arguably one of the best of the twenty first Century, 2025 was a 12 months of milestones, particularly for horror.
Sinners broke the all-time Oscar nominations document earlier this month by being nominated in each eligible class, which is especially gratifying as a result of the style has an extended historical past of being uncared for by the Academy. There has doubtless by no means been a greater time to be a fan of horror.
Due to 2025’s stacked horror output, many nice movies went unnoticed or had been dismissed regardless of deserving extra recognition. Final 12 months’s new releases embrace some nice authentic movies that launched new approaches to the style and its most well-known tropes. One such underrated authentic horror film options Benedict Cumberbatch within the lead function.
The Factor With Feathers Follows A Household In Mourning
Benedict Cumberbatch stars in Dylan Southern’s The Factor With Feathers as a bereaved father of two sons who’ve just lately misplaced their mom, his spouse. It’s an adaptation of Max Porter’s e book, Grief Is the Factor with Feathers. The film depicts the experiences of the three relations as they grapple with their grief whereas attempting to take care of normalcy.
Cumberbatch’s character is a comic book e book artist who makes use of his sketching expertise to deal with the loss whereas attempting to be current for his youngsters, each of whom are younger boys who attend center college. They’re overwhelmed by his wrestle to renew his life, particularly as a result of he loses his mood usually, though he is principally a protecting and accountable father.
A supernatural entity, the titular factor with feathers, haunts the household and preys on the daddy’s varied insecurities. The creature strikes out of his nightmares and into his home, and even interacts along with his youngsters at one level. It’s left unclear whether or not the creature is an actual fantastical being or an imaginary manifestation of the characters’ sorrow.
The ability of the magic realism style lies in its capacity to blur the boundaries between actual and imaginary for the characters of a film, which helps storytellers develop the metaphorical implications of its magical parts. The Factor With Feathers‘ film modifications among the e book as a result of it may be too summary to translate on to a movie adaptation.
But, it’s made clear that the crow-like monster is a stand-in for the household’s grief. The dialogue within the second act is simply too specific about this for such a symbolic strategy to storytelling, however it’s an efficient exploration of grief. In reality, the daddy’s evolving relationship with the crow might be categorized into the 5 phases of grief.
The Factor With Feathers Was Unfairly Panned By Critics
In slightly below 100 minutes, The Factor With Feathers portrays the protagonist’s advanced journey of studying to stay with out his spouse. The haunting visuals, characterised by claustrophobic shadows, the terrifying design of the crow, and the practically hallucinogenic transitions between scenes by way of mortifying closeups and twisted, angled pictures of the daddy’s sketches, completely seize the dearth of construction grief brings.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Dylan Southern’s undertaking was met with lukewarm critiques at its Sundance premiere, and the broad launch of the film did not assist its fame both. It has been the topic of dislike, with many citing the film’s lack of clear route as a serious flaw. I disagree, as a result of it makes use of the horror parts to develop a monster whose presence is nuanced.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s Efficiency Makes The Film Impactful
Regardless of being haunted by it, the crow’s influence on the daddy is not unfavorable. They’ve a relationship that helps him navigate his grief properly, which is made convincing by Cumberbatch’s unbelievable efficiency. From a tortured artist and a candy father to a screaming sufferer and an impressed man, his character has many roles, and the actor switches between them effortlessly.
Not sufficient individuals are speaking about Benedict Cumberbatch’s busy 2025, and The Factor With Feathers may characteristic his greatest efficiency of final 12 months. He dedicated to the function and introduced the film’s visceral parts to life along with his signature performing. The efficiency is concurrently on the sting and composed, capturing how erratic such grief could make somebody really feel.
The Factor With Feathers Is Surprisingly Life-Affirming
Cumberbatch’s efficiency would not have been as compelling with out the uniquely significant interpretation of the crow. The crow has a terrifying presence, however its existence is immediately linked to at least one’s expertise of grief, which implies it’s not solely potential to free your self from the crow, however it’ll additionally accompany you in your journey by way of the 5 phases.
Regardless of having the cinematic grammar of a tragic movie with a terrifying monster, The Factor With Feathers, which Benedict Cumberbatch has known as a combo of Mary Poppins and Combat Membership, tells a hopeful story about overcoming grief. It might not concentrate on the grace of the journey, nevertheless it values shifting on with life whereas honoring the lifeless.