THINE EARS SHALL BLEED (2024)

New streaming on Tubi!!
Directed by Ben Bigelow.
Written by Ben Bigelow, William Bigelow.
Starring Andrew Hovelson, Hannah Cabell, Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, Lea Zawada, Duke Huston
Check out the trailer here!!

In the 1860’s, Reverend Ezekiel Thatcher (Andrew Hovelson), his wife Sarah (Hannah Cabell), his blind son Luke (Duke Huston) and rebellious daughter Abigail (Lea Zawada) head across the American Midwest in a horse and wagon in search of the perfect place to build a new church. Stopping in a forested valley, the family’s horses go missing. When Ezekiel searches for them, he reaches the top of a mountain and hears a thunderous noise he believes is the voice of God. Ezekiel believes this is a sign to build his church in the valley, though his wife fears he might be misguided. When a mysterious stranger named Woodrow Booker (Lucas Near-Verbrugghe) appears out of nowhere, supporting Ezekiel’s claims that this is a holy land, it appears something very un-Godly is going on.

THINE EARS SHALL BLEED is an ambitious period piece that feels like a low fi THE VVITCH. There seems to be a lot of authenticity going on, from the way the actors speak to the tools and instruments at their disposal. I wanted to really acknowledge the appreciation I have to filmmakers Ben and William Bigelow, as they clearly did their homework and wanted to make this feel as authentic as it could be. Now, THINE EARS SHALL BLEED is very simply shot and doesn’t do much by way of making the film look more grainy or aged, but that’s a choice, most likely, once again done because of budget more than anything else. I’m sure if the Bigelow’s could have used an aged camera, much like Eggers did with THE VVITCH and THE LIGHTHOUSE, they would have.

The story itself is all about misplaced faith. The frontier days were a desperate time, and the story really highlights how the family, mainly Ezekiel grasps at explaining all trials and rewards they encounter as a sign of god. The fact that Ezekiel is so easily manipulated into believing this benevolent force is God himself. It’s wonderfully acted, mainly by the two leads; Andrew Hovelson as Ezekiel and Lucas Near-Verbrugghe as Woodrow. Hovelson has had bit parts in TV dramas and small indie films, but really does a convincing job of showing his obsessive belief that he has found a new Eden for his church to flourish. He has an intensity to his performance that really sells the crazy that could have been laughable coming from an actor that wasn’t so convicted to the role. Near-Verbrugghe is intense as well, though has a bit more range to play with as he befriends the family and appeals to their charitable and simple nature. It’s more of a subtle role, but it still has its more bombastic moments.

Once the cat is out of the bag and we are made privy to what is going on in the valley, it does get sort of goofy. The noise that the people are hearing begin coming from some of the casts’ mouths and the wide-mouthed, eyes-rolled-back look just lacks the power I think the film is trying to sell. I also think the film goes on a bit too long and the climax and denouement could have been shaved a bit in order to be more effective and less talky. But the strong performances, the gradual way Ezekiel descends into madness, and the chaos that occurs in the family makes for an entertaining watch. This one achieves a lot with very little. If you like period-piece, religious horror, you may want to saddle up with THINE EARS SHALL BLEED.