THE SEVERED SUN (2024)

New On Demand from Dark Sky Films!
Directed/Written by Dean Puckett.
Check out the trailer here!!

In a small religious community run by the charismatic Pastor (Toby Stephens), his daughter Magpie (Emma Appleton) murders her abusive husband and blames it on an accident. Though the Pastor accepts the cause of death, the rest of the community does not, labeling Magpie and her two sons as heretics. As the Pastor deals with a crisis of faith in his daughter, a darkness known as the Beast (James Swanton) lurks in the woods threatening to tear apart this tiny village.

THE SEVERED SUN is another look at the extreme paranoia that rose during the time of the witch trails. While things are set during that time where anyone acting out of order or not following one distinct path of worship are branded heretics, there are no specifics as to where or when this film occurs. This gives the film a sort of timeless feeling, though one would hope this would be far from present-day. Still, the lesson here is that a lot of things like ostracizing the other and going against convention are not something we only deal with today on social media.

THE SEVERED SUN tells a simple yet haunting story of one woman pushed too far and despite her upbringing and despite the beliefs of her family, Magpie stands on her own and goes her own way. That’s not to say that her way is the right thing to do. She murders her husband in the opening moments, sleeps with whomever and I mean, whomever she wants, and seems to know the Beast in the woods on a first name basis. Have no doubt. Magpie is evil, but so are the people who make her an outcast and try to punish her. This is a very nihilistic vison where no one is without sin, so don’t look for any clear good versus evil fight.

Though the budget seems to be pretty low on this witchy, folk horror-esque tale, THE SEVERED SUN makes up for it with wonderful scenes of the beautiful mountain and prairie landscape. It’s an interesting juxtaposition with these small disputes cast against this wide expanse of nature and might be saying something about how petty all of this rage and paranoia really is.

The performances are strong as well as the scenery. Emma Appleton steals every scene she is in. She packs a lot of power in such a strong frame and stands eye to eye against the imposing Toby Stephens as the Pastor. I last saw Stephens on Netflix’s LOST IN SPACE and the fantastic low-fi sci-fi THE MACHINE. Here he embodies a complex character in the Pastor, torn between the love of his rebellious daughter and the responsibility to serve his flock of worshippers and the word of God. Stephens definitely plays the character as pious but also adds a humanity that usually isn’t associated with this type of character.

THE SEVERED SUN is a story of creeping evil that slowly encompasses an entire village, exemplified with some very rudimentary slime effects and a nightmare-fueled full body costume worn by James Swanton as the Beast. I love the way no shadows appear around the Beast, and it stands like a living shadow in the woods. There have been quite a few witchy stories since THE VVITCH was released that centered around the persecution of women who think for themselves. This is another one to add to the list, but THE SEVERED SUN is a good one that’ll definitely leave a lasting impression.