“The Severed Sun” follows an isolated religious community that sees fear and paranoia spread after a mysterious beast embarks on a bloody rampage.

Dropped into Darkness

“The Severed Sun” is a unique film – one that ignores context clues or precursors. Instead, it immerses the audience in this world and runs with it. The tale has missing pieces throughout, allowing the viewer to connect the dots as it unfolds.

This works in the film’s favor more often than not. However, it does leave it feeling hollow at times. Without the extra minutes of development and lore, there aren’t many opportunities to buy into the characters. Because of this, my investment in the flick varied drastically throughout.

Atmosphere Through Chaos

The majority of “The Severed Sun” employs handheld shooting techniques to create an old-school feel, featuring muted color grading and constant close-ups. This approach generates an everlasting sense of paranoia and claustrophobia, regardless of the characters’ locations.

Alongside the impressive cinematography is a haunting score. “The Severed Sun” is constantly delivering bone-chilling sounds from every direction. This takes the suspenseful moments to another level.

Wrestling with the Unknown

Emma Appleton leads the way as Magpie. Her character is the focal point of the movie’s central theme of good versus evil. Nothing in life is purely good, and nothing is purely evil. 

Magpie herself highlights this messaging, as she grapples with past traumas and isolation but is ultimately looking for an escape. Appleton’s performance aids in making the character feel whole, even when so little is actually known about her.

Toby Stephens is another standout as the Pastor, having the most monologues and sequences of dialogue in the film. Stephens takes advantage of this and is a memorable presence from beginning to end.

Isolation and religious control are other topics touched upon in “The Severed Sun.” Alongside the scares from the “beast,” the majority of the movie’s thrilling moments come from the individuals themselves and how their altered minds misshape the world around them.

At only 80 minutes long, “The Severed Sun” wastes no time. It’s sharp in its execution with enough twisted ideas to succeed. The sound design and visceral cinematography add to its haunting nature. It is similar to many horror movies from the past but adds its own flair to stand out.

Rating: 3 out of 5