MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Holy Boy

The Holy Boy

2025 · 122 min

A slow, unsettling descent into a mountain village's serene horror, where grief and salvation blur into a suffocating embrace.

Directed by
Paolo Strippoli
Genres
Thriller, Drama, Fantasy
Starring
Michele Riondino, Giulio Feltri, Paolo Pierobon
Tagline
If we could rid ourselves of all our pains, would we still be ourselves?
Overview
A PE teacher moves to a isolated mountain village where the people appear to live in unshakeable serenity, but soon stumbles across a disturbing ritual. Once a week, the locals are freed of their pain by a lonely boy born with the power to heal one's soul just by hugging them. Trying to rescue him from this madness, the man unleashes his dark side.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Paolo Strippoli
Genres
Thriller, Drama, Fantasy
Starring
Michele Riondino, Giulio Feltri, Paolo Pierobon
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • eeriestrength 3 of 3
  • bleakstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • grief
  • isolation
  • power
  • corruption
  • trauma
Places
  • small town
  • countryside
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror7
Humour1
Realism4
Romance2
Tension7
Darkness8
Complexity7
Emotional weight8

More like this

Titles like The Holy Boy

Movie

Midsommar

2019

A sun-drenched descent into unsettling ritual and raw grief, unfolding with deliberate, hypnotic dread.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about grief and isolation

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • grief
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
147 min
Details
MidsommarHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Hereditary

2018

A slow, suffocating descent into family grief and dread that tightens its grip with every scene, leaving you shaken and haunted.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about grief and isolation · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • grief
  • isolation
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
128 min
Details
HereditaryHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Weapons

2025

A slow-burning, unsettling mystery that burrows under your skin with its eerie atmosphere and mounting dread.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about grief and isolation · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • grief
  • isolation
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
128 min
Details
WeaponsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The King Tide

2024

A slow, unsettling descent into communal obsession and moral decay, with a constant sense of dread and a haunting, ambiguous payoff.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about isolation and power

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • isolation
  • power
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
103 min
Details
The King TideHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Talk to Me

2023

A relentless, nerve-shredding descent into grief and possession that feels like a panic attack you can't wake from.

Dark, eerie · about grief and isolation · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • grief
  • isolation
  • twist ending
Pacing
relentless
Attention
demanding
Runtime
95 min
Details
Talk to MeHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Babadook

2014

A slow, suffocating plunge into grief and paranoia, where a mother's exhaustion curdles into something monstrous and inescapable.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about grief and isolation · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • grief
  • isolation
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
94 min
Details
The BabadookHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Carrie

1976

A slow-building, deeply unsettling tragedy that tightens its grip before erupting into a cathartic, terrifying climax.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about isolation and trauma · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • isolation
  • trauma
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
98 min
Details
CarrieHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The White Ribbon

2009

A cold, quietly unsettling plunge into a repressed village where unexplained cruelty simmers beneath rigid order, demanding patience and rewarding it with lingering dread.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about isolation and power

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • isolation
  • power
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
144 min
Details
The White RibbonHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

His House

2020

A haunting, claustrophobic experience that burrows under your skin, blending supernatural dread with raw, devastating grief.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about grief and isolation · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • grief
  • isolation
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
93 min
Details
His HouseHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Witch

2015

A slow, suffocating plunge into Puritan paranoia and dread, where every whisper and shadow feels like a threat.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about isolation · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • isolation
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
92 min
Details
The WitchHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Bring Her Back

2025

A slow, suffocating descent into grief-driven madness, with visceral shocks and a relentless sense of dread.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about grief and isolation · twist ending

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • grief
  • isolation
  • twist ending
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
104 min
Details
Bring Her BackHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Hagazussa

2018

A slow, suffocating plunge into isolation and superstition, with stark imagery that lingers like a bad dream.

Dark, eerie, slow-burn · about grief and isolation

Via
  • dark
  • eerie
  • grief
  • isolation
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
102 min
Details
HagazussaHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
thriller, drama, fantasy
Directed by
Paolo Strippoli
Written by
Paolo Strippoli, Milo Tissone, Jacopo del Giudice
Starring
Michele Riondino, Giulio Feltri, Paolo Pierobon, Romana Maggiora Vergano, Roberto Citran, Sergio Romano, Anna Bellato, Sandra Toffolatti
Music
Federico Bisozzi, Davide Tomat
Cinematography
Cristiano Di Nicola
Runtime
122 min
Country
Italy, Slovenia
Languages
Italian

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.