The Carpenter's Son
Directed by Lotfy NathanFamily hiding in Roman Egypt. Son known as 'the Boy' doubts guardian 'the Carpenter', rebelling with mysterious powers. As he uses abilities, they face natural and divine horrors.
- jackmeatDecember 13, 2025My quick rating - 3.8/10. I knew The Carpenter’s Son was going to be wrapped in controversy, whispers of blasphemy, and marketing hype that promises far more horror than the movie ever actually delivers. Directed and written by Lotfy Nathan and based on the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, the film revisits the childhood of Jesus Christ through a darker lens, one that is clearly meant to unsettle. Whether it succeeds depends largely on what you’re expecting going in. I personally missed all the negative press down here, so I had hardly any expectations. Set in Roman-era Egypt, the story follows a carpenter, his wife, and their young son, known only as “the Boy” (Noah Jupe) - as they live in hiding while supernatural forces circle closer. Nicolas Cage plays the Carpenter with a constant air of nervous restraint, a man weighed down by fear, responsibility, and an unspoken truth. The Boy, meanwhile, begins to question his guardian and rebel, discovering mysterious abilities that hint at something far beyond a normal coming-of-age arc. As these powers surface, the family finds itself facing both natural and divine horrors, eventually tipping the film into what could generously be called spiritual warfare. I thought that the setting was one of the movie’s strengths. It is a dark, persuasive portrayal of living through such times. Both physically, with regard to lighting, sound, and so on, the movie often looks excellent, and the ambition of what is trying to be done is certainly evident. It is this notion that epic characters can be captured with raw humanity that the movie reveals with the greatest clarity of purpose. The father’s worry, mother’s stoic power, or boy’s temptation/rebellion are depicted effectively enough, aided by sound performances from everyone involved. That said, the film has a major problem: it’s boring. For a movie that was hyped in some circles as shocking or terrifying, there’s very little here that qualifies as horror. Any “divine” threat remains largely abstract, and the sense of danger never truly escalates into something visceral or frightening. I can safely say the PR backlash and outcry surrounding the subject matter is by far the most intense thing about this release. This is not an early-Christ splatter film. Not even close. It plays more like a somber, slow-burn coming-of-age story with religious overtones - which, frankly, should surprise no one. Interestingly, Isla Johnston’s Stranger is by far the most compelling character in the film. Whenever she’s on screen, there’s a spark of unpredictability and tension that the Boy himself often lacks. Her presence hints at a more unsettling movie lurking just beneath the surface, one that I never saw. Ultimately, The Carpenter’s Son is an ambitious but uneven film. It will absolutely be a love-it-or-hate-it experience, largely because many viewers will judge it solely on its religious material. Some will cry blasphemy, others will embrace it simply because it challenges Christian iconography. Stripping all that away, what’s left is a thoughtfully made but underwhelming flick that succeeds more as a moody historical drama than as a horror movie. And judging it purely on its merits, not its controversy, it simply doesn’t have the bite its reputation suggests.
- marshalseaDecember 17, 2025Start off, I'm not religious - I simply do not get it, I do not need an idol to hide behind to be a good person, and I am obviously a better person than a lot of so-called religious people, I am also obviously not as good than a lot of them - I am but a human. But I do love a good religious epic, be it based on Christianity, Judaism, or Far East religions. This is an excellent film all round - well scripted, well directed, cinematography, soundtracked, and incredibly well acted. It is, effectively a slow burn supernatural horror film and that just so happens to be the sort of horror films I like - none of the bore/gore-fest of US Horror, that was tired by mids 90s, and now it's all CGI and looks crap anyway, so even less fun. Shout out to Nic Cage, fantastic as always, Noah Jupe, who quietly and wide eyed leans into it with genuine human emotion, and the true stand out of the piece Isla Johnston, who conjures up some genuine abandonment issues and just generally really captures creepy girl vibes, switching between someone horrible to someone to empathise with. Why all the hate? The Boy is fallible, and stumbles... like normal people do, and we can't have anything like that as it shows that people that refuse to learn are their own problems. Only a personification of Dunning Kruger itself would instantly think he was divine, or capable, or have a big IQ because of the dementia quiz, and thus as he's not this type of human he stumbles around, getting things wrong, actually get hands in. Why wouldn't he been a fallible human like everyone else? Who better to show the way - that's it's fine to make mistakes, that redemption is possible through further action. Others have mentioned it's boring - it's certainly slow burn, and the tension mounts. I like this type of movie. Like I liked Pig, or Butchers Crossing, or any of his other recent films where he's gone out there. I'll put it out there... I'm a bit of Nic aficionado and if it's got Cage in it, I'm gonna watch it. It doesn't always work out, but I'm usually in for a good performance from him... and Pig... damn... what a genuinely brilliant film. The final line is simply magnificent, and sums it up for all of us who struggle against the children in upper management.
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The Carpenter's Son Trivia
The Carpenter's Son was released on November 13, 2025.
The Carpenter's Son was directed by Lotfy Nathan.
The Carpenter's Son has a runtime of 1h 34m.
The Carpenter's Son was produced by Alex Hughes, Riccardo Maddalosso, Nicolas Cage, Julie Viez.
Family hiding in Roman Egypt. Son known as 'the Boy' doubts guardian 'the Carpenter', rebelling with mysterious powers. As he uses abilities, they face natural and divine horrors.
The key characters in The Carpenter's Son are The Carpenter (Nicolas Cage), The Boy (Noah Jupe), The Mother (FKA twigs).
The Carpenter's Son is rated R.
The Carpenter's Son is a Horror, Fantasy film.
The Carpenter's Son has an audience rating of 3.7 out of 10.
The Carpenter's Son had a budget of $10M.
The Carpenter's Son has made $146K at the box office.