The Holy Boy: “When a Smile Becomes a Cult”

Fresh from its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and now screening at Razor Reel: The Holy Boy by Paolo Strippoli (A Classic Horror Story, Flowing). This film adds a symbolic layer to the genre: not flashy gore, but silence that slowly cracks.

In the remote Italian village of Remis – proudly calling itself “the happiest place in Italy” – teacher Sergio seems to find a new beginning.

But behind this façade of endless joy hides a disturbing ritual: every week the villagers embrace Matteo, a silent teenager they worship as an angel. His hug is said to take away all pain – a miracle that goes beyond healing and turns into a religion of comfort.

What starts as a ritual of consolation spirals into a dark cult, where individual happiness dissolves into collective denial. When outsider Sergio tries to break the cycle, the true nature of Remis is revealed.

The Holy Boy is not a film of jump scares, but of creeping dread. Strippoli shows how a community can lose itself in the promise of happiness, and how comfort can turn into coercion. A chilling fable where even the warmest embrace can suffocate.

Practical Info

Date: Friday, October 31, 2025

Time: 8:15 PM

Venue: Razor Reel Flanders Film Fest, Magdalenastraat 30, 8200 Bruges, Belgium

Tickets & info: www.razorreel.com/tickets