Lotfy Nathan’s controversial 2025 Biblical horror entry, “The Carpenter’s Son,” arrives on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD next week. Taking inspiration from the “Infancy Gospel of Thomas”—a second-century apocryphal text chronicling Jesus’ early years—the film attempts to blend divine coming-of-age drama with atmospheric dread.
Nicolas Cage stars as Joseph opposite FKA twigs’ Mary. Set in Roman-era Egypt, the story follows a family living in the shadows of the Empire. When Joseph finally secures work in a remote village, the family seeks normalcy—an impossible task given that Jesus (Noah Jupe) is beginning to manifest unexplainable and uncontrollable divine powers. Matters worsen when a mysterious stranger (Isla Johnston) begins enticing the boy to defy his father’s path.
The premise is easily the film’s strongest trait, but the execution fails to live up to the potential of a “Biblical horror” starring Cage. Aside from a sequence where Jesus accidentally heals a leper—bringing unwanted attention to the boy—the film feels strangely stagnant. Jupe’s Jesus spends much of the runtime looking perpetually sad or mad, swayed so easily by Johnston’s tempter that any internal conflict feels hollow.
Then there is the performance gap. Cage delivers a quintessentially Cage performance, complete with an American dialect that exists in a different zip code than the rest of the cast. While FKA twigs provides a grounded Mary, the chemistry feels lopsided; her understated approach struggles to find a rhythm against Cage’s eccentric gravity.
“The Carpenter’s Son” was marketed as a horror film. But, it’s important to realize this is Biblical horror and leans into the era’s brutality—lepers, serpents, and a harrowing early sequence depicting the Massacre of the Innocents. However, it lacks the gonzo energy we’ve come to expect from Cage’s recent horror ventures, such as “Mandy” or “Longlegs.”
Ultimately, despite the preemptive backlash from religious groups, the film is surprisingly forgettable. It isn’t the blasphemous firebrand it wants to be. If you’re a Cage completionist or an apocrypha scholar, there’s curiosity value here. But if you want a compelling story about a “Chosen One” navigating the perils of adolescence, you’re better off revisiting the “Star Wars” prequels or the “Harry Potter” franchise.
Where to watch “The Carpenter’s Son”:
