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Holy Spider

Original title: Ankabut-e moqaddas
  • 20222022
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
15K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,125
434
Holy Spider (2022)
A journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called "Spider Killer", who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners.
Play trailer1:50
1 Video
38 Photos
CrimeDramaThriller
A journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called "Spider Killer", who believes he is... Read allA journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called "Spider Killer", who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners.A journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called "Spider Killer", who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
15K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,125
434
  • Director
    • Ali Abbasi
  • Writers
    • Ali Abbasi
    • Afshin Kamran Bahrami
    • Jonas Wagner(story supervisor)
  • Stars
    • Mehdi Bajestani
    • Zar Amir-Ebrahimi
    • Arash Ashtiani
  • Director
    • Ali Abbasi
  • Writers
    • Ali Abbasi
    • Afshin Kamran Bahrami
    • Jonas Wagner(story supervisor)
  • Stars
    • Mehdi Bajestani
    • Zar Amir-Ebrahimi
    • Arash Ashtiani
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 33User reviews
    • 159Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 20 wins & 35 nominations

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:50
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos38

    Zar Amir-Ebrahimi in Holy Spider (2022)
    Zar Amir-Ebrahimi in Holy Spider (2022)
    Zar Amir-Ebrahimi in Holy Spider (2022)
    Zar Amir-Ebrahimi in Holy Spider (2022)
    Zar Amir-Ebrahimi in Holy Spider (2022)
    Mehdi Bajestani in Holy Spider (2022)
    Zar Amir-Ebrahimi in Holy Spider (2022)
    Zar Amir-Ebrahimi in Holy Spider (2022)
    Mehdi Bajestani in Holy Spider (2022)
    Zar Amir-Ebrahimi in Holy Spider (2022)
    Forouzan Jamshidnejad in Holy Spider (2022)
    Mehdi Bajestani in Holy Spider (2022)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mehdi Bajestani
    • Saeed
    Zar Amir-Ebrahimi
    Zar Amir-Ebrahimi
    • Rahimi
    Arash Ashtiani
    Arash Ashtiani
    • Sharifi
    Forouzan Jamshidnejad
    Forouzan Jamshidnejad
    • Fatima
    Sina Parvaneh
    Sina Parvaneh
    • Rostami
    Nima Akbarpour
    Nima Akbarpour
    • Judge
    Mesbah Taleb
    • Ali
    Firouz Agheli
    • Haji
    • (as Firouz Ageli)
    Sara Fazilat
    • Zinab
    Alice Rahimi
    • Somayeh
    Farhad Faghih Habibi
    Aria Farjadi
    Aria Farjadi
    • Witness
    Mahdi Jahangir
    Mahdi Jahangir
    • Receptionist
    M. Ali Nazarian
    Ariane Naziri
    Sima Seyed
    • Director
      • Ali Abbasi
    • Writers
      • Ali Abbasi
      • Afshin Kamran Bahrami
      • Jonas Wagner(story supervisor)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Zar Amir-Ebrahimi was initially involved in the film only as a casting director, but was cast as the lead after an actress became fearful of acting without hijab and dropped out of the role at the last minute. Rahimi had auditioned around 50 actresses for the role she would go on to claim. Director Ali Abbasi originally wanted someone boyish, more strong physically for the role of Rahimi, as he saw her as being very young and inexperienced, and really eager to prove herself, and he thought Ebrahimi was too soft and mature to play the character he had in mind. But when he saw Ebrahimi use her life experience to remind him that desperate people make dangerous choices, his vision shifted and she was cast. Ebrahimi's performance was acclaimed and she won the Best Actress award at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
    • Goofs
      In the first scene of Rahimi and Sharifi together, style of Sharifi's sleeves repeatedly changes in different shots.
    • Quotes

      Saeed: I'm gonna rid the streets of whores! I ain't gonna stop!

    • Connections
      Featured in Amanda the Jedi Show: The Most Theatre Walkouts I've EVER Seen - Cannes 2022 Explained (2022)

    User reviews33

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Entertaining, character-driven crime thriller.
    The events that inspired this story made international news. I suspect some of what is on the screen actually happened.

    A serial killer is strangling the junkies who work as prostitutes in the holy city. This is controversial, inducing terror and mistrust. No one wants to be killed or suspected, though some openly praise this illegal activity. A very determined journalist comes to town to investigate. We accompany the journalist and meet many characters whose words and actions inform us about the situation. We also learn pretty quickly exactly who is doing the killing by closely following along for some shocking incidents. Who and how is revealed, along with an uncomfortable social context. Much of the movie is an intimate visit with the journalist and the killer whose activities are being investigated, and the suspense increases. After a while the audience is led to suspect that the civil and clerical authorities might be okay with wholesale murder, under certain circumstances, and the journalist will not stop, taking crazy chances.

    The artistry is first class throughout. The way all of this is presented makes us feel closer to every character, so we can better consider how we are the same or different, in our social context. Dangerously determined journalist versus homicidal maniac has been done before but this movie is exceptionally good and most entertaining.
    helpful•17
    12
    • goodellaa
    • Oct 1, 2022

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 13, 2023 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Denmark
      • Germany
      • France
      • Sweden
      • Jordan
      • Italy
    • Language
      • Persian
    • Also known as
      • عنكبوت مقدس
    • Filming locations
      • Jordan(as Iran)
    • Production companies
      • Profile Pictures
      • ONE TWO Films
      • Nordisk Film Production
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $306,893
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $16,376
      • Oct 30, 2022
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,660,982
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 58 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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