Written and directed by Mark H. Rapaport, Godhead is a black-and-white psychological horror-thriller tthat drops a reclusive priest into an increasingly bizarre situation when a pair of twins arrive at his church claiming to be prophets, where they don't exactly come across as the sort of people you would invite back for Sunday dinner.
A Priest, a Boy and Two Self-Proclaimed Prophets
The film begins with a baby being left on the steps of a church, where a reclusive priest, played by Al Warren, takes the child in and raises him as his own - the boy, played by Luke Speakman, grows up largely isolated from the outside world, as the priest has taught him that the world beyond the church is dangerous, leaving him confined to his home and protected from whatever might be waiting outside.
Then Firstborn and Secondborn arrive.
The twins, played by Sarah Coffey and Kimball Farley, claim to be prophets and tell the priest that they have a divine mission for him, but he isn't particularly keen on getting involved, but there are reasons he can't simply send them away.
From there, the situation turns into a strange psychological battle involving faith, secrets, control and the possibility that the twins might actually know considerably more than they should.
Godhead is shot in crisp black and white by cinematographer William Tracy Babcock, who also worked with Rapaport on Hippo, where the cinematography uses exaggerated and sometimes deliberately uncomfortable angles, which fits the increasingly distorted power struggle taking place inside the church.
Fantasia described the film as using its visual style to reflect the themes of fanaticism and power, while reviews have also picked up on the strange combination of old-fashioned imagery and increasingly surreal horror.
Mark H. Rapaport Returns After Hippo
Rapaport's first feature, Hippo, premiered at Fantasia in 2023 and established the filmmaker as someone who isn't particularly interested in making straightforward genre movies - Godhead is his second feature, and the two films share some obvious interests - particularly religion, isolation, strange family dynamics and characters who develop increasingly bizarre ideas about the world around them.
Rapaport has also spoken about recognising recurring themes in his work, including his fascination with existential questions about gods and religion - the screenplay is credited to Rapaport, with the story credited to Rapaport and Kimball Farley.
Producers include Julian Lawitschka, Kale Murphy, Kari Iverson, Jordan Rapaport, Mark H. Rapaport and Emanuel Nunez, with Charmaine Kowalski Rapaport, Gus Corwin and others among the executive producers.
The main cast is small, as alongside Warren, Speakman, Coffey and Farley, Mila Middleswarth and Sidney Baxley also appear.
The Festival Reaction Has Been Interesting
The early response to Godhead has generally been positive, although critics have definitely found it an odd film, being described as a psychological horror puzzle box dealing with faith and called its small cast, and Rotten Tomatoes currently lists 10 critic reviews, with a 100% Tomatometer score at the time of writing.
The film has also picked up several FilmQuest nominations, including Best Director for Rapaport, Best Screenplay and Best Actor for Al Warren.
Godhead will continue its festival run throughout the year, where it is also scheduled for an East Coast premiere at the 2026 Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, where it is listed as a 98-minute film.
There is currently no confirmed general streaming release date, so if you missed the festival screenings, you'll have to wait for the wider distribution plans to be announced.
- The Doll Ghawiah: Indonesia's Haunted Doll Returns
- The Glorious Dead: Hell Is Coming to Small-Town America
- You Can't Leave: A Missing Sister Leads to a Supernatural Nightmare in the Woods
- Play House: Creepy VHS Children's Show Brings Analog Horror to Life
- Christmas at the Kringles: Ron Livingston Takes on a Very Strange Christmas Family