Deep in Appalachia, Pastor Lemuel Childs (Walton Goggins) presides over an isolated community of serpent handlers, an obscure sect of Pentecostals who willingly take up venomous snakes to prove themselves before God. As his devoted daughter, Mara (Alice Englert) prepares for her wedding day, under the watchful eye of Hope Slaughter (Olivia Colman), a dangerous secret is unearthed and she is forced to confront the deadly tradition of her father's church.... (Full plot summary below)
Enjoy FREE movies and series with your Prime (USA) subscription or when you start a 30-day free trial!
Deep in Appalachia, Pastor Lemuel Childs (Walton Goggins) presides over an isolated community of serpent handlers, an obscure sect of Pentecostals who willingly take up venomous snakes to prove themselves before God. As his devoted daughter, Mara (Alice Englert) prepares for her wedding day, under the watchful eye of Hope Slaughter (Olivia Colman), a dangerous secret is unearthed and she is forced to confront the deadly tradition of her father's church.
Leave your thoughts about Them That Follow.
| Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperThem That Follow is a harrowing and chilling deep dive into an isolated community in the Appalachian mountains. |
| RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzThe acting and filmmaking are so much more imaginative than the script (which also falls into the rookie trap of mistaking a lack of humor for seriousness) that in the end, this feels like a dry run for something deeper and more daring. |
| San Francisco ChronicleCary DarlingThe film is exquisitely acted, with Englert making Mara’s emotional pain real. It’s reminiscent of Jennifer Lawrence’s breakout role in “Winter’s Bone,” which was set in a similar geographic area. Throw in equally strong performances from Goggins, Colman and especially Mann, and the lean, stark Them That Follow ends up packing quite a punch. |
| VarietyAmy NicholsonIn the last act, Poulton and Savage’s long fuse explodes, and they get to prove they’ve made a hell of a picture. |
| TheWrapCarlos AguilarThe filmmakers let the story slither at its own rhythm, so that the magnitude of the psychological control can be fully exposed. To accomplish that, their superb cast guides the film through a poisonous doctrine taken not from the pages of imagination but from real American folklore. |
| Film ThreatAlex SavelievThem That Follow is a dark and richly atmospheric experience. Despite its missteps, this is one snake-infested cinematic pit worth investigating. |
| Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzThem That Follow is a tough slog, no doubt. But it’s also a worthwhile one, even if you might appreciate it more than you’ll enjoy it. |
| Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranA film as atmospheric as its title, Them That Follow is an ambitious and impressive independent production, where the creation of mood and place is so convincing it enables us to buy into a richly melodramatic plot about a taboo romance. |
| Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerWhile never screaming its message, the script by first-time feature directors Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage still finds a way to damn the sin more than the sinner. |
| IndieWireKate ErblandAfter a slow-burn first hour, Poulton and Savage unfurl a climax that unexpectedly brings together all of the pieces fighting for Mara. It’s nerve-jangling and raw, and the filmmakers earn their tension and the gruesome harm that comes with it. (There are plenty of snakes.) All that goodwill comes close to collapse, however, as Poulton and Savage charge toward the finale. |
