The Severed Sun

Play trailer

The Severed Sun

Released May 16

1h 20m

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

73%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

In the heart of an isolated religious community, The Pastor delivers his fervent sermons to a devoted congregation. But dark secrets fester. In the depths of the forest, The Pastor's daughter, Magpie, takes desperate action, ending the life of her abusive husband. Little does she know, his murder will unleash a malevolent force--a mysterious beast with shimmering white eyes. As weeks pass, suspicion and paranoia grip the community, with accusatory fingers pointed at Magpie. The Pastor struggles to restore Magpie's dwindling faith, and he is unable to bring her back into "The Truth." Faith is fragile, and Magpie is hell bent on rebelling against the hypocrisy of her father. When the Beast leaves a trail of gruesome carnage, a brutal witch hunt ignites. In this gripping tale of faith, fear, and the darkness within, friendships crumble, loyalties are tested, and the community hurtles toward self-destruction.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Lee Zumpe

Tampa Bay Newspapers

“The Severed Sun” desperately needs better narrative structure, context, and a readiness to subvert and reformat familiar horror tropes. But it is still worth checking out, especially if you relish folk horror.

Aug 4, 2025

Full Review

Cameron Ritter

Geek Vibes Nation

The Severed Sun is a decent folk horror film that beats its message over the head a little too forcefully without saying anything new. The exquisite technical achievements are let down by a poor story with no memorable performances.

Rated: 4.5/10

Jul 20, 2025

Full Review

Ryan Syrek

The Reader (Omaha, NE)

This is a witch hunt-centric period piece that doesn’t drown itself in a river of pretension, a la Robert Eggers.

Rated: C+

Jul 18, 2025

Full Review

Joel Harley

Starburst

Like everything else, the creature design is simple but effective, setting this entry into the subgenre apart from the rest.

Rated: 4/5

May 21, 2025

Full Review

Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

Right and wrong are blurry concepts here. What might mean justice for an individual could be devastating to the community.

Rated: 3/5

May 19, 2025

Full Review

Josh Goller

Spectrum Culture

While the film is beautifully shot...with fog rolling over the river and sunlight streaking through a canopy of branches, the narrative is heavy on witch-hunt tropes and offers little originality, its characters never developed much beyond archetypes.

Rated: 2.5/5

May 19, 2025

Full Review

Read all reviews

Gage H

Intense religious cult in remote area gets a taste of the other side when a demon corrupts a few of it's members. It's a slow burn witchy arthouse movie. Also, did they ever let that kid out of that room?! Now he's in there forever.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/18/25

Full Review

Charlie B

I so wanted to like this movie. But it was a collection of tired tropes and under developed characters and their stories. Boring with nothing new to say. But it's visually stunning, and atmospheric, so it gets a couple of stars for that.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/13/25

Full Review

Diet Dr. Paul .

While it’s definitely not a perfect movie, there is so much to love about this movie. From the acting, to the story and the gore is the perfect level of over the top to match the rest of the film. If it were just a little tighter it could have been been even better.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/27/25

Full Review

suresh k

The Severed Sun is a slow-burning, atmospheric gut-punch—part folk horror, part psychological unraveling. Dean Puckett nails the tone: eerie, grounded, and totally unforced. He pulls natural performances from a cast that feels lived-in, not staged, and lets the tension breathe. It’s not flashy—it’s confident. One of those films that quietly buries itself under your skin.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/20/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Dean Puckett

Director

Emma Appleton

Magpie

Toby Stephens

The Pastor

Jodhi May

Actor

Lewis Gribben

David

Barney Harris

John

Final Destination Bloodlines

93%

87%

Final Destination Bloodlines

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Final Destination Bloodlines

Nosferatu

84%

73%

Nosferatu

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Nosferatu

#chadgetstheaxe

100%

95%

#chadgetstheaxe

Watchlist

TRAILER

for #chadgetstheaxe

Eye for an Eye

92%

%

Eye for an Eye

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Eye for an Eye

Mind Leech

100%

83%

Mind Leech

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

In the heart of an isolated religious community, The Pastor delivers his fervent sermons to a devoted congregation. But dark secrets fester. In the depths of the forest, The Pastor's daughter, Magpie, takes desperate action, ending the life of her abusive husband. Little does she know, his murder will unleash a malevolent force--a mysterious beast with shimmering white eyes. As weeks pass, suspicion and paranoia grip the community, with accusatory fingers pointed at Magpie. The Pastor struggles to restore Magpie's dwindling faith, and he is unable to bring her back into "The Truth." Faith is fragile, and Magpie is hell bent on rebelling against the hypocrisy of her father. When the Beast leaves a trail of gruesome carnage, a brutal witch hunt ignites. In this gripping tale of faith, fear, and the darkness within, friendships crumble, loyalties are tested, and the community hurtles toward self-destruction.

Director: Dean Puckett
Producer: Rebecca Wolff, Jude Goldrei
Screenwriter: Dean Puckett
Distributor: Dark Sky Films
Production Co: British Film Institute (BFI), Lunar Lander Films, Onsight, Grasp The Nettle Films, HH5, Bankside Films, Falmouth University, Creative England, iFeatures, Screen Growth Production Fund, BBC Film
Genre: Horror
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): May 16, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 16, 2025
Runtime: 1h 20m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)

Most Popular at Home Now