NOW ON VOD! Writer/director Ned Crowley’s supernatural western, Killing Faith, has the distinction of earning a public shout-out from Stephen King as a film that is better, among other notable 2025 King-related releases such as The Life of Chuck and The Long Walk. The film takes us to the plague-stricken territory of Arizona in 1849. Sarah (DeWanda Wise) is a newly freed slave trying to keep her young daughter, known only as The Girl (Emily Katherine Ford), alive and away from the local townies, who want the child dead. You see, any living creature The Girl touches dies in an instant, forcing her to wear mittens all the time. No one knows how Sarah came to befriend the girl, but things are getting so bad that The Girl’s only hope lies in a traveling faith healer, Preacher Ross (Bill Pullman), who is said to have the answers.
As the journey is not safe for Sarah and The Girl to travel alone, they hire the only person in town crazy enough to help, who just so happens to desperately need cash: disgraced physician Dr. Bender (Guy Pearce). Of course, they come across an assortment of allies and villains along the way. These characters include violent drifters like Whitey (Jamie Neumann) and Gibson (Keith Jardine), a sharp-tongued William Shakespeare (Raoul Max Trujillo), and Maggie (Joanna Cassidy), the matriarch of a traveling family. Along the way, friendships and alliances are tested. Is The Girl as innocent and angelic as we’re being led to believe, and are the forces of faith and skepticism in conflict from the very beginning?
Photographer Michael Moriatis
“…any living creature The Girl touches dies in an instant…”
Killing Faith is a truly independent film at its core. I don’t know if you can tell, but this is not your typical Western. Yes, you have the lawlessness of the Wild, Wild West, as justice is granted only to those with the quickest draw, and the only person you can trust is yourself. One’s morality is also challenged as choices are made between doing what is right and surviving to live another day. Now add a Stephen King-style story to the mix that walks the line between the Western and dark demonic thriller. You have this innocent little girl, cursed with the power of death in her hand. Is she a powerful weapon if placed in the wrong hands? Or is this angel really a demon?
Aside from its dense story, the film boasts great performances by Pearce and Wise. They play their characters’ arcs like a twisty county fair funhouse. Most importantly, how is it that Pearce isn’t getting great Hollywood roles anymore? Speaking of excellent acting, the narrative builds toward a strong turn from Bill Pullman as Preacher Ross. I don’t want to give anything away, but man, Pullman cements himself as a wonderful character actor.
Killing Faith reminds me how much fun a Stephen King adaptation can be and should be. Crowley captures the spirit of the old-time Western and masterfully builds the tension for each encounter our heroes face. Don’t let this odd Western pass you by.
For more information, visit the Killing Faith official website.
"…don't let this odd Western pass you by."
