Nothing is taboo in horror that includes the Virgin Mary in Ramone Menon’s short film Virgin. The Virgin Mary and Joseph are traveling to their final destination in Bethlehem. According to the ancient tale, she is about to give birth to the Messiah. All appears well until Joseph, possessed by some otherworldly power, wonders who the father of Mary’s unborn child is. When the couple prepares their lodgings in a lowly barn, Joseph becomes obsessed with Mary’s pregnancy and, then, possessed by a spirit of ill intent, condemns Mary as a “w***e.”
“…a spirit of ill-intent who condemns Mary as a ‘w***e.'”
Virgin may not be for everyone, especially those who regard the birth of Christ as sacred. But this is fiction, and writer/director Menon asks the simple question: What if the most holy and spiritual event in human history was itself a supernatural battle between good and evil, God and Satan? With a modest budget at hand, Menon tells a frightening story about his victim, Mary. There are thrills, scares, and an ominous use of subtitles. Menon makes good use of blood, violence, and a jump scare as the cherry on top.
Virgin is a bold and unsettling reimagining of one of the most sacred stories ever told, twisting faith into fear with eerie precision. Ramone Menon turns a what-if scenario into a supernatural nightmare, where the line between divine and demonic blurs in the flickering candlelight of a Bethlehem stable. Whether you find it sacrilegious or sensational, Virgin is undeniably chilling, proving that in horror, even the holiest of nights isn’t safe from the shadows.
"…bold and unsettling..."
