This Dutch-language (with English interspersed) horror movie took me by complete surprise. It released in 2022 and packs a good scare despite the team not going all the way.
North of the Netherlands is a peat bog, where Betriek lives. A stranger (later identified as Radu; played by Edon Rizvanolli) attacked her and the family one fateful night. It was all so random and bizarre that it prompted Betriek to take it upon herself to go investigate and not wait for the police to do it.
One thing led to another and Betriek learned that an ancient demonic evil was hunting her (through possessed people), and had been doing so since she was a child. This creature was not the titular Moloch which, in real-life demonology, is a fallen angel that looks like a minotaur and is also a prince of Hell.
There's mention of him in the Catholic bible. The creature is also chronicled as masquerading (once upon a time) as a pagan fertility god. The Ammonites, Canaanites, Phoenicians, and some cultures in North Africa and the Levant worshipped him.
Moloch is also no stranger to child sacrifice and "making mothers weep". This made him a truly horrendous and despicable monster. There exist more than a few conflicting ideas about this creature, but the fact that it can be both benevolent and malevolent is canon.
Shockingly, the writers of "Moloch" (the movie) didn't use the wealth of lore available for this demon. Nonetheless, they delivered a chilling story rife with mystery and murder, and which captured some of the most notable points Moloch is known for in demonology.
Sallie Harmsen was outstanding in her role as Betriek. She carried on the rich legacy of horror-genre moms who end up having to deal with dark entities in some capacity. She seemingly escaped the clutches of Moloch as a child, but now had a daughter of her own to protect.
Lead archaeologist Jonas (played by Alexandre Willaume) was a great addition to the character roster. His academic aide Sonja (played by Markoesa Hamer) helped propagate the mystery. There was also some interesting chemistry brewing between Jonas and Betriek which I liked.
Further enriching the plot were elements like folk superstition, local myths (Feike and of course Moloch), and those with the ability to "know where to dig" as if the location was being "whispered" to them. All of this added to the wonder-factor in this tale.
Now, in the "Moloch" movie plotline, a team of archaeologists had apparently found something worth exploring. New discoveries are often made in peat bogs, which are known for preserving ancient specimens over a vast period of time.
Paranormal goings-on were also present, adding to the intrigue and thrill. After all, this isn't the first horror movie to use something ancient under the soil that came with demonic strings attached. In this case, it was a perfectly preserved corpse of a woman whose origins were yet to be determined.
Eight women from different eras - all of them related - with their throats strangely slit made for a fascinating discovery. Until Jonas later learned that Betriek's grandmother was killed the same way. This added a captivating 'legacy link' to the Feike (local legend) mythos prevalent throughout the plot.
The movie should have been titled "Feike" because this entity played a more prominent - albeit belated - role in the script. Spectral versions of the mythical women (from the same bloodline) whose bodies she'd possessed and later throat-slit (lore) to ritually 'shift' to the next in the family line bloomed only near the finale.
This paranormal mystery was surprisingly good, but it could've been better. They don't need to dig too deep to unearth the story's potential. I just wish they showcased more of Moloch in this movie, or at least did more with Feike. But all in all, the movie didn't fail to keep my attention.
North of the Netherlands is a peat bog, where Betriek lives. A stranger (later identified as Radu; played by Edon Rizvanolli) attacked her and the family one fateful night. It was all so random and bizarre that it prompted Betriek to take it upon herself to go investigate and not wait for the police to do it.
One thing led to another and Betriek learned that an ancient demonic evil was hunting her (through possessed people), and had been doing so since she was a child. This creature was not the titular Moloch which, in real-life demonology, is a fallen angel that looks like a minotaur and is also a prince of Hell.
There's mention of him in the Catholic bible. The creature is also chronicled as masquerading (once upon a time) as a pagan fertility god. The Ammonites, Canaanites, Phoenicians, and some cultures in North Africa and the Levant worshipped him.
Moloch is also no stranger to child sacrifice and "making mothers weep". This made him a truly horrendous and despicable monster. There exist more than a few conflicting ideas about this creature, but the fact that it can be both benevolent and malevolent is canon.
Shockingly, the writers of "Moloch" (the movie) didn't use the wealth of lore available for this demon. Nonetheless, they delivered a chilling story rife with mystery and murder, and which captured some of the most notable points Moloch is known for in demonology.
Sallie Harmsen was outstanding in her role as Betriek. She carried on the rich legacy of horror-genre moms who end up having to deal with dark entities in some capacity. She seemingly escaped the clutches of Moloch as a child, but now had a daughter of her own to protect.
Lead archaeologist Jonas (played by Alexandre Willaume) was a great addition to the character roster. His academic aide Sonja (played by Markoesa Hamer) helped propagate the mystery. There was also some interesting chemistry brewing between Jonas and Betriek which I liked.
Further enriching the plot were elements like folk superstition, local myths (Feike and of course Moloch), and those with the ability to "know where to dig" as if the location was being "whispered" to them. All of this added to the wonder-factor in this tale.
Now, in the "Moloch" movie plotline, a team of archaeologists had apparently found something worth exploring. New discoveries are often made in peat bogs, which are known for preserving ancient specimens over a vast period of time.
Paranormal goings-on were also present, adding to the intrigue and thrill. After all, this isn't the first horror movie to use something ancient under the soil that came with demonic strings attached. In this case, it was a perfectly preserved corpse of a woman whose origins were yet to be determined.
Eight women from different eras - all of them related - with their throats strangely slit made for a fascinating discovery. Until Jonas later learned that Betriek's grandmother was killed the same way. This added a captivating 'legacy link' to the Feike (local legend) mythos prevalent throughout the plot.
The movie should have been titled "Feike" because this entity played a more prominent - albeit belated - role in the script. Spectral versions of the mythical women (from the same bloodline) whose bodies she'd possessed and later throat-slit (lore) to ritually 'shift' to the next in the family line bloomed only near the finale.
This paranormal mystery was surprisingly good, but it could've been better. They don't need to dig too deep to unearth the story's potential. I just wish they showcased more of Moloch in this movie, or at least did more with Feike. But all in all, the movie didn't fail to keep my attention.