Horror Movie Review: Thine Ears Shall Bleed (2024)

Filled with tension and atmosphere, Thine Ears Shall Bleed should be something very special, but a haphazard story and lack of believability to the characters really harms the overall experience.

Written by William Bigelow and Ben Bigelow, with the latter also taking on directorial duties, Thine Ears Shall Bleed can be summed up as a Western supernatural horror/thriller. Set in the 1860s, the plot follows the Thatcher family as they make their way through the Dakota woods via covered wagon to pick up a piano. It’s a long journey for the family, but worthwhile as they wish to use the piano to help further the spread of God’s name.

Yep, they’re a religious bunch. Led by patriarch Ezekiel (Andrew Hovelson), a reverend, alongside his wife Sarah (Hannah Cabell), and children Abigail and Luke (Lea Zawada and Duke Huston). The former dreams of a life in the big city, whereas the latter is reliant on his parents as he has been blind since birth.

The family are connected and love each other deeply, but inevitably take a wrong turn and end up lost in the woods. Then the horses go missing, resulting in them being stranded. A problem that Ezekiel is quick to put down as God’s will (get used to him saying that). His steadfast belief that God has a plan for them seems to come true though when a mysterious noise is heard.

It’s the voice of God, and Ezekiel believes it is speaking to him. His purpose? To become the Lord’s disciple, build a church here, and bring people into the warm embrace of a higher being. Sarah isn’t quite as convinced and is more concerned about their survival out in the woods. Yet, Ezekiel makes a convincing case, after all… what other being would give their son his sight back as a reward for their devotion?

You know where this is going and every predictable beat is hit on route to an ending that lacks a lot of spark. This is not the voice of God, it’s something far more sinister and the goal is to drive Ezekiel to madness. Something that Andrew Hovelson does a great job of showcasing, proving to be a watchable aspect of the film, alongside Hannah Cabell who plays his wife, Sarah.

His descent, the sense of isolation in the woods, the diminishing supplies of the family, their dynamic, and the feeling that they’re being watched gives Thine Ears Shall Bleed its tension and atmosphere. The word that comes to mind is ‘brooding’ and it’s what makes the film compelling. Until it becomes clear that there’s nothing else here, and instead of moving up in gears, the film stays in same one right up to the very end.

The pace just never picks up, and considering it was significantly slow to begin with, this is a problem. While a ton of credit can be given, and rightfully so, for how much Thine Ears Shall Bleed gets right, what it gets wrong is all that matters come the end. When coupled with the fact that it isn’t doing anything fresh means it ends up feeling more average than it actually is.

Disappointing. That’s the feeling that Thine Ears Shall Bleed leaves you with following a really promising start. Building dread and crafting an intriguing mystery. Only to never take the next step, fail to up the stakes significantly, and slowly run out of steam until its inevitable dead stop at the end.