Film

HOLY SPIDER

Based on the horrific true story of serial killer Saeed Hanaei, acclaimed writer-director Ali Abbasi unveils a gripping crime thriller and a daring indictment of a society in which rough justice is routinely a fact of life.
In the light of day, Saeed is a worker, doting family man, veteran of the Iran–Iraq War and a devout Shia Muslim. He appears to live simply with his wife Fatima and two children in the exalted northeastern city of Mashhad, known as the spiritual capital of Iran. But by night, Saeed cruises his hometown’s seedy alleyways by motorcycle on a “holy” crusade to cleanse his nation of immorality. As part of his quest, he lures unwitting sex workers to their deaths and dumps their bodies, acts that come to feed a growing media frenzy. With no end in sight to the slayings, a Tehran-based journalist, Rahimi, arrives on the scene, determined to uncover the killer’s identity. Soon, a dangerous cat-and-mouse-game is underway.