This 46% RT Rating Benedict Cumberbatch Film Is Secretly One Of The Best Horror Movies Of 2025

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2025 was an incredible year for horror movies, and it’s hard to imagine another year being quite as strong for the genre. Many consider it one of the best years in recent cinema history, particularly for horror films, marking a real high point for the art form.

The film Sinners recently made Oscar history by receiving nominations in every category it was eligible for. This is especially exciting considering horror films have often been overlooked by the Academy. It’s a fantastic time to be a horror fan!

With so many horror movies coming out in 2025, some excellent films unfortunately didn’t get the attention they deserved. Last year saw some truly original releases that offered fresh takes on classic horror themes and ideas. One particularly good, but overlooked, film stars Benedict Cumberbatch.

The Thing With Feathers Follows A Family In Mourning

Benedict Cumberbatch plays a father struggling with the recent loss of his wife in Dylan Southern’s film, The Thing With Feathers. Based on Max Porter’s novel, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, the movie shows how the father and his two sons cope with their grief and try to carry on with their lives.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays a comic book artist grieving a loss. He uses his art as a way to deal with his pain while also trying to be there for his two young sons, who are in middle school. They’re having a hard time with his struggles to move forward, particularly because he sometimes gets angry, though he’s generally a loving and dependable dad.

The story centers around a strange, otherworldly being – often described by its feathers – that torments a family and exploits the father’s deepest fears. This creature escapes from his dreams and enters his reality, even briefly interacting with his children. The narrative deliberately leaves it ambiguous whether this being is a genuine, fantastical creature or simply a product of the family’s grief and imagination.

The Thing With Feathers’ Monster Is A Metaphor For Grief

Magic realism is a powerful storytelling technique because it blends reality and fantasy, allowing filmmakers to explore deeper meanings through fantastical elements. The movie The Thing With Feathers adapts the original book, making changes to clarify the story for a visual medium, as the book’s abstract nature doesn’t easily translate to film.

However, the play reveals the crow-like creature represents the family’s sorrow. While the dialogue in the second act directly points this out – perhaps too directly for a symbolic story – it still powerfully portrays grief. The father’s changing connection with the crow actually follows the five recognized stages of grieving.

The Thing With Feathers Was Unfairly Panned By Critics

In under 100 minutes, The Thing With Feathers shows a man’s difficult process of adjusting to life after losing his wife. The film’s unsettling imagery – including dark, confined spaces, a frightening depiction of a crow, and dreamlike scene changes – powerfully reflects the disorientation and lack of stability that comes with grief. These effects are achieved through intimate, sometimes disturbing close-ups and distorted angles focusing on the father’s artwork.

The film produced by Benedict Cumberbatch and Dylan Southern received mixed reactions at its Sundance debut, and its wider release didn’t improve things. Many viewers disliked it, pointing to a lack of focus as a key problem. However, I think that’s unfair – the movie effectively uses horror to create a complex and subtly unsettling creature.

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Performance Makes The Movie Impactful

Although the crow is a constant reminder of his pain, it ultimately helps the father cope with his grief, and Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a truly believable performance. His character is complex, shifting from a struggling artist and loving father to a terrified victim and then a man filled with inspiration, and the actor portrays each side of him seamlessly.

Benedict Cumberbatch is having a packed 2025, and his work in The Thing With Feathers could be his strongest performance to date. He fully immersed himself in the role, powerfully bringing the film’s emotional intensity to life. It’s a captivating performance – both raw and controlled – that perfectly portrays the unpredictable nature of grief.

The Thing With Feathers Is Surprisingly Life-Affirming

Benedict Cumberbatch’s performance was particularly powerful because of the special way the film portrayed the crow. While the crow is frightening, it represents grief itself, meaning it can’t simply be defeated – it’s something you carry with you through the process of healing, reflecting the five stages of grief.

Though it feels like a dark and dramatic movie with a frightening creature, The Thing With Feathers – described by Benedict Cumberbatch as a mix of Mary Poppins and Fight Club – is ultimately an uplifting story about dealing with loss. While it doesn’t necessarily highlight the beauty of the grieving process, it emphasizes the importance of continuing to live and remembering those who have passed away.

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2026-02-17 02:02