Mark H. Rapaport's 'Godhead' Premieres at Fantasia With Tense, Black-and-White Thrills

Mark H. Rapaport’s new film “Godhead” premiered this week at Montreal’s genre-focused Fantasia Festival, according to Variety. The director’s follow-up to his 2023 debut “Hippo” is a tense, black-and-white chamber drama that blends religious fanaticism with psychological horror.

Rapaport discussed the film’s themes in an interview with the outlet. “I always find that in life I come up against authority figures in a way that feels unfair,” he said. “I’m always a very trusting person, and so I found that there’s real horror in that.”

What is the plot of 'Godhead'?

The premise involves a rural Catholic priest, played by Al Warren, who is visited by two bizarre twins, portrayed by Sarah Coffey and Kimball Farley. The twins believe they are part of a prophecy and need the priest’s help to fulfill it. They also have a gun. The film is shot in a voyeuristic black-and-white style that Variety described as a “master-class in ratcheting up tension.”

Why did Rapaport shoot in black and white?

The director said the choice was instinctual, following his first film, and helped create a timeless world. “It felt like a different world,” Rapaport told Variety. He was also inspired by Robert Eggers’ “The Lighthouse” and wanted to explore themes of good and evil through the visual language of monochrome, concluding on a deliberately ambiguous “gray area.”

Rapaport revealed the film’s ending was reshaped after a conversation with actor Al Warren. “He got me thinking about the end beat,” the director said. Warren suggested, “Let’s think about where this could go if you, as the director, practiced forgiveness.” Rapaport found this approach led to a “much more horrifying ending” than his original concept.