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Stories about the Wild West often tell of cowboys and outlaws—and brave settlers who worked the land and fought to protect the ones they loved. But the characters in the supernatural Western thriller Killing Faith find themselves fighting something more terrifying than the same old bandits.
Killing Faith sets out across the West with a troubled doctor (Guy Pearce), who agrees to accompany freed slave Sarah (DeWanda Wise) on a journey to find the man who can heal her young daughter (Emily Ford). Ever since people and animals started dying around her, the people in town have suspected that the little girl is the source of the evil. Even her mother believes she’s possessed. The doctor thinks she might just be a carrier for the mysterious sickness that’s been spreading through town. But their strange and dangerous journey makes him start to question everything.
As the doctor, the mother, and the mute little girl make their way across the desert, they face all kinds of danger—from bandits to a disgraced native to a family of settlers with tales of a journey plagued by illness and attacks and other hardships. But all of the people they meet along the way seem to be fascinated by this strange little girl, who wears mittens to protect those around her from the dark power that she carries.
Despite the film’s frontier setting, this isn’t just another shoot-’em-up Western tale about sheriffs in white hats dueling with outlaws in black hats. Though it does have some of the classic elements of the genre (including the generally unhurried pacing), the supernatural elements make it darker and eerier—and sometimes more graphic, too. Throughout the journey, the desperate travelers face not just outside human forces but also internal ones. The doctor struggles with his own failures and regrets, determined to save this one little girl after losing so many others—including his own daughter, whose death still haunts him. And while the conclusion will leave viewers with some unanswered questions, it’s a mesmerizing story about good and evil and the things we’ll do to protect those we love.
Killing Faith isn’t quite as over-the-top as it could have been, but it’s still a haunting film. While it may not be the kind of shocking thriller that would make it truly memorable, though, it still has enough eerie action and suspense to keep audiences guessing.
You can join these unlikely traveling companions on their journey when Killing Faith makes its way to theaters on October 3, 2025.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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