Nicolas Cage Is Starring in a Biblical Horror Movie About Jesus

A horror movie about Jesus Christ? Only Nicolas Cage would be so bold.

An upcoming French-American film will put an unapologetic horror twist on the story of Jesus’ childhood. The Carpenter’s Son is being described as a frightening re-imagining of Jesus’ adolescent years.

Directed by Lotfy Nathan, the movie stars Cage as the Carpenter, AKA Jesus’ father Joseph, who hides his family away in Roman Egypt. While there, his young son begins to rebel against his earthly guardians using his horrific, divine burgeoning abilities.

Musician and actress FKA Twigs plays the Carpenter’s wife, the Mother, AKA Mary, while A Quiet Place actor Noah Jupe plays the Boy, AKA Jesus.

The sinister movie is inspired by the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a non-canonical scripture that supposedly recounts the terrifying and miraculous powers of a young Jesus Christ. According to the scripture, some of these alleged events include Jesus causing blindness in his enemies, striking other children dead, and breathing life into inanimate clay birds.

Watch the Trailer for The Carpenter’s Son

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The film has been rated “R” for “strong/bloody violent content, and brief nudity.” Its distributor, Magnolia Pictures, promises a “genre-bending spectacle that defies expectations at every turn.”

Naturally, even though the controversial movie isn’t out yet, some online are already accusing The Carpenter’s Son of being blasphemous and offensive. Of course, biblical and religion-themed horror movies are nothing new — see: Stigmata, The Seventh Sign, almost any exorcism movie — but I can’t quite think of a film where Jesus provided the horror elements.

During filming in Greece, Cage was reportedly attacked by a swarm of bees in a cave. (Quite frankly I’m not sure whether to make a crude joke about plagues or that scene in The Wicker Man here. You know the one.)

The Carpenter’s Son is slated to be released sometime this fall.