Parents' Guide to Holy Spider

Movie 2023 NR 118 minutes
Holy Spider movie poster: Styled like a mosaic of brightly colored tiles, a woman from the shoulders up with garish makeup wearing a hijab. The title is under her in Arabic script.

Common Sense Media Review

Andrea Beach By Andrea Beach , based on child development research. How do we rate?

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age 16+

Gripping, graphic Iranian thriller has violence, sex, drugs.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Any Positive Content?

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  • Holy Spider Movie: On a dark street at night, a closeup of a tense, serious woman wearing a black hijab.
  • Holy Spider movie: Profile of a man with a grey beard sitting across a small table from a teen boy with dark hair. On the wall behind them the bottom half of some Arabic script can be seen.
  • Holy Spider Movie: A woman talk on a payphone

Parent and Kid Reviews

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What's the Story?

Based on real events, HOLY SPIDER is about a man who takes it upon himself to cleanse the holy city where he lives of sex workers. He picks them up pretending to be a client, takes them back to his house, strangles them with their headscarves, and dumps their bodies on the outskirts of town, eventually killing 16 women. Police and the judiciary pay lip service to catching the killer, but many seem to agree with the killer's agenda. A reporter arrives from out of town to investigate, and she won't stop asking uncomfortable questions. Finally, with little backup, she decides to go undercover as a sex worker to try to find the killer herself.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

This crime thriller does a good job of building and keeping up tension and suspense right to the very end. Dark atmospheres, horrific crimes, and gritty depictions of sex work and drug use are handled well by the solid cast. The characters feel authentic but aren't explored in depth. But the steady directing that keeps up the momentum will also keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Graphic depictions of sex, drug use, and violence make it unsuitable for kids.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the sex, violence, and drug use in Holy Spider. Are they important to the story, or gratuitous? How much is too much in movies and other media?

  • What about the strong language? Is it realistic? Does that matter? Is it a big deal?

  • Does the movie show a strong point of view about whether the killings were justified or not? If you noticed a point of view, how does the movie convey it?

Movie Details

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Holy Spider movie poster: Styled like a mosaic of brightly colored tiles, a woman from the shoulders up with garish makeup wearing a hijab. The title is under her in Arabic script.

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