52 Films by Women Vol 5. 38. SAINT MAUD (Director: Rose Glass)
Contains spoilers What makes a horror film? Usually it is a supernatural element, the presence of an otherworldly entity that breaks into our world either through a host (say a young girl or child’s toy) or is summoned in some way through a token act of ignorance. The British film Saint Maud , written and directed by 31-year-old Rose Glass, doesn’t conform to the horror movie template. There is no demon to be expelled. However, its title character is possessed by a religious fervour, a desire to save souls, even if at the same time she is dismissive of the soul under consideration. ‘I don’t like arty types. They’re self-absorbed,’ she remarks in voiceover without a trace of irony. Maud (Morfydd Clark) has delusions of self-importance, believing herself to be on a mission. She is a nurse working for a private agency who lives in dingy digs in an unnamed seaside town - the film was shot in Scarborough in the North of England. She is also traumatised. At the beginning of the film, in ...