Official Synopsis
Lyuba needs help, only she doesn’t know about it yet. She’s in a trap, married to a man who treats her like an expensive accessory. Once she agrees to go for the weekend with her friends to a trendy psychological training to gather her strength and try to get her relationship with her husband back on track.
Review
Director Den Hook’s The Healing is a psychological horror in the subgenre of fear-fare cinema about cults. The perspective here is somewhat different than that of many recent American and even British releases in that vein as the film’s folk horror vibe stems from its Russian setting. It follows some of the stranger-in-a-strange-land beats as many cult-themed shockers, but protagonist Lyuba (Alyona Mitroshina in a gripping lead performance) is highly unreliable as her thoughts drift between memories, dreams, visions, and occult occurrences.
The supporting players give solid turns, including Wolfgang Czerny as charismatic cult leader Danila, Vyacheslav Chepurchenko as Lyuba’s abusive husband Sergey, and Ekaterina Solomatina and Victoria Skitskaya as Lyuba’s fellow friends on the weekend retreat Zoya and Sveta.
The Healing boasts a good share of mystery and though some of the mystical elements may not be fully explained, there’s enough suspense and investment in Lyuba’s fate to keep matters intriguing throughout. Devotees of cult-based thrillers and horror films should find the feature an engaging watch.
Please note that film cast & crew and character names including spelling may differ from those on IMDB and other sites; I used the names from the film credits of Black Mandala’s release.
From Black Mandala, The Healing will be available on VOD and DVD/Blu-ray everywhere on October 7, 2025.
