Just in time for Halloween, a groundbreaking new horror feature, Guillotine, is set for its worldwide debut on Amazon. Distributed by Gravitas Ventures, the film is a bold and bloody exploration of the most recognizable execution device in history. It blends historical horror, biting dark humor, and unapologetic gore.
Guillotine marks the feature directorial debut of Ray Izad-Mehr, an Iranian-American filmmaker. A chilling, real-life execution ignited his vision for the project when he witnessed one as a child in Iran. This intensely personal, traumatic moment haunted him and ultimately sparked the film’s creation.
The project is also notable for the work of cinematographer Morvarid Reyes Talebzadeh. She is a standout female Director of Photography in a genre where women are rarely given this central lens.
Izad-Mehr described his intention:
“With Guillotine, I wanted to take something historically final and kind of reimagine it – making it bloody, absurd, and unsettlingly funny – to cut through the layers of what makes us human. Each story peels back a different part of human nature… but with a bit of a twisted grin.”
The film is an anthology. It is told through the lens of five true historical tales and explores the Guillotine’s role throughout history. From the high ideals of the Enlightenment to its final uses during the Fall of Saddam Hussein.
At times humorous and ironic, and at others poignant and deeply thoughtful, these stories reflect the changing morality of capital punishment. Guillotine traces the philosophical attitudes about who holds the power to condemn and how that power is executed. Whether utilized as a necessary evil or for cold-blooded amusement, the film shows that the blade falls with the same terrifying detachment.
The film has already secured praise on the festival circuit. It won Best Feature Film at the Barcelona Love & Hope International Film Festival and Best Cinematography at New Filmmakers LA.
Written and directed by Ray Izad-Mehr, the film is produced by Sara Vahabi, Uriah Herr, Tamas Birinyi, and Ray Izad-Mehr.
Witness the blade drop when Guillotine debuts on October 31 on Amazon in the US & UK.
