A man travels to the remote Welsh countryside to investigate his friend’s sudden death, leading him to a dark apocalyptic cult. A cosmic horror film by David A. Roberts, starring Rory Wilson.

Chris Rivers (Rory Wilson) travels to a secluded cottage in Wales in the wake of his friend Billy’s death. Billy’s suicide has shaken Chris to the core, and he feels responsible for his friend’s death, even though everyone around him tells him that Billy was mentally ill and that it was not Chris’ fault.

Chris is compelled to find out the truth about his friend Billy’s death. He believes that the package Billy (Ieuan Coombs) sent him will hold the answers he is looking for. (Why can’t he figure this out at home? Why has he chosen to travel to this creepy cottage in the middle of nowhere?)

Chris dives headfirst into Billy’s team’s research on “The Primordial Fear,” a realization that the universe is so vast and infinite that it makes humans seem horrifically insignificant in the grand scheme of existence. This fear has become a dangerous obsession for some people, who believe that their existence is an endless dream of an ancient deity they call “The Origin.” These people hope to wake this ancient deity, who is far older than God, in order to put an end to the universe.

Chris begins to experience strange and unsettling phenomena. He sees a man in a black cloak standing outside the cottage, watching him. He finds his cellphone, which he had thrown away earlier, mysteriously reappearing in his room. And he hears the sound of video clips playing on his laptop, even when he is not in the room.

Chris soon learns that Billy’s team was being followed by a dark apocalyptic cult. This cult murdered people in ritualistic ways, leaving a trail of bodies wherever Billy’s team went. Billy’s team was afraid to go home, because they knew that the cult would kill their loved ones if they did. Eventually, the cult killed all of Billy’s team, one by one. Each of the victims had a ritualistic symbol carved into their body. Only Billy and his assistant Paula (Lindsay Bennett-Thompson) remained. Chris realizes that he should not have come here, and if he doesn’t leave now, he will probably meet the same fate as his best friend.

OLDER GODS is a well-crafted cosmic horror film that leans more towards thriller. Although the plot is not entirely original, the director, David A. Roberts, has managed to create a sense of unease and dread with limited resources.

There are some noteworthy moments, such as the scene where black birds begin to fall from the sky. However, some of the scenes are just confusing, such as the flashbacks or imaginary visuals that the protagonist, Chris Rivers, could not possibly know.

I find the first half of OLDER GODS to be more intriguing than the second half. The film does not do a good job of establishing the relationship between Chris Rivers and Billy Coombs. It is later revealed that they were best friends who recently grew apart.

This makes it difficult to understand why Chris is so determined to find out the truth about Billy’s death, especially since it would benefit no one. Perhaps if Billy was Chris’ brother, it would be more believable.

OLDER GODS was released digitally on 21 June 2023 by Wagyu Films.