Holy Spider 2022

In the midst of Tehran’s bustling streets, intrepid journalist Arezoo Rahimi (character A) ventures to Mashhad, a sacred city in Iran, driven by a relentless curiosity and a burning desire to unravel the mystery surrounding the enigmatic “Spider Killer”. This elusive assassin, known for his ruthless tactics, has claimed the lives of numerous street prostitutes addicted to drugs, leaving behind a trail of despair and fear. The killer’s M.O. is as chilling as it is calculated: he targets women on their motorcycles, lures them to an apartment with promises of sex, only to strangle them with their own headscarves before disposing of their bodies in desolate areas on the city’s outskirts.

As Rahimi delves deeper into the case, she teams up with Sharifi, the editor of a local newspaper, who has been secretly communicating with the killer. Sharifi has been chosen by Saeed Azimi, the self-proclaimed “cleanser” of Mashhad, to spread his twisted message. Saeed, a war veteran haunted by the memories of Iran’s devastating conflict with Iraq, claims to be acting in the name of Imam Reza, the revered eighth Shia Imam. His tears at the Imam’s shrine serve as a poignant reminder of the blurred lines between faith and fanaticism.

Rahimi and Sharifi orchestrate a daring trap, relying on their combined knowledge of the killer’s habits and patterns. Rahimi, posing as a sex worker, boards Saeed’s motorcycle, while Sharifi follows in his car. However, their plan is foiled when Rahimi loses her pursuer in the city’s labyrinthine backstreets. Undeterred, she readies herself for a confrontation, armed with nothing but a pocket knife and a tape recorder. Her strategy is to elicit a confession from the murderer and make a swift escape, but Saeed’s cunning proves too great.

After a tense struggle, Rahimi manages to outmaneuver her foe and flees to the police station with evidence in hand. The authorities subsequently apprehend Saeed, bringing an end to his reign of terror. As the case goes to trial, however, Saeed garners widespread public support, thanks in part to his impassioned pleas that he is driven by a divine mission.

When offered the opportunity to plead insanity, Saeed instead reinforces his religious motivations, claiming to be “crazy” only about Imam Reza and God. During an interview with Rahimi in prison, he confesses to taking the lives of 16 women, ominously declaring that she would have been his 17th victim had fate not intervened.

In the days leading up to his execution, Saeed’s supporters rally around him, convinced of his martyrdom. When the day arrives, Saeed is spared the brutal punishment of 100 lashes but finds himself trapped in a desperate predicament as he faces the hangman’s noose. His father-in-law Haji and lawyer conspire to save him from death row, assuring him that on the day of his execution, they will whisk him away to freedom. But when Saeed is led to the gallows, panic sets in as he realizes he has been betrayed by those who promised to spare his life. In a heart-wrenching twist, justice is ultimately served, and Saeed’s reign of terror comes to an end.

As Rahimi (no actor name provided) departs from Sharifi, she embarks on a journey back to Tehran by bus, her mind consumed by the gruesome details of the case. During the long and arduous ride, she pores over the video footage collected during the investigation, her gaze lingering on a particularly disturbing interview with Saeed’s teenage son, Ali (actor not specified). With an unsettling air of pride, Ali recounts his father’s brutal methods, vividly describing how he would overpower and choke his victims before reenacting these heinous crimes. As Rahimi watches, she is met with a chilling sight: Ali’s younger sister, forced to play the role of the victim in her brother’s macabre reenactment, reliving the terror as Ali methodically recreates each murder. The bus rumbles on, carrying Rahimi further away from the crime scene, but her thoughts remain fixed on the horrors she has witnessed, her determination to uncover the truth burning brighter with every passing mile.