The Carpenter's Son: Release date, where to watch, and what to expect

Nicolas Cage isn’t slowing down any time soon, and his newest project, The Carpenter’s Son, might be one of his strangest detours yet, even by Cage standards. In this biblical psychological horror film from writer-director Lotfy Nathan, the actor steps into the sandals of Joseph (here called “The Carpenter”), father to a young boy whose gifts may be more unsettling than divine.

Drawing loosely from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, an apocryphal text exploring Jesus’ early years, The Carpenter’s Son turns familiar scripture into something closer to a fever dream. The movie was filmed across Greece in 2024, with its stark landscapes doubling for Roman-era Egypt. Backed by Magnolia Pictures, the film pairs Cage’s eccentric gravitas with FKA Twigs’ quiet strength as the Mother and Noah Jupe’s troubled innocence as the Boy, crafting an unusual blend of faith story and slow-burn horror.

The Carpenter’s Son release details explored

The psychological horror film The Carpenter’s Son already had its premiere in Argentina on October 30, 2025. The film is set to open in theaters on November 14, 2025, in the United States, courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. It will roll out exclusively in theaters first, with a digital release expected later, though no streaming date has been confirmed. 

According to IMDb, The Carpenter's Son has a runtime of 1 hour and 34 minutes, a typical length for modern-day horror films. The psychological horror film has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for strong/bloody violent content and brief nudity.

Cast and crew details for the film

In The Carpenter’s Son, Cage leads as the Carpenter, a father torn between devotion and dread as his son begins to reveal powers he can’t explain. FKA Twigs plays the Mother, a woman caught between husband and son, trying to hold the family together as their circumstances grow more perilous. Noah Jupe takes on the role of the Boy, a character modeled after the youthful Jesus. As he learns to wield mysterious abilities, his relationship with both parents fractures, leading to moral and spiritual fallout. Isla Johnston, Souheila Yacoub, Penelope Markopoulou, Orestis Paliadelis, Elena Topalidou, and Manolis Mavromatakis are a few of the supporting cast members of the film.

The psychological horror film is written and directed by Lotfy Nathan. Anonymous Content, BlueLight, Cinenovo, Curious Gremlin, Saturn Films, and Spacemaker Productions are the production companies involved in the project. Simon Beaufils served as the cinematographer, and Lorenz Dangel composed the music for the film.

What is The Carpenter’s Son all about

The synopsis for The Carpenter’s Son, as per its official website, reads:

“A remote village in Roman-era Egypt explodes into spiritual warfare when a carpenter, his wife and their child are targeted by supernatural forces in The Carpenter’s Son. Joseph (Nicolas Cage), Mary (FKA twigs) and their teenage son Jesus (Noah Jupe) have lived for years under threat, clinging to their faith and traditions. But a stopover in a small settlement unleashes growing chaos when a mysterious stranger (Isla Johnston) tries to entice young Jesus to abandon his devout father’s rules. With every pull of temptation, the boy is lured into a forbidden world, as a terrified Joseph realizes that a demonic power is at work. Violent, unnatural events inexplicably follow Jesus, and he begins to experience nightmarish visions of the future. Finally, he learns the fearsome truth about his new playmate, as well as the child’s real name: Satan.”

Lotfy Nathan’s direction keeps the focus tight and the tone spare. The teaser trailer, released ahead of its theatrical release in the United States, already stirred curiosity for its unorthodox tone. In it, Cage’s Carpenter warns his son to pray and “find the strength to push against Say-tawn,” delivering the line with a deliberate, otherworldly drawl. The exchange ends when the boy asks whether his father has ever seen Satan, and then, silence. 

Visually, The Carpenter’s Son steers clear of glossy religious iconography. It instead presents life in biblical times as harsh and dirty, all cracked stone, weathered faces, and creeping dread. Despite its potentially provocative premise, the movie isn’t positioned as anti-faith; rather, it explores belief and doubt through the eyes of flawed people in impossible circumstances.

Whether audiences view it as a spiritual parable or a straight horror story, Lotfy Nathan’s film offers a distinctly grounded take on a story that’s rarely told this way, with Nicolas Cage once again proving that even after decades in Hollywood, he still knows how to surprise.