Saint Clare is based on the hit book Clare at Sixteen. A book written about Clare, your typical studios, well-meaning Catholic school girl from small town USA, who just happens to have a split personality that is also a cold-blooded murderer.

Right out the gate, I will say this, Bella Thorne, who plays the eponymous Clare, is superb in this film. In the past, I had joked that she mostly got her work because of her looks, but my God, she is good in this. She takes what for many is a dark power fantasy, the ability to remove the filth from this world, and adds layers to it. (I really hope we see more work like this from Bella Thorne)

Speaking of layers, writer Guinevere Turner (of American Psycho and the L World fame) and Director Mitzi Peirone have layered in all this wonderful yet slightly over the top, religious symbolism. All this just helps enhance the story.

The story is set into high gear, with Clare kills a predator, only to be told by the Ghost of the dead mailman, he is probably a hallucination, that this was just the tip of the iceberg. Now Clare is on the hunt, think Dexter but prettier. And along the way she needs to deal with her friends and being lead in the high-school gender swapped theatre production. So ye typical high-school stuff.

The real strength of Saint Clare is that it doesn’t follow the “natural story beats,” and instead does its own thing. And from what I can gather, this is mostly down to the direction of Mitzi Peirone. Add in the fact that nothing out there really looks like this movie, and you truly have something special.

So if like me you have been craving for something different, this is the film for you.

Saint Clare had its UK Premiere at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024 and will be released on digital via 101 Films later this year – date TBC’