History YMMV / Apostle

* Anvilicious: WordOfGod is that the film is an allegory for the cyclical nature of religious and political corruption.

* GreenAesop: The film arguably can be read as a metaphor for how humanity's "mastery" of nature is tenuous at best, and that the arrogance of believing we can do what we want with it will be our downfall.

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler: [[DrivenByEnvy Quinn]]]] is the worst of Erisden's founding members. A former convict alongside his comrades Malcolm and Frank, [[spoiler: Quinn]] found [[spoiler: the island's goddess]] and kept her inside a shack, convincing his friends to enslave her so they could use her [[spoiler: powers]] for themselves. Envious of Malcolm's position as the cult leader, [[spoiler: Quinn]] began scheming to [[TheStarscream usurp his place]]. Discovering that [[spoiler: his daughter Ffion]] was having an affair with Frank's son, Jeremy, and was pregnant with his child, [[spoiler: Quinn [[OffingTheOffspring stabbed her to death]]]] and framed the boy for his crime, sentencing him to public execution. Shooting [[spoiler: Malcolm]] in the shoulder and leaving him to die, [[spoiler: Quinn captures his daughter Andrea]] and imprisons her with Jennifer, planning on [[spoiler: raping both of them every year so he could sacrifice his own babies.]]

* CompleteMonster: [[DrivenByEnvy Quinn]] is the worst of Erisden's founding members. A former convict alongside his comrades Malcolm and Frank, Quinn found the island's goddess and kept her inside a shack, convincing his friends to enslave her so they could use her powers for themselves. Envious of Malcolm's position as the cult leader, Quinn began scheming to [[TheStarscream usurp his place]]. Discovering that his daughter Ffion was having an affair with Frank's son, Jeremy, and was pregnant with his child, Quinn [[OffingTheOffspring stabbed her to death]] and framed the boy for his crime, sentencing him to public execution. Shooting Malcolm in the shoulder and leaving him to die, Quinn captures his daughter Andrea and imprisons her with Jennifer, planning on raping both of them every year so he could sacrifice his own babies.

* CompleteMonster: [[DrivenByEnvy Quinn]] is the worst of Erisden's founding members. A former convict alongside his comrades Malcolm and Frank, Quinn found [[spoiler:the island's goddess and kept her]] inside a shack, convinced his friends to enslave [[spoiler:her so they could use her powers for themselves.]] Envious of Malcolm's position as the cult leader, Quinn began scheming to [[TheStarscream usurp his place]]. Discovering that his daughter [[spoiler:Ffion was having an affair with Frank's son, Jeremy, and was pregnant with his child, Quinn [[OffingTheOffspring stabbed her to death]]]] and framed the boy for his crime, sentencing him to public execution. Shooting [[spoiler:Malcolm]] in the shoulder and leaving him to die, [[spoiler:Quinn captures his daughter Andrea and imprisons her with Jennifer,]] planning on raping both of them every year so he could sacrifice his own babies.

** The tunnels. Swimming through [[spoiler:what appears to be gallons of blood and viscera]] is just gross.

* NothingIsScarier: The first half of the movie is a relatively slow burn, and the whole is all the better for it.
* PrimalFear: Dimly-lit tunnels where you have to slog through neck-deep [[spoiler:blood and viscera]], ''while being chased.''

* CompleteMonster: [[DrivenByEnvy Quinn]] is the worst of Erisden's founding members. A former convict alongside his comrades Malcolm and Frank, Quinn found the island's goddess and kept her inside a shack, convincing his friends to enslave her so they could use her powers for themselves. Envious of Malcolm's position as the cult leader, Quinn began scheming to [[TheStarscream usurp his place]]. Discovering that his daughter Ffion was having an affair with Frank's son, Jeremy, and was pregnant with his child, Quinn [[OffingTheOffspring stabbed her to death]] and framed the boy for his crime, sentencing him to public execution. Shooting Malcolm in the shoulder and leaving him to die, Quinn captures his daughter Andrea and imprisons her with Jennifer, planning on raping both of them every year so he could sacrifice his own babies.

* ConspiracyRedemption: The cult is [[spoiler:broken up]], the worst of the cult leaders [[spoiler:is dead]], another died trying to end the madness, and the one who truly believed in their cause gets to witness [[spoiler:the rebirth of the island and its guardian, in the form of, and]] thanks to the willing sacrifice of a man whose faith in the goodness and beauty of the world has been restored.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Erisden has no oppressive governments, or wars, and no need for taxation to support such, either; just make sure you keep up with the literal blood tithe, or the nice men in heavy black leather coats might drop by to have a chat with you about your adherence to the teachings of the local theocracy, and goddess forbid you're only ''pretending'' to be one of the faithful!

** The whole triumvirate, really, given what they've done, and what they do throughout the movie. [[spoiler:Malcolm's]]
are the only hands clean of (anybody else's) blood, so far as we know, and he's still technically responsible for multiple on-screen deaths, [[spoiler:not to mention Erisden's ultimate fate, since he went along with Quinn's plan to trap the goddess in the first place]].

* ConspiracyRedemption: The cult is [[spoiler:broken up]], the worst of the cult leaders [[spoiler:is dead]], another died trying to end the madness, and the one who truly believed in their cause gets to witness [[spoiler:the rebirth of the island and its guardian]], thanks to the willing sacrifice of a man whose faith in the goodness and beauty of the world has been restored.

** The tunnels. Swimming through [[spoiler:what appears to be gallons of blood and viscera]] is just gnarly.

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Erisden has no oppressive government, or wars, and no need for taxation to support such; just make sure you keep up with the literal blood tithe, or the nice men in heavy black leather coats might drop by to have a chat with you about your faith in the teachings of the local theocracy...
* MoralEventHorizon: Quinn quite handily crosses it when he [[spoiler: murders ''[[OffingTheOffspring his own daughter]]'' and then frames Jeremy for the crime.]]

* NauseaFuel: The tunnels beneath Malcolm's [[spoiler:secret passage]], if for no other reason than [[spoiler:there's things ''still alive'' in that gore-soup!]]

* {{Squick}}: [[spoiler: Jeremy's]] execution. ''Ugh.''

** The aforementioned tunnels. Swimming through [[spoiler:what appears to be gallons of blood and viscera]] is just gnarly.

** [[spoiler:Quinn's]] outhouse spying; fatherly concern, or vaguely incestuous?

* {{Squick}}: [[spoiler: Jeremy's]] execution. ''Ugh.''