Killing Faith has received a glowing review from Stephen King. The prolific author has been behind some of the most iconic horror novels of the past 50 years, including Carrie, Cujo, It, and Pet Sematary. Many Stephen King books have also been adapted into horror movie classics, including The Shining, Misery, The Dead Zone, Gerald’s Game, and the four aforementioned titles.
King was not involved in Killing Faith, which is a new horror Western from writer-director Ned Crowley (Middle Man). Set in 1859, it follows a freed slave trying to find a cure for her daughter’s mysterious condition that brings death to everything she touches. The star-studded cast includes Guy Pearce, DeWanda Wise, Raoul Trujillo, Jack Alcott, and Bill Pullman.
Stephen King has now shared praise of the “quasi-supernatural Western” on his official X account. He says that Killing Faith is reminiscent of the works of Cormac McCarthy, the legendary author behind The Road, Blood Meridian, No Country for Old Men, All the Pretty Horses.
King also described the opening scene of the movie, which he says involves a horse and a child, as an “authentic shocker.” Check out his original post below:
What This Means For Killing Faith
Given the plot synopsis of Killing Faith and Stephen King’s description of the first scene, it seems highly likely that the Western horror movie opens with the main character’s daughter accidentally killing a horse by touching it. In addition to the intense subject matter of the scene, his comments imply that it is presented in a particularly harrowing manner.
This could mean that Killing Faith is going to be a competitive horror movie during the month of October, when audiences frequently seek out scary titles to view in the lead-up to Halloween.
Killing Faith premiered at Beyond Fest on September 26 and debuted in theaters on October 3.
Killing Faith could also be helped by the fact that there is a dearth of new 2025 horror movies arriving in October, with the only major impending competitor being Blumhouse’s serial killer sequel Black Phone 2, which is set to debut on October 17.
The author’s praise could also mean that the movie is a worthy spiritual successor to some key Stephen King movies. Several of King’s novels and their cinematic adaptations contain elements that feel vaguely similar to Killing Faith, which could be one reason that the author felt drawn in by the project.
The most notable connection would seem to be the dynamic between a parent and their supernaturally gifted child in Firestarter. However, Killing Faith‘s Western elements may also see it ultimately drawing comparisons to his Dark Tower series.
- Release Date
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October 3, 2025
- Director
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Ned Crowley
- Writers
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Ned Crowley
- Producers
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Chad Law, Summer Crockett Moore, D.J. McPherson, Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor, Ellen S. Wander, Wes Hager, Tony Glazer, Jack Christian, Grady Craig
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Raoul Max Trujillo
Shakespeare