Benedict Cumberbatch Horror Film Secretly One of 2025's Best

Critics panned this great Benedict Cumberbatch horror movie, "The Thing With Feathers", but it's a surprisingly life-affirming exploration of grief.

Published on Feb. 17, 2026

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"The Thing With Feathers" is an adaptation of Max Porter's book "Grief Is the Thing with Feathers" that follows a bereaved father of two sons who recently lost their mother. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the father, a comic book artist struggling to resume his life and cope with his grief, while a supernatural crow-like entity haunts the family. The film uses horror elements and magic realism to develop a nuanced metaphor for the family's grief, despite being panned by critics at its Sundance premiere.

Why it matters

"The Thing With Feathers" is an underrated horror gem from 2025, a year that saw a stacked slate of great horror films. While critics dismissed the movie, it offers a unique and impactful exploration of grief through the lens of horror, featuring a standout performance from Benedict Cumberbatch.

The details

In the film, Cumberbatch plays a comic book artist whose wife has recently passed away, leaving him to care for their two young sons. A supernatural crow-like entity begins to haunt the family, blurring the lines between reality and the father's grief-stricken imagination. The film uses horror elements and magical realism to develop the crow as a metaphor for the family's mourning, with the father's evolving relationship with the creature mirroring the five stages of grief.

  • The Thing With Feathers premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025.
  • The film received a wide release in theaters later in 2025.

The players

Benedict Cumberbatch

An acclaimed British actor who stars as the bereaved father in "The Thing With Feathers".

Dylan Southern

The director of "The Thing With Feathers", which is an adaptation of Max Porter's book "Grief Is the Thing with Feathers".

Max Porter

The author of the book "Grief Is the Thing with Feathers", which served as the basis for the film "The Thing With Feathers".

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What they’re saying

“The Thing With Feathers" is a combo of Mary Poppins and Fight Club.”

— Benedict Cumberbatch

What’s next

The film's director, Dylan Southern, has hinted at potential future projects that could further explore the themes of grief and the supernatural.

The takeaway

Despite being unfairly panned by critics, "The Thing With Feathers" is a powerful and life-affirming horror film that uses supernatural elements to craft a nuanced metaphor for the grieving process, anchored by a standout performance from Benedict Cumberbatch.