SHF8: So Fades the Light Contemplates Religion and Repentance

This year’s Salem Horror Fest theme is “The Horror Within,” stories and truths about ourselves we haven’t yet entertained, the fundamental aspect of identity, and who we are to ourselves and others. All of the films I’ve seen over the festival weekend massively embody the theme on personal levels, but Get Super Rad’s (Directing duo Rob Cousineau and Chris Rosik) So Fades the Light swings much wider with a story about the aftermath of a right-wing cult’s downfall and the once child deity on a pilgrimage back to the commune she once called home searching for catharsis. A tortured soul, seeking salvation for her part in all of it, Kiley Lotz plays the once God Queen, Sun, who is an exemplary embodiment of the horror within. Yet, on an even grander scale, when considering the homegrown horrors of a religious fundamentalist group, another layer of meaning gets added to the Salem Horror Fest theme.

Beginning with the raid on the religious compound some fifteen years earlier, Sun awakens in a sweat, traumatized with survivor’s guilt from having been the central reason for the loss of lives that day. The pawn of an opportunistic man known only as The Reverend (D. Duke Solomon), who installed Sun as an alleged God, is a truth she’s seemingly arrived at. However, her heart still bears the responsibility of involvement, recalling rituals and blessings under the belief that she was helping people with their problems. Living on the road in a van, Sun hopes a trip back may offer some enlightenment, not knowing she’s on a collision course with The Reverend, who has just been released from prison.

Rosik and Cousineau ask many philosophical questions with So Fades the Light, specifically at the intersection of faith and establishment, imbuing profound moments of beauty from unexpected sources on religious topics. The discussion isn’t so much about belief or disbelief as it is about judgment. As Sun journeys across the country, she has affecting conversations with people from all walks of life, including a skateboarder outside a burger joint and a lesbian couple at a campground. These reflective interludes with strangers bring Sun some semblance of comfort, helping her to untangle her thoughts surrounding God after feeling used as a linchpin in a devious con man’s power grab. Not all of her encounters with people are good, however, and there’s a lot of symbolic confluence, particularly in a co-opted nationalism sense, with one fanboy creating a museum from the defunct cult’s history.

So Fades the Light is not a horror movie in the traditional sense, engaging more deeply with the real-life conversations that have occurred over the past decade regarding the role of religion in American culture, its manipulation, and the possibility of faith existing independently of the authorities overseeing it. The Reverend, depicted on his journey back to the compound in parallel to Sun’s own odyssey, engages in some highly questionable activities while promoting their righteousness. In contrast, Sun is at a crossroads with her faith, seeking forgiveness for her role in causing deep sadness despite having been only an innocent child at the time. Her struggle represents a profoundly human response to the irredeemable pain of hurting someone and the desire to heal and repent.

Tension is delivered through the excellent performances of Kiley Lotz and D. Duke Solomon. The character development of Cousineau’s script helps, but these actors are giving us a lot, and it pays off in multiple scenes before they find themselves face to face. When Sun confronts a neo-cultist (William Swift), you can feel the air turn thick as the palpable tightness that comes from the fury of seeing the cult enter an idolization phase, leaving real-world comparisons that the film absolutely wants you to connect the dots to. The scene is incredibly powerful, with distilled terror emanating from Sun’s face, causing pure gut-wrenching empathy. Solomon does the same as Sun’s antithesis, The Reverend. Asking audiences to consider the conniving liar before them and entertain the possibility that some people use the pulpit for power.

There’s a lot to the way So Fades the Light presents its journey. Initially seen as a child with long hair and in dresses, Sun is far from that look when we see her again, perhaps disguising her appearance for fear she’ll be recognized. Regardless, her modern transformation is emblematic of LGBTQ+ believers, undergoing changes that better fit their needs, but combatting inner guilt from the sanctimonious. That coincides with Sun’s Nomadland trip across the country, where she’s often greeted cordially with respect and support, eventually finding the underbelly of America that she fears and possibly contributed to at such a young age. The symbolism isn’t lost in the redemption arc, and the hypocrisy in what salvation means to these two people speaks volumes, adding additional layers to an already complex film.

So Fades the Light is an exceptional piece of cinematic Americana. It shows the beauty of the nation we call home while set against its divisive elements that each political side claims threaten its destruction. A belief in a higher power isn’t harmful on its own, but when incorporated into politics, many claim virtue, casting stones while living in glass houses. There is true vision between the story and the cinematographic elements, and a whole lot to absorb and consider as you watch it. Get Super Rad have created an essential film encapsulating the state of our union and dissecting the hypocrisy, asking what good is knowing the difference between right and wrong if we’re only destined to blindly follow and never ask questions?

So Fades the Light played Saturday, May 3, as part of Salem Horror Fest 8. The film is set to release on PVOD on June 1.

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