In the dark period horror film “Apostle” (now streaming on Netflix), Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens) journeys to a remote island to rescue his sister, who’s been kidnapped by a mysterious cult.

All manner of terrible tortures happen on the island and the animals aren’t much better off.

SPOILERS

Thomas is able to pass himself off as a new recruit and boards the boat for the island. It’s a stormy passing and he’s startled when a lamb comes crashing through a barrier. He instinctively grabs it and cradles it in his arms, clearly relieved it’s come to no harm.

He’s shocked then, as are we, when another recruit snatches the sheep from his arms and throws it overboard. The man states, “It was as intended. Only the sea decides whether to give or take.” The other passengers show no alarm at this action and Thomas tries not to reveal his own revulsion.

As we see later, there’s something wrong not only with the crops on the island, but the animals. Two men attend the birth of a lamb and are disgusted when it is horribly deformed. One of the men coldly throws it into a bucket of water.

Not getting into any specific spoilers, but we also see animals, including rabbits, being sacrificed to keep the island going.

You can read my review at Forces of Geek.