Is God Is Pre-Screening
Cinemark University City
4012 Walnut St.
Philadelphia
May 12, 2026
Yesterday, an email from Girls Like Horror arrived in my inbox advertising a pre-screening of the new horror movie Is God Is at my nearest Cinemark.
For those who don’t know, Girls Like Horror (GLH) is an “inclusive film club shining light on horror films made by women AND scary/haunting/grotesque movies with strong, complex, multidimensional female protagonists.”
Historically, I haven’t been into horror whatsoever. I was exposed to movies like Stigmata, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Signs entirely too soon (though recently rewatching Signs as an adult made me realize that the scariest parts of that movie are the exorbitant close-ups of Mel Gibson’s face).
As a kid, I didn’t understand why someone would make these horrible things. God forbid I caught a glimpse of my own shadow walking down a hallway at night; my heart rate would jump to the moon! I avoided horror flicks for a long, long time.
Something changed after a friend and I decided to see Don’t Breathe in theaters (ten years ago, somehow). My friend had read an article about how people with generalized anxiety often watch horror films as a way to displace their feelings — to have a moment where tense emotions can be released via proxy. “Fuck it, why not, let’s try it,” I thought. I wasn’t particularly changed by Don’t Breathe itself, but I did leave the theater feeling like I was capable of watching scarier stuff.
I briefly met the founder of GLH, Christina Acevedo, at one of Heavy Cycle Cinema’s screenings early last year. She invited me to their Valentine’s Day showing of Possession at one of the Philadelphia Film Society theaters. I asked a couple of my friends to go with me and it was so much more fun than we expected. Everyone in attendance was buzzing, donning their best date night wares; Moviejawn had a table with their latest zines and a section to make DIY V-Day cards; there was also a shimmering love-themed photo booth set up in the PFS lobby.
Fond memories of that night carried me into Cinemark this week (as did the fact that the early admission event was advertised as FREE.99), but upon arrival, I realized this was not a GLH club meet-up, but rather a pre-screening organized by Allied Global Marketing for distribution company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The extent of GLH’s involvement was their distribution of free tickets via their newsletter; if only their local crew had been at the helm of the event, I might not have been so underwhelmed upon walking into the theater.
The Cinemark lobby had a table for check-in next to another small table set up with a hair braider who had some blonde, pre-parted braiding hair in the case that anyone wanted… a single braid? It’s not like anyone could’ve gotten the full head of knotless, bussdown braids that the movie’s main characters sport on screen during the time allotted for patrons to take their seats. On the other side of check-in was a lame photo opportunity featuring two cheap, blood-spattered mirrors on either side of the movie poster, which was situated on a fragile, A-frame easel. A pre-advertised DJ was nowhere to be found.
My friend Imani leaned over to ask me what the movie poster was even supposed to convey: “Is she holding… a ballsack?” It was honestly unclear.
We entered theater five to see — surprise! — the DJ! The theater was quickly filling up to the brim. It was so packed that Imani and I could only find seating next to each other in the second row. A spokesperson from Fox 29 described the film as “dark, a little twisted, a little scary but super thought-provoking.” She invited us to pay close attention to the synergy and bond between the two protagonists and informed us that Is God Is is an adaptation of director Aleshea Harris’ 2016 play of the same name, as well as her directorial debut.
Is God Is begins with a sepia-toned flashback; two young girls — sisters — sit on a bench facing away from us. They are being mocked by a group of other children on the playground. After the bullies run off screen, one of the girls follows them, and we hear — but don’t see — that girl landing punch after punch. Fast forward to the sisters as adults, working together in an office building. When another co-worker is caught staring at one of the sisters for a bit too long, the catalyst behind their childhood bullying is revealed: both women are covered in burn scars. Anaia’s cover her arms and torso while Racine’s are more severe, affecting her entire face. Anaia, rightfully so, asks the coworker what the fuck she’s staring at and they’re both swiftly fired.
While trying to sort out next steps, the sisters receive a letter from a family member they thought had long since passed. The person (“God”) requests their visit, asking them to avenge her. Of course, they embark on this journey and comply. I fear saying much more than that so as not to spoil anything (if you haven’t watched the trailer yet, don’t) — but the story that unfolds is heartbreaking, enraging, thrilling and so much funnier than I anticipated. Harris does a sensational job of presenting how generational traumas and abuses affect relations within a familial structure; she shows how often we end up becoming most like those who harm us, despite how hard we try to fight it. The movie also packs in plenty of comedic one-liners to break the heavy tension it so successfully builds.
I shed genuine tears both from both laughter and rage. Along with the rest of the theater, I ooo’ed, I aaa’ed, I gasped, I screamed, and I clapped.
The film is aesthetically beautiful with great costuming, makeup and editing. I appreciated the utilization of split screens alongside overlaid text reinforcing Racine and Anaia’s symbiotic relationship. Voiceovers of various characters' inner monologues grew on me over time as we got deeper into their fears, hopes and motives. The cast is impressive and not a single actor seems out of place (after-the-fact investigating suggested this shouldn’t have come as a surprise: Casting Director Avy Kaufman’s track record includes The Sixth Sense, Brokeback Mountain, Mare of Easton, AND Succession?!) The all-star cast was joined by an all-star soundtrack put together by Moses Sumney and Joseph Shurley: I was delighted by a sudden Death Grips drop early on; a clip of Doechii during an uncomfortable strip tease; and a tender close-out accompanied by Shirley Ann Lee.
My friend and I were left with a lot to discuss as closing credits closed out the night; we were still questioning the complexity of the characters’ motivations – and considering their off-screen futures — hours after Cinemark went fully dark.
I’m glad Girls Like Horror (sign up for their newsletter on their website here, by the way) got me to go out and see a strong addition to the genre I used to fear: this story was not merely brutal, ugly or horrific, but also beautiful, honest and heart-wrenching. The movie went way deeper than the “ballsack”-laden, styrofoam poster that MGM wanted us to take selfies with. Some community promotion and kitsch can go a long way in generating a genuinely good time, as GLH proved at the Valentine’s Day Possession screening. But Is God Is deserves better than the bullshit branding that Allied Global Marketing offered this go-around; it wasn’t a strong display of AGM’s purported “commitment to authentically understand local cultures and worldwide trends.”
That said, I do hope the lone hair braider on site got paid handsomely.
