A tormented teacher discovers a dark secret in a too-happy Italian village in The Holy Boy, Paolo Strippoli’s new folk horror film coming to Shudder on November 27th.

The film follows Sergio, a teacher transferred to Remis, a secluded town known as the happiest place in Italy. He finds out why. Every week, villagers gather to hug Matteo, a 15-year-old whose embrace can supposedly erase pain and sorrow. When Sergio realizes the town’s devotion to the boy isn’t as benevolent as it looks, his attempt to rescue him backfires hard.

The Holy Boy won the Audience Award and New Wave Best Director at Fantastic Fest and played the Venice Film Festival and BFI London. Variety called it “a clever, creepy Italian chiller” that uses horror to investigate “the dangers of displaced grief.” Dread Central said Strippoli’s film “reaches straight through the chest to grab hold of your heart and squeeze it dry.”

Strippoli previously directed A Classic Horror Story for Netflix and won Best Director at Taormina Film Fest for it. He’s got another horror film, The Spiral, coming later this year.

The Holy Boy stars Michele Riondino and Giulio Feltri. It’s written by Strippoli, Jacopo Del Giudice, and Milo Tissone.