Once Upon a Crime (2025)
Once Upon a Crime (2025)
Overview
Once Upon a Crime is a 2025 indie horror-thriller anthology directed and written by Joshua Nelson. Framed by the kidnapping of a young woman held for ransom, the captor recounts dark tales of psychological manipulation and evil to pass the time. Isabelle Rayne stars as the hostage, Vincent Caprio as her captor, with Christian Chase, Lara J. Barry, and Noelle Cappuzzo in supporting roles.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Rating & Dimensions
Not Rated
Overview
Once Upon a Crime is a 2025 indie horror-thriller anthology directed and written by Joshua Nelson. Framed by the kidnapping of a young woman held for ransom, the captor recounts dark tales of psychological manipulation and evil to pass the time. Isabelle Rayne stars as the hostage, Vincent Caprio as her captor, with Christian Chase, Lara J. Barry, and Noelle Cappuzzo in supporting roles.
Starring Cast
Where to watch
Detailed Bias Analysis
Primary
The anthology format presents tales of individual crimes and psychological horrors, focusing on personal manipulation and trauma without endorsing systemic critiques or conservative values. This apolitical emphasis on human darkness determines the neutral assessment.
Visible diversity appears in the cast through inclusion of actors of Lebanese and Indian descent alongside white performers. The anthology structure highlights themes of manipulation and female resilience against trauma without centering critiques of traditional identities.
Secondary
Family structures appear peripherally in the narrative, including a father's role in paying ransom for his kidnapped daughter and a vignette portraying a brainwashed young woman who distrusts her seemingly affectionate but deceptive family. These elements do not substantially endorse or question traditional family values, resulting in a neutral portrayal.
Christian supernatural elements appear in two anthology segments: an angel warns con artists of divine punishment and demands forgiveness, affirming heavenly justice; rape survivors exorcise a demonic entity tied to their trauma, depicting faith-driven intervention as victorious over evil.
The film features no LGBTQ+ characters or themes.
The film contains no transgender characters or themes. Its narrative unfolds through a kidnapping scenario framing three horror vignettes centered on psychological manipulation and trauma recovery among cisgender individuals.
The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.
The film consists of an original frame story and anthology tales of crime, featuring newly created characters without reference to any canonical source material or historical figures, so no gender swaps occur.
The movie presents an original anthology of thriller tales without adaptation from prior source material or historical figures, so no characters undergo race swaps.