A particularly icky Holocaust scene last year in the new “It: Welcome to Derry” had me jonesing for some good Jewish horror on TV.
Jewish mysticism is full of dark spirits, and Jewish history is abundant with harrowing moments that make for poignant horror. There are plenty of great horror films that borrow from these themes, from “The Vigil” to “The Golem.” But those themes rarely make it to TV.
Some exceptions include the uneven but compelling French-Israeli show “Possessions,” streaming on HBO Max, and the Israeli “Mala’ach Mashchit,” (“Corrupting Angel”) a show that premiered in Israel in 2023 and that looks so dark and promising that I’ve been waiting for it to make its way stateside ever since I first saw the trailer on KAN 11, the Israeli public broadcasting channel that gave us “Tehran.”
Now, my wait is finally about to be over. The show, whose title has been translated as “The Malevolent Bride,” will be airing exclusively on ChaiFlicks on January 17, 2026.
“The Malevolent Bride” follows a series of harrowing murders in Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim, among the Haredi ״Brody״ community. These crimes may or may not involve a demon — or a dybbuk, if you will — a malevolent spirit that possesses those who commit said crimes.
Be’er, a secular physics professor and former member of the community, played by veteran Israeli actor Tom Avni (“Image of Victory,” “Valley of Tears”) joins forces with Orthodox therapist Malki Price, played by actress and trans activist LeeOz Levy, to get to the bottom of a series of violent crimes that involve the women Price is caring for in her “Ezrat Nashim” (Women’s Aid) center, which helps women struggling with mental health in her community.
Hisham Suliman, of “Fauda” fame, plays a detective from the city’s Armenian community who is frustrated by how closed-off and private the Haredi community he is investigating is. Maya Wertheimer of “The New Black” plays Be’er’s partner, Na’ama.
This show is full of famous faces, including international Israeli star Dar Zuzovsky (“Vanished.” “Beauty and the Baker,” “Hostages,” “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints,”), Shai Avivi (“Kugel”) and Morris Cohen (“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem.”) It comes from creators Noah Stollman (a writer on season 3 and 4 of “Fauda”), Oded Davidoff (“One Day in October”) and Avigail Ben-Dor Yaniv.
I can’t wait to watch this terrifying, star-studded show.
“The Malevolent Bride” will be streaming on ChaiFlicks January 17.
