1001 Movies Club - Jacob's Ladder (1990)

#816. Jacob's Ladder (1990)

Why It's In The Book: "Jacob's Ladder is a horror movie as ethereal journey... Like Dante's Inferno, Jacob's Ladder is a downward spiral: As the film goes on, Jacob's visions become more and more horrifying. Though at first the demons are vaguely glimpsed or only hinted at, soon Jacob is enmeshed in hell on all sides... Director Adrian Lyne grounds this spiritual journey in the everyday world, thus allowing us to feel closer to the events. By taking the familiar and making it slightly discomforting or grotesque, he achieves a sublime cinematic state where nothing can be trusted and almost everything is unexpected." -1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Member Ratings

Linsdey  - 10/10
"This is the horror film I have been waiting for!"
READ MORE

Adolytsi - 9/10
"A psychological thriller in every meaning of the term, Jacob's Ladder is a film that will successfully get under your skin."
READ MORE

Movie Guy Steve - 9/10
"An old trope given new and terrifying clothing."
READ MORE

Doug Tilley - 8/10
"A terrific psychological horror film featuring one of Tim Robbin's most impressive performances."
READ MORE

Squish - 8/10
"As Thrillers go, this one incorporates a heavy dose of the genre's typical themes of paranoia and  conspiracy, but tops it with those wonderful cherries that are one's dark time of the soul and demons of the past - both literal and figurative, putting Jacob's Ladder right in the lap of graphic fear and gory terror, all while keeping us guessing 'til the end."
READ MORE

Tim Burrow - 8/10
"Once it gets going, Jacob's Ladder is a wonderful and captivating psychological mind-bender, as we try to figure out what is happening, why and how it is happening, and what is real."
READ MORE

JMW - 7/10
"As a psychological dramatic horror...I think it could work. And as a conspiracy film...I think it could work. But as both, the sensibilities seem to clash and contradict..."
READ MORE

Klaus Ming - 7/10
"As a psychological thriller, the story of Jacob's Ladder becomes increasingly incomprehensible until the film’s final moments."
READ MORE

Overall Rating: 8.3/10