Review of Jacob's Ladder (1990) by Nick S — 03 Sep 2015

This film is about as original as it is weird. It tells the story a Vietnam veteran named Jacob who struggles to overcome the horrors of war. But what starts out as nightmares of his time spent in Vietnam, progressively they turn into hellish visions that blur the lines between what's real and what's not. As the visions increase more with each passing day; it leaves him to question if he is going insane or is there something else much more sinister behind these visions that plague his mind as well as his reality. But the further Jacob seeks out the answers, the further he spirals down the ladder into absolute chaos.

This film is a rollercoaster ride of visionary horror. It toys with your mind and throws subtle hints at you as to what is going on and you still wont know until the very end. This definitely isn't your conventional horror film and may require a second viewing to fully understand. And though it isn't for everybody, it is a film worth seeing, especially if you like a well thought out horror film that will stay in your mind days after viewing.

(Interesting side note:) This film was the main inspiration behind the Silent Hill videogame franchise.