Review of Jacob's Ladder (1990) by Bryan W — 15 Aug 2010

One of the most abstractly horrifying movies of all time, where the stakes aren't flesh, but sanity and the redemption of one's soul.

In most horror films, the things that scare us tend to make sense in some form or another. By placing the emphasis on the surreal and phantasmagoric, the audience is afforded almost no connection to the material except that they can identify with it as though it was a nightmare.

Of course, things aren't even this simple. By providing excellently handled scenes of plot and character development between the most disconnected visions, the film becomes more of a quest to understand exactly what is going on. This, in some circles, can be the most frightening thing of all.

Though the Veitnam War allegory may be a tad dated and some of the references to biological warfare may end up missing their connection with the audience, cursory research and even an intertitle at the end of the film provide a gravitas that puts the film into perspective.

What is even better than the film's ingeniously conceived segments of corporeal horror is the fact that, at its heart, the film is a spiritual drama, a concept played with throughout but only brought to the surface in the waning moments, and the seeds planted throughout the viewing experience bring everything together in the end cleanly while still inviting multiple interpretations while tenuously walking a line between a physical and metaphysical explanations.

This is must see for anyone attracted to the allure of the edge, or anyone who is convinced that all terrifying films are just schlock.