Review of Jacob's Ladder (1990) by David H — 20 Apr 2011

A completely involving film that is genuinely scary and intensely creepy. it is very strange, an unforgettable experience, a display of weird and fearful imagery that creates a daunting atmosphere. the acting is top-notch, especially robbins, who gives a realistic, recognizable and relatable performance.

The film is a deep psychological, mystery horror that is completely haunting, featuring a handful of disturbing and frightening scenes, that are likely to stay with you and haunt you long after the film's running time.

The intensity of the film is incredible, there were some moments where I was horrified because I didn't know what I was going to see next or whether I could handle seeing it. The suprise ending isn't as magnificent as you would expect, this because the rest of the film is so highly masterful.

The ending kind of seems like an easy explanation, however there are alot of ties to the ending and the rest of the film that make it a good twist ending, also on repeated viewings, you can see hints and clues that suggest this ending, which were probably disregarded first time around.

This shows the film knows what it is doing, and realises itself, that there is alot more to it's ending that what there appears on the surface. The ending is thought provoking, you realise that all of what we have seen has been Jacob's personal struugle in his mind to fight the demons of hell and eventually give in and allow his son to lead him up Jacob's ladder to heaven.

You realises second time around, what all the different scenes symbolise and how certain dialogue is already explaining the twist ending for you, before you know what it is. Overall, an incredibly intelligent, challenging film, one of the best unique, original and unforgettable horror mysteries of all time.

an under-appreciated gem of a movie.