The Lighthouse is a 2019 American indie horror film about a pair of ageing lighthouse keepers fight the elements, the spirits, and each other…
Directed by Robert Eggers (The Witch) from a screenplay co-written with Max Eggers, the A24-New Regency-RT Features production stars Robert Pattinson (The Batman; Tenet; The Devil All the Time; Twilight and sequels) and Willem Dafoe (Death Note; Daybreakers; American Psycho).
Plot:
In the 1890s, a pair of ageing lighthouse keepers – Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) and Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe) – fight the elements of nature, the spirits, and each other…
Reviews [click links to read more]:
“The Lighthouse will not be for everyone, with the emphasis on arthouse over horror. If you’re willing to have a little patience though, you’ll be rewarded with a deeply unsettling tale of madness, which boasts some truly impressive imagery and two pretty perfect performances.” Arrow in the Head
“The Lighthouse presents a montage of gothic-horror imagery coupled with a growing sense of cabin fever and isolation, at times akin to the closed-in atmosphere of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. The film’s tiny aspect ratio (1.19:1, to be exact) further adds to its sense of confinement, while its haunting sound design lends it a truly nightmare-like feel.” Bloody Disgusting
“I can’t stress enough the caliber of work on display from both Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. The pair offer up daring, mesmerizing performances […] The Lighthouse demands to be not just seen but experienced. Love it or hate it, I guarantee it’s unlike anything else you’ll see this year. Highly recommended.” Modern Horrors
“An instant classic.” New York magazine
” …if the immediate, textural pleasures of the film are such that you can almost miss the deftness of its construction, the skill with which Eggers balances out his ambivalent storytelling, while still ramping through ever-escalating climaxes, can’t be overstated. There’s real artistry in keeping an audience as unsure as we remain…” The Playlist
” …the cold, unfathomable sea and all its creatures serve as the source of mystery and menace as the woods do in The Witch. There is a very Lovecraftian vibe at work, and while Cthulhu doesn’t make an appearance, I was reminded of the classic story in the film’s tone, literary dialogue, and the sense that its protagonists are but insignificant men — pawns — in an incomprehensible, ancient game.” Screen Anarchy
“The desolate, lonely environment of the island is captured beautifully in squid-ink blacks and storm-cloud greys, all shot in a boxy 4:3 ratio. There’s a vintage horror feel, both embracing conventions of the genre and defying them. Sometimes you’ll wonder if you’re watching a horror film at all. The Lighthouse leaves you dazed, terrified and elated…” Time Out London
“There needn’t be some deeper theme or intent behind a movie like this, but The Lighthouse is an awfully trying experience to end with such a sneering shrug of the shoulders. I couldn’t shake the feeling that The Lighthouse is simply an exercise, an overeager writing class project from a guy who’s just read Sartre, Beckett, and, I dunno, Stephen King.” Vanity Fair
“Both actors are sensational (and they work together like one), but in terms of sheer showboating power it’s Dafoe’s movie. He plays Thomas Wake, the aging “wickie,” as a knowing piece of kitsch — a crusty, bearded, limping old seaman with his pipe held upside-down and a brogue marinated in gin.” Variety
The Lighthouse was released on Digital on December 20th, On Demand January 7th, and on Blu-ray + Digital and DVD January 7th via Lionsgate. Order via Amazon.com
Special features on the disc releases:
“The Lighthouse: A Dark & Stormy Tale” Featurette
Audio Commentary with Co-Writer and Director Robert Eggers
Deleted Scenes
Cast and characters:
Robert Pattinson … Ephraim Winslow – The Batman; Tenet; The Devil All the Time; Twilight and sequels
Willem Dafoe … Thomas Wake – Death Note; Daybreakers; American Psycho
Valeriia Karaman … Mermaid
Technical details:
110 minutes
Black and white
Aspect ratio: 1.19: 1
