Red State

Play trailer

Red State

R

2011

1h 29m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

89 Reviews

54%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Three horny teenagers -- Travis (Michael Angarano), Jarod (Kyle Gallner) and Billy-Ray (Nicholas Braun) -- can't believe their luck when they meet a woman online who says she wants to hook up with all three of them at once. But the promise of sex is a trap, and the boys find themselves in the hands of Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), a lunatic preacher who spews so much hatred that even neo-Nazis stay away. Cooper means to kill the trio for their sins, prompting a desperate bid for escape.

Critics Consensus

Red State is an audacious and brash affair that ultimately fails to provide competent scares or thrills.

Read Critics Reviews

Justin Chang

Variety

12/13/2011

Calculated to outrage and executed to underwhelm, Kevin Smith's Red State is like a dull blade slashing wildly, predictably and ineffectually at its target.

Go to Full Review

Andrew O'Hehir

Salon.com

10/20/2011

It's a charming if conspicuously unfinished film, a half-riotous, half-idiotic send-up of the teen horror genre with a vaguely hip political twist.

Go to Full Review

Jim Schembri

The Age (Australia)

10/18/2011

2/5

Kevin Smith fans will be curious about Red State, but few others will be able to endure its tub-thumping attempts at topicality or its lack of storytelling skill.

Go to Full Review

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

Sep 2

7/10

A tense, politicised and socially relevant thriller.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

03/08/2023

1.5/4

With elements of horror and ham-fisted social allegory, Kevin Smith’s Red State has a lofty set of goals that go unreached.

Go to Full Review

Joey Magidson

Awards Radar

09/26/2021

3.5/4

Red State is one of Kevin Smith's best and smartest films, as well as his most nihilistic.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Gi S

@Gistevenn Mar 6

I've never seen a movie quite like this one. Surely one of michael parks & john goodmans best acting jobs ever.

See more

fobro T

@Philratez Jan 14

Despite the reviews I really enjoyed the film, it’s a critique on both ends, the religious groups that take everything to the extreme and the ATF and how they poorly handle situations, killing innocent people in the process. While I found the film to be a bit lackluster, I can appreciate that it allowed there to be a view on how not everyone is the villain of the story, everyone is doing what they think is right. Either way, it's a good film, 8.5/10.

See more

Jelisije J

@jjosifovic Nov 23

Michael Parks is the standout in this movie and without him this film goes from barely passable to downright skippable. D+ or D with the main actor without the main actor its an F.

See more

Oaklee D

@ODie63 Nov 10

Michael Parks and John Goodman are the clear highlights in this strange film with a somewhat anticlimactic ending.

See more

Patrick C

@RT66308151 Sep 4

It was pretty effective as a horror movie and the acting was great, story was okay. I would never watch it again though and I probably wouldn't recommend it either. It wasn't much fun for me to watch. I liked the ending though. I've heard about the alternate ending and I think that would've been even better.

See more

Stephen M

@RT46057910 Aug 19

I had no idea what to expect, started off as a teen romp of some kind, then goes all religious zealotry, akin to the Waco tragedy of the 90s. Michael Parks is absolutely amazing as the "David Koresh" type of extreme Christian preacher. The firefight was a bit overdrawn if I have any criticism, I see other reviews as being lacklustre, but I thought this was a banger of a movie.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Kevin Smith

Director

Michael Parks

Abin Cooper

John Goodman

Joseph Keenan

Melissa Leo

Sara

Kyle Gallner

Jarod

Michael Angarano

Travis

Red State: Official Clip - Save the Babies

2:45

Red State: Official Clip - Raiding the Compound

3:10

Red State: Official Clip - Heavenly Trumpets

2:42

Red State: Official Clip - The End Is Nigh

3:22

Red State: Official Clip - Eye for an Eye

2:39

Red State: Official Clip - The Wrath of God

3:19

Red State: Official Clip - Shots Fired

2:43

Red State: Official Clip - We're Not Terrorists!

3:05

View more videos

Return to House on Haunted Hill

43%

20%

Return to House on Haunted Hill

Watchlist

Intruders

29%

22%

Intruders

Watchlist

Sorority Row

24%

33%

Sorority Row

Watchlist

The Strangers

50%

48%

The Strangers

Watchlist

The Collection

36%

49%

The Collection

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Three horny teenagers -- Travis (Michael Angarano), Jarod (Kyle Gallner) and Billy-Ray (Nicholas Braun) -- can't believe their luck when they meet a woman online who says she wants to hook up with all three of them at once. But the promise of sex is a trap, and the boys find themselves in the hands of Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), a lunatic preacher who spews so much hatred that even neo-Nazis stay away. Cooper means to kill the trio for their sins, prompting a desperate bid for escape.

Director: Kevin Smith
Producer: Jonathan Gordon
Screenwriter: Kevin Smith
Distributor: Smodcast Pictures
Production Co: The Harvey Boys
Rating: R (Disturbing Content|Brief Nudity|Pervasive Language|Some Sexual Content|Strong Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 19, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.1M
Runtime: 1h 29m
Sound Mix: Dolby