Under the Shadow

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Under the Shadow

PG-13

2016

1h 24m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

93 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

After Shideh's building is hit by a missile during the Iran-Iraq War, a superstitious neighbor suggests that the missile was cursed and might be carrying malevolent Middle-Eastern spirits. She becomes convinced a supernatural force within the building is attempting to possess her daughter Dorsa, and she has no choice but to confront these forces if she is to save her daughter and herself.

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Critics Consensus

Under the Shadow deftly blends seemingly disparate genres to deliver an effective chiller with timely themes and thought-provoking social subtext.

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Elizabeth King

Bitch Media

02/17/2021

Under the Shadow may not be as jump-and-scream frightening as The Babadook, but the mother-daughter narrative of surviving war shouldn't be missed.

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Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The Blue Lenses

08/25/2018

Under the Shadow demands that we feel history as much as intellectually acknowledge it. Its important lessons cannot be taught through dates and names, but through something far more visceral, intoxicating and memorable.

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Angie Han

Slashfilm

06/14/2017

8/10

The genius of Under the Shadow lies in the way it builds up the tension: slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, until I suddenly realized I was wound so tightly I wanted to scream.

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Kyle Logan

Cultured Vultures

Feb 17

The horror of the film moves deftly between classic spectral horror, difficulty discerning reality from hallucinations, and the all too real horror of living in a warzone to create a feeling of inescapable dread.

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Matt Patches

Polygon

10/22/2021

Much like in The Babadook, first-time director Babak Anvari allows the question of the supernatural to orbit the action of Under the Shadow.

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Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

07/14/2021

You've got to push through the first forty or so minutes of Under the Shadow to get to the good stuff, but when it comes it comes with jack-in-the-box fierceness and doesn't let up

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Alexandria E.

@RT17158209 Mar 23

Awful, slow burn with bad ending that was not worth sitting through the whole movie for. It was not really even scary. It was a waste of time to watch.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 8

Successful horror movie in 1 hour and 24 minutes.

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Helies T

@kijbuhkj Jan 20

Honestly, Completly useless to watch, it was nothing scary at all, the scenario is just bullshit as the end. Watch something else please, don't waste your time.

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Ryan F.

@FrostyJim Jan 5

It was ok. Not very scary though.

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Luke S.

@bronson_31 Dec 28

Underwhelming. The story is great but there’s not an ounce of true horror in the film.

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Roger P.

@RT51744219 Dec 27

I just like horror movies. This one is no exception.. I thought the the first half was better than the second’. The movie went from a good drama to a ridiculous fantasy

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Babak Anvari

Director

Narges Rashidi

Shideh

Avin Manshadi

Dorsa

Bobby Naderi

Iraj

Ray Haratian

Mr. Ebrahimi

Arash Marandi

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Synopsis

After Shideh's building is hit by a missile during the Iran-Iraq War, a superstitious neighbor suggests that the missile was cursed and might be carrying malevolent Middle-Eastern spirits. She becomes convinced a supernatural force within the building is attempting to possess her daughter Dorsa, and she has no choice but to confront these forces if she is to save her daughter and herself.

Director: Babak Anvari
Producer: Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh
Screenwriter: Babak Anvari
Distributor: XYZ Films, Vertical Entertainment
Production Co: Wigwam Films
Rating: PG-13 (Terror|Scary Images|Brief Language)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.8K
Runtime: 1h 24m