The Harbinger (2022)
93%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: NA
The Harbinger is a hauntingly relevant horror film that taps into the collective fears and anxieties of our pandemic-ridden world. Mitton’s direction and the understated performances of the cast create a palpable sense of dread that lingers long after the credits roll. The film’s use of mythic horror and nightmare imagery is both disturbing and effective, making it one of the scariest films of the year. While it may not offer any happy endings, The Harbinger serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of human connection in times of crisis. It’s a timely and thought-provoking work that will leave you questioning the fragility of our existence.
The Harbinger is the kind of movie that will make you want to check your temperature and sanitize your hands after watching it. It’s a pandemic horror film that hits a little too close to home, but in a good way. The director does a great job of creating a sense of impending doom and the actors give understated performances that make the story feel all the more real. It’s like Candyman meets Freddy Krueger, but with a modern twist. So, if you’re looking for a scary good time that will make you appreciate the people in your life a little more, give The Harbinger a watch. Just don’t forget to wear a mask.
Production Company(ies)
Screen Media, Supernatural, VOD
Distributor
XYZ Films
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Chisholm, Minnesota, United States
MPAA / Certificate
NR
Year of Release
2022
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39:1 anamorphic
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Runtime:1h 26m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 1, 2022 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2022
Genre(s)
Horror/Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
horror, mystery, thriller, drama, nightmares, fears, pandemic, plague doctor, mythic horror, scary, blood, gore, Candyman, Freddy Krueger, Babadook, Elm Street, lockdown, hivemind, misinformation, isolation, fear, vulnerability, director, Andy Mitton, producer, Jay Dunn, Richard W King, Clark Freeman, writer, Andy Mitton, starring, Gabby Beans, Emily Davis, Anthony Thomas, Myles Walker, Cody Braverman, Jay Dunn, reviewed by, Nick Allen, Dennis Harvey, Jared Mobarak, Hope Madden, Eddie Harrison, Jonathan DeHaan, Rob Aldam, Maria Lattila, Joel Harley, Paul Risker, Caitlin Crowley, MPAA rating, limited release, XYZ Films, box office performance, budget, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, streaming, rent, buy
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Emily Davis – Mavis
Anthony Thomas – Ronald
Myles Walker – Lyle
Cody Braverman – Edward
Jay Dunn – Jason
Director – Andy Mitton
Producers – Jay Dunn, Richard W. King, Andy Mitton, Clark Freeman
Writer – Andy Mitton
Director(s)
Andy Mitton
Writer(s)
Andy Mitton
Producer(s)
Jay Dunn, Richard W. King, Andy Mitton, Clark Freeman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (25) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (24) | Rotten (1)
The Harbinger is the kind of horror movie that becomes personal for each viewer; if one is not afraid of its story’s more tangible concepts, Mitton does a credible and careful job of evoking the lasting ethereal ones.
September 26, 2022
Nick Allen
RogerEbert.com
TOP CRITIC
Though their characters aren’t always fully realized in the writing, the actors make it all plausible by emphasizing an understated, everyday quality to figures that might easily have been played in more histrionic keys.
August 11, 2022
Dennis Harvey
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Someone has finally made a pandemic film that both taps into the universal fear of the moment and the unshakeable sense of futility felt by those of us who have yet to accept the lie that it’s over.
December 2, 2022 | Rating: 8/10
Jared Mobarak
Hey, Have You Seen …?
What he sees is the way lockdown, hivemind, misinformation and isolation made people forget who they were.
December 1, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/5
Hope Madden
MaddWolf
…The Harbinger resurrects the ambiguous sense of menace behind the plague doctor garb; it’s a disturbing, modern take on mythic horror, and one of the scariest films of the year…
December 1, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
Despite the over-worked trappings of damn near every horror movie produced in the last two years The Harbinger is a scary good time. Look past the oh-so-familiar setup and you’ll find a treasure-trove of nightmare imagery.
November 2, 2022 | Rating: 7/10
Jonathan DeHaan
Nightmare on Film Street
Plays on the fears we all had during the height of the pandemic, using these cleverly to create a claustrophobic atmosphere of impending doom
October 9, 2022
Rob Aldam
Backseat Mafia
The Harbinger isn’t quite as emotional or as creepy as The Witch In The Window, but it will still go down a treat with horror fans who like their films with a bit more emotional attachment instead of just plain blood and gore.
September 13, 2022 | Rating: 3/5
Maria Lattila
whynow
Mitton delivers a new Candyman/Freddy Krueger/Babadook myth for our time. A Pandemic on Elm Street, if you will.
August 29, 2022 | Rating: 4/5
Joel Harley
Starburst
A timely work, it taps into the fears and vulnerabilities heightened by the pandemic.
August 11, 2022
Paul Risker
PopMatters
The Harbinger takes its characters down a very dark path, and I can’t promise you any happy endings, but this grim story offers an important reminder: we really need each other.
August 2, 2022
Caitlin Crowley
Flickering Myth
“The Harbinger” is observant, relatable, scare-ya-silly horror.
August 1, 2022 | Rating: 8.5/10
Matt Donato
Slashfilm…
Plot
Daniel and Theresa Snyder move their troubled young daughter Rosalie to a quaint Midwestern town. Soon after they arrive, neighbors begin to die. The townspeople suspect Rosalie and shun the Snyder family. Fearing something evil followed them, the tormented parents seek the advice of a Native American seer who tells them that only death can save Rosalie. When more people die and a detective starts looking into the mysterious deaths, the Snyders must do whatever it takes to protect their family.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Madeleine McGraw plays Rosalie Snyder in The Harbinger (2022).
Andy-Mitton.jpg
