Under The Shadow (2016)
86%RT Audience Score: 73%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 BAFTA Award
21 wins & 23 nominations total
Under the Shadow deftly blends seemingly disparate genres to deliver an effective chiller with timely themes and thought-provoking social subtext
Under the Shadow is like a slow-cooked meal that takes a while to get going, but once it does, it’s deliciously terrifying. The tension builds up so subtly that you don’t even realize you’re on the edge of your seat until you’re already there. And the mother-daughter relationship at the heart of the story adds an emotional depth that makes the scares all the more impactful. Plus, who doesn’t love a good djinn game? Overall, a must-watch for horror fans who like their scares served with a side of history and heart.
Production Company(ies)
Santana Pictures, Corporation,
Distributor
XYZ Films, Vertical Entertainment
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Amman, Jordan
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for terror, scary images and brief language
Year of Release
2016
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 24m
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Language(s):Persian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 2016 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 17, 2017
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi, Ray Haratian, Arash Marandi, Behi Djanati Atai, directed by Babak Anvari, written by Babak Anvari, horror, PG-13, Persian, Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh, XYZ Films, Vertical Entertainment, $25.8K, reviewed by Elizabeth King, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Angie Han, Scott Marks, Adam Nayman, Alison Willmore, Matt Patches, Jason Adams, Emma Wolfe, Steve Murray, Brent McKnight, Shideh, Dorsa, Iran-Iraq War, missile, supernatural, possession, malevolent spirits, Middle-Eastern, superstitious neighbor, djinn, war, gender oppression, mother-daughter narrative, tension, anxiety, jump scares, slow-burner, Netflix
Worldwide gross: $133,324
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $164,322
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,962
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 17,919
US/Canada gross: $31,900
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $39,317
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,770
US/Canada opening weekend: $13,565
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $16,719
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,572
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
Avin Manshadi – Dorsa
Bobby Naderi – Iraj
Ray Haratian – Mr. Ebrahimi
Arash Marandi – Dr. Reza
Behi Djanati Atai – Pargol
Director(s)
Babak Anvari
Writer(s)
Babak Anvari
Producer(s)
Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh
Film Festivals
Sundance, South by Southwest
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 BAFTA Award
21 wins & 23 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (93) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (92) | Rotten (1)
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.
February 17, 2021
Elizabeth King
Bitch Media
TOP CRITIC
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.
August 25, 2018
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
The Blue Lenses
TOP CRITIC
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.
June 14, 2017 | Rating: 8/10
Angie Han
Slashfilm
TOP CRITIC
The shift from family drama to djinn game is so subtle as to be barely perceived
November 18, 2016 | Rating: 4/5
Scott Marks
San Diego Reader
TOP CRITIC
Under the Shadow is skillful and scary enough to be a legitimate niche hit.
October 20, 2016
Adam Nayman
Reverse Shot
TOP CRITIC
Intimate horror about the dark things lurking in a family home, and, more interestingly, in the minds of women.
October 19, 2016
Alison Willmore
BuzzFeed News
TOP CRITIC
Much like in The Babadook, first-time director Babak Anvari allows the question of the supernatural to orbit the action of Under the Shadow.
October 22, 2021
Matt Patches
Polygon
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
July 14, 2021
Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
It’s just very raw, very real, but it’s shot very beautifully, and the acting is superb.
April 28, 2021 | Rating: 7/10
Emma Wolfe
SpookyAstronauts
Under the Shadow is a skillful slow burn of a movie, intermixing quiet, suggestively stacked details with an increasing number of unsettling shocks.
October 10, 2020
Steve Murray
ArtsATL
Under the Shadow has all of the makings of a new horror classic: a compelling protagonist to root for, a unique setting and mythology, visceral and psychological terror, and creepy, effective monsters.
July 3, 2020 | Rating: A-
Brent McKnight
The Last Thing I See
Much like last year’s A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, this a proudly, culturally authentic Iranian horror movie that… establishes itself in the horrifying reality of a real-world conflict.
October 4, 2019 | Rating: 7/10
Joey Keogh
Wicked Horror…
Plot
In the 80’s, during the war between the Islamic post-revolutionary Iran and Iraq, the former leftist medical student Shideh tries to return to the university but is barred by the dean. The upset Shideh returns home and when her husband Dr. Iraj is assigned to work in a war zone, she refuses to move to his parent’s house with their daughter Dorsa. Shideh prefers to stay in her apartment with Dorsa, who loves her doll Kimia and has constant fever. Dorsa is afraid of demoniac Djinns and when Shideh asks who told her about the legend, she tells that her friend that lives downstairs. Shideh visits her neighbor and asks his mother to tell her son to not tell horror stories to Dorsa and she learns that the boy is mute. Then Kimia and Shideh’s Jane Fonda workout tape disappear. When a missile strikes their building, the neighbors decide to leave Tehran, but Shideh stays in the apartment with Dorsa, who is increasingly disturbed. Soon Shideh reads about Djinns and finds that there is an evil entity in the apartment. Further she must find Kimia; otherwise Dorsa will be in danger since the Djinn will be attached to her.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Narges Rashidi delivers a phenomenal performance as Shideh in Under the Shadow.
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