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The Skeptic

Play trailer Poster for The Skeptic Released May 1, 2009 1h 29m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
8% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 27% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
After the aunt of lawyer Bryan Becket (Tim Daly) dies under mysterious circumstances, he moves into her old Victorian mansion. Strange events begin to occur, but he ignores warnings from his law firm partner, Sully (Tom Arnold). When the supernatural happenings seem directed at Becket personally, he seeks the advice of a scientist, a psychiatrist and a priest. Eventually, a psychic (Zoe Saldana) warns of a terrible secret buried within the house, and together they seek to solve the mystery.

Critics Reviews

View All (12) Critics Reviews
Glenn Whipp Los Angeles Times Old-fashioned in the worst sense, Bardwell's ghost story is heavy on Freud, light on fear. Rated: 1/5 May 15, 2009 Full Review Brian Tallerico Movie Retriever A film with good ideas and performances but weak, predictable, two-dimensional, frustrating dialogue. May 6, 2009 Full Review David Fear Time Out Tennyson Bardwell's pretentious psycho-supernatural flick doesn't even qualify as guilty-pleasure camp. It's the sort of bad movie that will make you lose faith in the genre altogether. Rated: 1/6 May 1, 2009 Full Review Cynthia Fuchs PopMatters You know you're in trouble when the most appealing element your film is Tom Arnold. Rated: 3/10 May 7, 2009 Full Review Prairie Miller NewsBlaze While horror movies have become tedious fare, relying on recycled gotcha scare tactics, this brainteaser blend of the logical, psychological and psychic aims to keep viewers on their toes, as well as at the edge of their seats. May 3, 2009 Full Review Steve Ramos Boxoffice Magazine Polished but dull. Rated: 1/5 May 1, 2009 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Emma R I don't understand the low ratings for this movie. Tim Daly's acting and character development work well with the supernatural components of the film. Sure it's a slow-burner, but the mystery builds to a satisfying crescendo. The ending perhaps is a bit ambiguous, but I like that a viewer can interpret it in different ways and that it relates back to Daly's troubled childhood & the trauma he repressed. If you're a fan of horror/ghost and haunted house stories, you'll enjoy it. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/18/24 Full Review steve d Predictable scare free horror. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review sean s This movie was reminded me of a weak "Movie of the Week." The best part of the movie was the old Victorian house and the antiques in it. Ha. It was ok, but not a great or interesting story in any way. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I liked most of the film, great build up, suspense and shocks. The ending though was very lame and rather spoils the whole film. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member As various critics said; a telefilm. a bad one that does not worth watching more than half an hour. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review don s An average ghost story with a nice cast which gave solid performances. There was some tension built, however the effects were skimped on. The story develops a bit too slowly, and it seems unlikely that everyone this man knew had been hiding the truth from him his entire life, but I liked the psychological angle to the story. Hated the ending. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Skeptic

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Cast & Crew

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Tennyson Bardwell

Director

Tim Daly

Bryan Becket

Zoe Saldaña

Cassie

Tom Arnold

Sully

Robert Prosky

Father Wymond

Edward Herrmann

Dr. Shepard

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View All The Skeptic photos

The Skeptic

(L-R) Tim Daly, Tom Arnold and director Tennyson Bardwell on the set of "The Skeptic." Robert Prosky as Father Wymond in "The Skeptic." Zoe Saldana as Cassie in "The Skeptic." Zoe Saldana as Cassie and Tim Daly as Bryan Becket in "The Skeptic." Tom Arnold as Sully in "The Skeptic." Tim Daly as Bryan Becket in "The Skeptic." (L-R) Tim Daly as Bryan Becket and Robert Prosky as Father Wymond in "The Skeptic." Tom Arnold as Sully in "The Skeptic." Bruce Altman as Dr. Koven in "The Skeptic." Tim Daly as Bryan Becket in "The Skeptic." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis After the aunt of lawyer Bryan Becket (Tim Daly) dies under mysterious circumstances, he moves into her old Victorian mansion. Strange events begin to occur, but he ignores warnings from his law firm partner, Sully (Tom Arnold). When the supernatural happenings seem directed at Becket personally, he seeks the advice of a scientist, a psychiatrist and a priest. Eventually, a psychic (Zoe Saldana) warns of a terrible secret buried within the house, and together they seek to solve the mystery.
Director
Tennyson Bardwell
Producer
Aimee Schoof, Isen Robbins, Mary-Beth Taylor
Screenwriter
Tennyson Bardwell
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Day Dreamer Films
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 1, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 10, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.2K
Runtime
1h 29m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital