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The Skeptic

Play trailer Poster for The Skeptic 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

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Glenn Whipp Los Angeles Times 05/15/2009
1/5
Old-fashioned in the worst sense, Bardwell's ghost story is heavy on Freud, light on fear. Go to Full Review Brian Tallerico Movie Retriever 05/06/2009
A film with good ideas and performances but weak, predictable, two-dimensional, frustrating dialogue. Go to Full Review David Fear Time Out 05/01/2009
1/6
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. Go to Full Review Cynthia Fuchs PopMatters 05/07/2009
3/10
You know you're in trouble when the most appealing element your film is Tom Arnold. Go to Full Review Prairie Miller NewsBlaze 05/03/2009
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. Go to Full Review Steve Ramos Boxoffice Magazine 05/01/2009
1/5
Polished but dull. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Emma R 07/18/2024 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. See more steve d 02/01/2023 Predictable scare free horror. See more sean s 01/15/2023 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. See more 01/26/2020 I liked most of the film, great build up, suspense and shocks. The ending though was very lame and rather spoils the whole film. See more 07/03/2018 As various critics said; a telefilm. a bad one that does not worth watching more than half an hour. See more don s 10/26/2014 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. See more Read all reviews
The Skeptic

My Rating

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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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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