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Gothic

Play trailer Poster for Gothic R 1986 1h 27m Horror LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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60% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 49% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
On a warm summer night in 1816 at the Swiss lakeside chateau of Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne), the poet and his guests -- Percy Bysshe Shelley (Julian Sands) ; his fiancée, Mary Wollstonecraft (Natasha Richardson) ; her half-sister, Claire (Myriam Cyr) ; and his private doctor John Polidori (Timothy Spall) -- spend the evening sharing ghost stories while under the influence of experimental compounds provided by the doctor. As the night goes on, reality and the horrific tales begin to commingle.
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Gothic

Critics Reviews

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Anton Bitel Little White Lies Russell’s exuberant style is perfectly suited to a libertine story which finds entirely visual means for showing the complex, often grotesque workings of an author’s imagination. It is a reflexive orgy of future horrors. Sep 15, 2023 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …one of the best films from a lauded British director…Gothic has appeal for literary and horror fans, and its critique of male excess is one that still feels pertinent today… Rated: 4/5 Sep 18, 2023 Full Review Jason Shawhan Nashville Scene It's a fortuitous gathering of creative minds, expressed via Russell's vision (and Thomas Dolby's gloriously anachronistic score) as a fever dream, a séance, a nightmare, a seduction and an exorcism - and it is glorious. Sep 10, 2021 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews I'll take my Byron and Shelley straight. Rated: C+ Oct 3, 2011 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Rated: 4/5 Apr 30, 2008 Full Review Donald J. Levit ReelTalk Movie Reviews 'Gothic' can be taken neither seriously nor with a saving pinch of salt. Oct 17, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Glafira Regina O Average horror movie. At first I even liked it, because the events take place in the estate of George Byron, but then the rating went down sharply. Quite banal techniques and a boring, confusing plot. It wasn't even clear until the end what has to do with what. The ending of the film also does not explain anything, and in addition, creates the unfairly negative image of Sir Byron and his friends. I wouldn't recommend to watch. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/24/24 Full Review Audience Member Hard to imagine that there could be a version of Frankenstein where the queer subtext would be more obvious and campy than Whale's original parodic sequel, but Russell found a way. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member A really unique film fictionalization of the famed retreat where Mary Shelly (Natasha Richardson) developed the idea for the novel Frankenstien: A Modern Prometheus. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting and unconventional Horror tale. One of the more tame Russell films, which makes it more accessible, but it's still Ken Russell, so it's off-the-wall bizarre. Yet, it seems very plausible, and it's interesting to see what may have been going on during that fateful weekend with Shelley and Byron. Is this truly what inspired Frankenstein...? Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/20/18 Full Review Audience Member Worst movie I have ever partially seen. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Disappointing affair on an 1816 gathering at a resort that resulted in the creation of Frankenstein and Dracula (Vampyre) by five people who experience hallucinations one night there. Hard to tell what is going on. Like all films that relies heavily on characters fading in and out of reality, never delivers on potential. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Gothic

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Movie Info

Synopsis On a warm summer night in 1816 at the Swiss lakeside chateau of Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne), the poet and his guests -- Percy Bysshe Shelley (Julian Sands) ; his fiancée, Mary Wollstonecraft (Natasha Richardson) ; her half-sister, Claire (Myriam Cyr) ; and his private doctor John Polidori (Timothy Spall) -- spend the evening sharing ghost stories while under the influence of experimental compounds provided by the doctor. As the night goes on, reality and the horrific tales begin to commingle.
Director
Ken Russell
Production Co
Virgin Vision
Rating
R
Genre
Horror, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2007
Box Office (Gross USA)
$32.1K
Runtime
1h 27m
Sound Mix
Surround
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