The Keep

R

Released Dec 16, 1983

1 hr. 38 min.

Horror

List

39%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

43%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

A stranger (Scott Glenn) fights timeless evil in a Romanian castle occupied by a Nazi captain (Jürgen Prochnow).

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Alec B

I get why it has undergone a bit of a critical reassessment (it's filled with gorgeous shots and the score is hypnotic) but it is definitely unfinished and it makes absolutely no sense which is a problem when your movie has such a complex mythology.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

Full Review

Blu B

It's a mess but it has interesting ideas. The acting is hoaky, abstract, interesting and all over the place. McKellan is solid and whenever he is on screen it's actually interesting and well acted. However, as soon as he's not it becomes all over the place which leads to this movies biggest problem is the subpar pacing. Scenes right from the start drag put terribly at times. A scene that could be 4 seconds drags to 20-30 seconds. It makes the worse parts even worse and vice versa. The music also is all over the place with a solid soundtrack and atmosphere at times and other times sounding like a broken Sega Genesis game. The editing isn't good either and the cinematography is all over the place and mediocre overall. The subplots of the Nazi soldiers, the romance with Glenn's character, all feels unneeded and unfocused. It also feels like there really isn't a main character at times. The villian is not bad but needed more devlopment. The special effects are all over the place sometimes looking pretty good and sometimes Plan 9 bad. The camerawork can be really good at times, creative sets, moody atmosphere, and than just goes off the rails with abstract scenes, unclear narratives at times, topped off with shotty effects. That's really the best way to describe this, it's all over the place and just needed some more focus, maybe a bigger budget, and some more time to develop. I would say unless your a big McKellan fan skip this. This defintely could be remade I feel because it isn't predictable and when it works it works kind of well.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/27/23

Full Review

Billy C

Loved it. Good acting, great mood setting. Good sets and the stakes for the characters are high. A great supernatural horror.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/23

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Steve D

A decent story, laughable effects.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/23/23

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Devils A

The Keep is an awesome movie about a village in Carpathian Mountains that keeps watch over The Keep because they could tell it was man-made. It keeps an unthinkable monster imprisoned from the world! Is it Satan, or whatever high demon. The movie soundtrack is great and so are the special effects now that this movie has been digitally re-made. Thus my *4* star approval!!!!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/23/22

Full Review

mike d

I love the movie but wish we had got the directors vision of it studio interference cit alot out still a good movie

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/03/22

Full Review

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Michael Mann

Director

Scott Glenn

Glaeken Trismegestus

Alberta Watson

Eva Cuza

Jürgen Prochnow

Captain Klaus Woermann

Ian McKellen

Dr. Theodore Cuza

Robert Prosky

Father Fonescu

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Keith Uhlich

Reverse Shot

Mann must share the blame for the movie's failures. But nor should its beauties be denied.

Sep 9, 2011

Full Review

Simon Abrams

House Next Door

As dated as it is, The Keep (1983), Michael Mann's second theatrical release after Thief (1981), remains an intriguing mess of historical provocation.

Mar 29, 2011

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Mann fares better when sublimating the metaphysical into the nocturnal neon landscapes of Thief, Collateral, and Heat.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jan 3, 2024

Full Review

Josh Slater-Williams

Vague Visages

Regarding its deserving of potential "film maudit" status, sometimes the rabbit hole just leads you to dirt, kids.

Nov 13, 2023

Full Review

Chris Alexander

Alexander On Film

It is a film of many sensory pleasures and the key to truly enjoying it is to overlook its flaws, its lapses in logic, its often-dated visual effects and let it simply wash over you, to sink into it and perceive it like an opium inflicted hallucination.

Dec 8, 2022

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

What the disappointing nevertheless fascinating visual film never clears up is all the confusion it leaves us with.

Rated: B-

Aug 24, 2015

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Synopsis

A stranger (Scott Glenn) fights timeless evil in a Romanian castle occupied by a Nazi captain (Jürgen Prochnow).

Director: Michael Mann
Executive Producer: Colin M. Brewer
Screenwriter: F. Paul Wilson, Michael Mann
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Associated Capital, Capital Equipment Leasing
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 16, 1983, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 4, 2017
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround

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