The Killing of a Sacred Deer

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The Killing of a Sacred Deer

R

2017

2h 1m

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

280 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Dr. Steven Murphy is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who presides over a spotless household with his wife and two children. Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin, a fatherless teen who insinuates himself into the doctor's life in gradually unsettling ways. Soon, the full scope of Martin's intent becomes menacingly clear when he confronts Steven with a long-forgotten transgression that will shatter his domestic bliss forever.

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Critics Consensus

The Killing of a Sacred Deer continues director Yorgos Lanthimos' stubbornly idiosyncratic streak -- and demonstrates again that his is a talent not to be ignored.

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Robert Daniels

812filmreviews

Has a doctor ever killed your father, and you used voodoo to get back him? Yea, me too. Yorgos Lanthimos's follow-up to The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, is every bit as creepy, dark, and ironic as the former.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 5, 2018

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Namrata Joshi

The Hindu

The Killing of a Sacred Deer scares, baffles, unsettles, annoys and peels off the happy smokescreen to reveal the discomfiting reality of yet another upper class family.

Jul 11, 2018

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Karl Quinn

The Age (Australia)

Bleakly brilliant.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 15, 2018

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David Day

Horror Movie Talk

f you don’t mind facing some disturbing material and themes, I would recommend anyone who is looking for a seriously solid psychological horror movie to see The Killing of a Sacred Deer.

Rated: 8/10

Aug 11, 2025

Full Review

Jack Walters

Loud and Clear Reviews

"The Killing of a Sacred Deer offers an unsettling and disturbing insight into a twisted world that’s actually not so unlike our own."

Rated: 4/5

Jan 18, 2025

Full Review

Bianca Garner

Filmotomy

To Lanthimos, justice is messy and complicated. In real life, there are very little winners, but there are many losers.

Oct 4, 2024

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Gabriel T

Simply a masterpiece. One of the most tense and disconcerting movies I have ever seen. The acting, the situations, the dialogue, the lighting, the soundtrack, the camera angles... Everything is awesome. Some people call it presumptuous, but I think they could simply get that not all movies need to be a Marvel

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/28/25

Full Review

Audience Member

What a waste of 2 hours. Can’t believe how anyone enjoyed this movie.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/23/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Oh dear, if I had realized this was a Lanthimos film, I wouldn't have wasted the next two hours of my life. Yes, this is as bizarre as his other efforts. Yes, a fine cast tries their best with this weird story. Now my question is: who keeps financing this alleged director's movies? My best guess is money laundering is involved, possibly by Russian mobs or their competitors. Give this turkey a wide detour unless you're a great fan of Kidman or Farrell...

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/12/25

Full Review

S K

Not creepy, not scary, not suspenseful. Dialogue was terrible. Characters not believable. No one acts and talks like that. Also, boring.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/31/25

Full Review

Iamwhoi M

Creepy movie, full of very creepy, unlikable people, going through their monotone, robotic, emotionless lives, until a weirdly similar stranger comes into their lives and blows everything up.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/24/25

Full Review

João Vinícius A

The Killing of a Sacred Deer is always willing to get extremely bizarre and inexplicable, and for me, that's what makes it such an ambitious and juicy film that can be chewed slowly without rushing and with an ending that's so quiet, but that makes a deafening sound.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/22/25

Full Review

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Yorgos Lanthimos

Director

Bill Camp

Matthew Williams

Raffey Cassidy

Kim Murphy

Denise Dal Vera

Mary Williams

Colin Farrell

Steven Murphy

Barry Keoghan

Martin

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Synopsis

Dr. Steven Murphy is a renowned cardiovascular surgeon who presides over a spotless household with his wife and two children. Lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin, a fatherless teen who insinuates himself into the doctor's life in gradually unsettling ways. Soon, the full scope of Martin's intent becomes menacingly clear when he confronts Steven with a long-forgotten transgression that will shatter his domestic bliss forever.

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Producer: Ed Guiney, Yorgos Lanthimos
Screenwriter: Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthimis Filippou
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Element Pictures
Rating: R (Disturbing Violent Content|Disturbing Sexual Content|Language|Some Graphic Nudity)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 20, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 19, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.3M
Runtime: 2h 1m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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