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The Little Stranger

Play trailer 2:24 Poster for The Little Stranger R Released Aug 31, 2018 1h 51m Horror Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
65% Tomatometer 142 Reviews 34% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
During the long, hot summer of 1948, Dr. Faraday travels to Hundreds Hall, home to the Ayres family for more than two centuries. The Hall is now in decline, and its inhabitants -- mother, son and daughter -- remain haunted by something more ominous than a dying way of life. When Faraday takes on a new patient there, he has no idea how closely the family's story is about to become entwined with his own.
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The Little Stranger

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Critics Consensus

The Little Stranger's reliance on atmosphere may satisfy audiences in the mood for sophisticated horror fare -- while frustrating those seeking more visceral thrills.

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Critics Reviews

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Ben Sachs Chicago Reader The players are technically impressive but fail to make any significant emotional impact. Mar 4, 2020 Full Review Meagan Navarro Bloody Disgusting There are moments of stark, unexpected violence, and chilling moments that hint at the ghosts within, but mostly The Little Stranger is a horror mystery that revels in its ambiguity. But the near two hour run time feels overlong. Rated: 3/5 Jul 3, 2019 Full Review Linda Marric HeyUGuys Casting issues aside, Abrahamson delivers an engrossing dark tale of the struggle to find solid ground when all around crumbles in a gothic maelstrom. Rated: 3/5 Jun 5, 2019 Full Review Diana Tuova Spotlight on Film The film feels unnecessarily long, and it is as though there are two or more stories to tell in there somewhere, with the film having no clue which one to choose and emphasise. Rated: 3/5 Aug 4, 2024 Full Review Calum Cooper Source (Scotland) While it’s certainly no Perfect Blue or Picnic at Hanging Rock, it is one of those films that rewards the viewers who have the time and patience for its deliberate choice of craftsmanship. Rated: 3/5 Jul 14, 2024 Full Review Dolores Quintana Dolores Quintana THE LITTLE STRANGER is an atmospheric, haunting, realistic ghost story that has surprising relevance to the issues of modern day life despite being a period film. Dec 28, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (94) audience reviews
Raizel O The book is amazing. The movie is terrible. Spoiler alert, by the way. One of the things that I think is so terrible about the movie is that it cuts out so much of the relationship-building between the characters in the beginning. But I think that part of it is key, because I think that the relationships between people is what makes the story important in the first place. In the book, the reader doesn't realize that the main character is obsessed with the house and making friends with the family for the wrong reason, until pretty far into the story. I think it's one of the better features of the story that, about 13 or 14 chapters in you're putting your hand to your eyes and groaning sympathetically for everyone involved. I think that the producers of the movie really underestimate the patience and intelligence of their audience. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/10/24 Full Review SkyRo P #MovieReview #TheLittleStranger "The Little Stranger" left me feeling underwhelmed and unengaged, failing to capture my interest throughout the film. Despite my efforts to find entertainment in it, I struggled to identify a compelling aspect that would hold my attention. The ending of the movie left me overly confused and disappointed, lacking coherence with the rest of the story and ultimately falling flat. Instead of feeling immersed in the film, I found myself disconnected and disengaged, as if being lectured on historical details rather than being entertained. The movie seemed to force its themes and narrative onto the audience, leading to a sense of artificiality rather than genuine entertainment. It failed to evoke the old-time feeling of engagement and instead felt like a tedious and uninspiring experience. In conclusion, "The Little Stranger" may not be the best choice for a captivating movie night. If you're looking for a film that lulls you into a nap, this may fit the bill. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/25/24 Full Review Ruth J I was looking forward to a good, intelligent, old fashioned ghost story - perhaps a little scary, definitely atmospheric, certainly haunting. But was unfortunately unsurprised to find yet another fumbled horror story that made no sense whatsoever. Was it the ghost of a long dead little girl who had shown no violent tendencies in life but was now a psycho in death? Was it a curse on the house? Was it the dog? Was it . . . oh, who cares! It started badly for me in the first scene. Dr. Faraday was played by Domhnall Gleeson in apparent homage to the serious, stiff, poker-faced member of the Sparks pop duo from the 70s. And he didn't get any better. He seemed not to want to bend as you normally do and had such restricted movement, I wondered if this was because something essential would drop out if he wasn't careful. And his general effect was incredibly, totally boring. I felt devastated at one point when I found I was only a third of the way through the film. There was no character in his character. He was life extinct. In fact, there was no colour or substance to any of the characters. None of them connected. They were individual and, largely, worthy actors needing to support their lives through a job. Any job. By the end, I felt I had been watching a long and boring plea for donations by a charity for actors. The 1.5 stars is made up of the house and a nod to the charity. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 07/16/23 Full Review Gareth v Being a fan of the three leads (Wilson, Gleeson & Rampling), I watched this with some high hopes but came away disappointed. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/23/23 Full Review Gianmarco R Unoriginal horror film with a meaningless plot and too dark a photograph. The film offers some beautiful and entertaining moments, but that pale in comparison to moments without too much sense and without attractiveness. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/24/22 Full Review woodle b To put this under the "Horror" genre is just false advertising. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Little Stranger

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Cast & Crew

The Little Stranger

The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Phantom Wounds The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Phantom Wounds 1:26 The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Pressured Into Marriage The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Pressured Into Marriage 1:59 The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Calling off the Marriage The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Calling off the Marriage 2:04 The Little Stranger: Official Clip - A Grisly Death The Little Stranger: Official Clip - A Grisly Death 1:28 The Little Stranger: Official Clip - The Haunted Nursery The Little Stranger: Official Clip - The Haunted Nursery 2:17 The Little Stranger: Official Clip - A Proper Little Gentleman The Little Stranger: Official Clip - A Proper Little Gentleman 3:08 The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Falling to Her Death The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Falling to Her Death 2:45 The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Fire in The Library The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Fire in The Library 2:04 The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Not of Sound Mind The Little Stranger: Official Clip - Not of Sound Mind 2:13 The Little Stranger: Official Clip - The Dog Bite The Little Stranger: Official Clip - The Dog Bite 2:07 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis During the long, hot summer of 1948, Dr. Faraday travels to Hundreds Hall, home to the Ayres family for more than two centuries. The Hall is now in decline, and its inhabitants -- mother, son and daughter -- remain haunted by something more ominous than a dying way of life. When Faraday takes on a new patient there, he has no idea how closely the family's story is about to become entwined with his own.
Director
Lenny Abrahamson
Producer
Gail Egan, Andrea Calderwood, Ed Guiney
Screenwriter
Lucinda Coxon
Distributor
Focus Features
Production Co
Potboiler Productions, Irish Film Board, Element Pictures
Rating
R (Some Disturbing Bloody Images)
Genre
Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 31, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 13, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$675.4K
Runtime
1h 51m
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