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Them That Follow

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2:14

Them That Follow

R

Released Aug 2, 2019

1h 38m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

92 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Inside a snake-handling church deep in Appalachia, a forbidden relationship forces a pastor's daughter to confront her community's deadly tradition.

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Critics Consensus

Them That Follow never quite captures the spiritual fervor of its setting, but the cast's committed performances make for an intermittently satisfying character study.

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Noëlle D. Lilley

Chicago Reader

In their directorial debut, Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage fail to show the church in a neutral light, choosing instead to lean into a "crazy cult" caricature rather than evenly portray what is already a complex, divisive religious custom.

Feb 21, 2020

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

The plot is soapy, but the film’s writing and directing team, Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage, treat the characters with dignity... and create a sense of gloom that’s intensely compelling.

Nov 25, 2019

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Peter Rainer

FilmWeek (LAist)

It does grip you because of the inherent nature of the story itself.

Aug 23, 2019

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Ryan McQuade

InSession Film

The script left a lot to be desired and left their actors out in the cold, leaving them to have to pick up a lot of the slack and thus the film became an exercise in patience...

Apr 4, 2024

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

It's the kind of film that brings to light its mostly hidden world in ways that feel honest.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 26, 2020

Full Review

Matt Cipolla

The Film Stage

It sounds good enough, but its attempts to slink around gender and supernatural clichés are too repetitive and lacking character to make its point feel more than moot.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 28, 2020

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Logan D

In the Appalachia mountains, the daughter of the pastor of a snake handling church attempts to hide her pregnancy from him. This film has a stellar cast from some of my favorite films. Walton Scoggins (Hateful 8), Olivia Coleman (could do a dramatic reading of the phone book), Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, No One Will Save You), and Thomas Mann (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl). Sadly, it lacks a strong script deserving of such talent. Inert would be the best word to describe it. But, if you enjoy seeing talented acting on display, watch it for their work.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

04/10/25

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jill f

This was fairly decent as a dark suspense movie, and the cast was great except for the fellow who played the pastor. My fear is that people will believe this is the kind of thing that goes on in snake handling churches. Not the case at all. I have studied this culture for years and no one should take this as a true depiction of a snake handling church. There are many things depicted in here that would not be allowed in that world, and the service they showed was way off, as well as the theology behind snake handling. As long as people realize this is an extreme fictional off-the-wall cult and not about the real group, I'm sure they will certainly appreciate the good acting. But I really wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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jelisije j

A movie that tackles the cliche religion scenarios with a good amount of respect and understanding, but isn't as memorable as others films that deal with the subject matter.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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tom m

Reasonably well-told story and decent acting, but the story was depressing. I also have little patience for people who create drama due to questionable belief structures.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The atmosphere and setting are amazingly crafted. However, the plot meanders from the very beginning and fizzles out in the end. Disappointing.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/11/21

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Audience Member

'Them That Follow' is a tense, often unsettling drama, sometimes bordering on horror. It understands the disturbing nature of Southern religious extremism, and pulls no punches in its portrayal. And a truly haunting score, an isolated setting, and yet another stunning performance from Walton Goggins help to create a sense of pure dread that lasts up until the very end.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

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Them That Follow: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Inside a snake-handling church deep in Appalachia, a forbidden relationship forces a pastor's daughter to confront her community's deadly tradition.

Director: Britt Poulton, Daniel Savage
Producer: Bradley Gallo, Gerard Butler, Michael A. Helfant, Danielle Robinson, Alan Siegel
Screenwriter: Britt Poulton, Daniel Savage
Distributor: 1091
Production Co: G-BASE, Sony Pictures, Amasia Entertainment
Rating: R (Some Disturbing Violence)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 2, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 7, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $159.0K
Runtime: 1h 38m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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