Under the Shadow

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Under the Shadow

PG-13

Released Oct 7, 2016

1h 24m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

99%

Tomatometer

92 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

After Shideh's building is hit by a missile during the Iran-Iraq War, a superstitious neighbor suggests that the missile was cursed and might be carrying malevolent Middle-Eastern spirits. She becomes convinced a supernatural force within the building is attempting to possess her daughter Dorsa, and she has no choice but to confront these forces if she is to save her daughter and herself.

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Critics Consensus

Under the Shadow deftly blends seemingly disparate genres to deliver an effective chiller with timely themes and thought-provoking social subtext.

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Elizabeth King

Bitch Media

Under the Shadow may not be as jump-and-scream frightening as The Babadook, but the mother-daughter narrative of surviving war shouldn't be missed.

Feb 17, 2021

Full Review

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The Blue Lenses

Under the Shadow demands that we feel history as much as intellectually acknowledge it. Its important lessons cannot be taught through dates and names, but through something far more visceral, intoxicating and memorable.

Aug 25, 2018

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Angie Han

Slashfilm

The genius of Under the Shadow lies in the way it builds up the tension: slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, until I suddenly realized I was wound so tightly I wanted to scream.

Rated: 8/10

Jun 14, 2017

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Matt Patches

Polygon

Much like in The Babadook, first-time director Babak Anvari allows the question of the supernatural to orbit the action of Under the Shadow.

Oct 22, 2021

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Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

You've got to push through the first forty or so minutes of Under the Shadow to get to the good stuff, but when it comes it comes with jack-in-the-box fierceness and doesn't let up

Jul 14, 2021

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Emma Wolfe

SpookyAstronauts

It's just very raw, very real, but it's shot very beautifully, and the acting is superb.

Rated: 7/10

Apr 28, 2021

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Agnieszka Z

What a disaster and waist of time ! Slow and boring :(

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/13/25

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Tammy C

I only watched this movie because of its high rating. I’m very disappointed. It ended so abruptly and took almost an hour just to get the story line lined up. It was very slow at first that I almost turned it off but kept it on in hopes that it would get good because of its high rating. I’ll have to do more research next time than to solely pick a movie to watch based on these ratings.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/07/25

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Janny F

Terrible movie. Literally about a haunted blanket

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

09/01/25

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Audience Member

Under the Shadow tries so hard to be clever and symbolic that it forgets the basic point of a horror movie: to actually scare you. Instead, we get 90 minutes of dim lighting, awkward pacing, and endless shots of people staring off into space while ominous music hums in the background. The “supernatural” element barely shows up, and when it does, it’s so underwhelming it makes you wonder why you bothered. The political backdrop might impress film critics, but for the average viewer, it’s just slow, bleak, and joyless. If you came for suspense, thrills, or anything resembling fun, look elsewhere — this shadow isn’t worth stepping into.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/16/25

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Jose P

Uses the supernatural as a metaphor for history, feminism and the horror of war. But it's okay if you don't go for that because it also manages to be a creepy and atmospheric horror film. Should go down as one of the horror greats. Warning: it is a slow burn in its first half. So if you need immediate thrills stay away.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/13/25

Full Review

Gaurav V

This movie was more frustrating than scary. The main character is brain dead and doesn’t do anything sensible in the entire movie. If you are influenced by the high ratings on rotten tomato and elsewhere, we were fooled too. Not worth watching at all. Unless you are fond of flying bedsheets.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/25

Full Review

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Babak Anvari

Director

Narges Rashidi

Shideh

Avin Manshadi

Dorsa

Bobby Naderi

Iraj

Ray Haratian

Mr. Ebrahimi

Arash Marandi

Dr. Reza

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Synopsis

After Shideh's building is hit by a missile during the Iran-Iraq War, a superstitious neighbor suggests that the missile was cursed and might be carrying malevolent Middle-Eastern spirits. She becomes convinced a supernatural force within the building is attempting to possess her daughter Dorsa, and she has no choice but to confront these forces if she is to save her daughter and herself.

Director: Babak Anvari
Producer: Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh
Screenwriter: Babak Anvari
Distributor: XYZ Films, Vertical Entertainment
Production Co: Wigwam Films
Rating: PG-13 (Terror|Scary Images|Brief Language)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.8K
Runtime: 1h 24m

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