The Messengers
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Metascore
34 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 16 Critics What's this?

User Score
4.6 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 35 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Dylan McDermott, Kristen Stewart, Penelope Ann Miller
  • Summary: The Solomon family has left the fast paced life of Chicago for the secluded world of a North Dakota farm. Amidst the tranquil sway of the farm's field of sunflowers, Jess, 16, soon realizes how terrifying seclusion can be when she and her brother Ben, 3, begin seeing ominous apparitions invisible to everyone else. (Sony)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 16
  3. Negative: 8 out of 16
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Gregory Kirschling
    50
    There are a few decent jolts in The Messengers, but every one of them is accompanied by a cheap freak-out on the soundtrack so you know to be decently jolted.
  2. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    50
    The trouble isn't just that this haunted-house story, written by Mark Wheaton and directed by Hong Kong filmmakers Danny and Oxide Pang, is both formulaic and derivative. It's that it's completely free of atmosphere, the very thing that their 2002 "The Eye" had in such creepy abundance.
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    50
    Like too many horror pictures, The Messengers becomes more boringly prosaic as it goes along, and there's an 11th-hour plot twist so dumb and poorly articulated that it destroys the movie. That's a shame, because shot for shot, the Pangs might be the most terrifying filmmakers alive.
  4. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Tirdad Derakhshani
    38
    A predictable, by-the-numbers TV-movie-sized affair which will break your heart - especially since it also contains brief flashes of horror greatness.

See all 16 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 16
  3. Negative: 11 out of 16
  1. JoJo
    10
    It was really scary. The guy (about 30) covered his eyes the entire time. Thats how horrifying this movie is. Watch it, but not on a full stomach. This is not for the faint at heart. Enjoy the movie!… Expand
  2. SamG.
    6
    I actually enjoyed some aspects of the film. I thought that Jr. Actress Kristen Stewart and Jr. Director Oxide Pang Chun put up a good try. They both have a long way to go, as does this film, but it was mildly entertaining and managed to achieve some scares here and there. This is not to say it is anything but a failure, but from a optimistic point of view i give this a light F. 60/100.… Expand
  3. AMovieCritic
    4
    I found it pretty boring. The Pang brothers have a talent for building suspense and some creepy shots but overall this movie was slow and predictable. It's got a series of jump scares but nothing that is REALLY scary. A plot twist at the end was explained pretty poorly. It's not like I hate this type of movie (I liked movies such as the Pulse remake and the Japanese Grudge movies, and even the Grudge remakes were enjoyable) but this one just didn't do it for me. Kristen Stewart looked bored, and didn't make for a particularly compelling lead. Scares were OBVIOUSLY set up, often making little sense. And the setting really wasn't scary at all. (Most of the movie takes place in broad daylight.) Just, not recommended.… Expand
  4. DanS.
    3
    Scary House? Check. Moody Teen? Check. Every other cliche' from every horror movie ever? Check. Yeah, take "The Amityville Horror", "The Birds", and "The Grudge", add crap, and blend them all together and then you get this movie. I only saw it cause there was nothing else to see, I didn't expect to be impressed, and I wasn't.… Expand

See all 16 User Reviews

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