The Killing of a Sacred Deer | Rotten Tomatoes

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

R

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2 hr. 1 min.

Mystery & Thriller

Horror

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List

79%

280 Reviews

Tomatometer

63%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Bob B

The acting was good but the premise made no sense. The doctors never ran a tox screen. The dad never got serious about persuading the boy to tell them what he has done, and the antidote. It didn't seem reasonable.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/16/24

Full Review

Jorge C

Pareciera que sucede en un universe alterno muy cerca del de La Langosta, llevando una idea cotidiana a un nivel extremo y toxico, pero metafóricamente correcto, La Langosta haciéndolo con el tema del amor y El Sacrificio de un Ciervo Sagrado con el tema de la justicia. Yorgos Lanthimos repite su éxito por tercera ocasión, pero lo condena al mismo tiempo, ya que utiliza la misma fórmula que en Dogtooth y La Langosta y aún así funciona, pero en menor medida, siendo este el fin de este tipo de narrativa en sus películas, ya que hubo un cambio grande en The Favourite. Pd. La escena del sótano con Barry Keoghan, me hicieron tener unas ganas tremendas de ya ver su versión del Joker.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

Full Review

Iulia O

This movie is not for everyone for sure, I felt like it was more about the cinematography and camera work in many ways, rather than the plot itself. I was definitely not bored watching it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/24

Full Review

Bill C

Over-hyped. It's hard to put the pieces together.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/29/24

Full Review

Kellie G

Eating garbage for two hours would be more enjoyable.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/13/24

Full Review

P M

Good watch, but didn't care for the ending. It really wasn't splattered with a great sea of revelations like I'd hoped it would and it didn't even really manage to get one scared or anxious of the situation, which was the anticipation I carried with me throughout the movie, since so many otheres had promised just that.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/10/24

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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The Killing of a Sacred Deer: 'Playdate' Trailer

1:09

The Killing of a Sacred Deer: Trailer 1

1:18

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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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Karl Quinn

The Age (Australia)

Bleakly brilliant.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 15, 2018

Full Review

tt stern-enzi

Cincinnati CityBeat

The usual stark realities we’ve been familiar with for how we see the ‘nati give way to the thrilling fun of Cincinnati as a dark and twisted hellscape out of The Twilight Zone.

Aug 26, 2023

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

An absurdly funny and dread-filled experience, filled with Lanthimos' trademark wit and monotone performances. It won't be for everyone, but The Killing of a Sacred Deer is something unique and special.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 5, 2023

Full Review

Vadim Rizov

Filmmaker Magazine

Lanthimos remains very talented, but this seems like a little bit of a self-misdirection away from an original visual language into the working through of influences that were seemingly already worked through.

Jan 11, 2023

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: Andrew Lowe, Daniel Battsek, Sam Lavender, David Kosse, Nicki Hattingh, Amit Pandya, Anne Sheehan, Peter Watson, Gabrielle Stewart
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
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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