As the 1980s gave way to a new decade, film studios began to slowly drift from the slasher movies that were saturating the genre and began developing more intense psychological horror productions. If films like Silence of the Lambs, Misery, and Seven taught us anything, it was that fans would crowd into theaters to see twisted films sans men with hatchets and chainsaws.
One entry early in the new decade was the 1990 film Jacob’s Ladder, a terrifying film that claws its way into your head and keeps you wondering long after its conclusion.
A Twisting Classic That Keeps You Guessing
Jacob’s Ladder is the story of an American soldier in the Vietnam War, Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins), whose unit is under attack deep in the jungle. As his unit is under attack by the Vietcong, Jacob sees many of his fellow servicemen begin to convulse or act erratically. Panicked, Jacob breaks away from the small village that his unit was attached to, only to be bayoneted and left for dead.
A Soldier Struggling To Return Home
The time forwards to 1975 where Jacob jerks awake while he’s on a subway car in Brooklyn. As he wakes up, he looks at a person sleeping near him and is horrified at what looks like a tentacle coming out of his body. Like in Vietnam, Jacob panics and flees the train as it stops, nearly getting hit by another moving train on the platform.
Jacob’s Ladder makes it seem as though its main character has a mundane, if not morose, adult life. Though he has a live-in girlfriend and a decent job, he’s still haunted by memories of the family he had before the war. It’s revealed that his youngest son, Gabe, died in a car accident before Jacob was deployed, and it’s hinted that this might be the impetus that keeps Jacob from reconnecting with his previous loved ones.
The Twist Isn’t The End
Jacob’s Ladder takes an interesting twist when Jacob attends a party and has his palm read by a psychic. In an eerie revelation, the reader tells him that he is dead. Later that evening, he sees tentacles coming out of his girlfriend, prompting him to collapse.
Jacob’s Ladder Keeps Getting Stranger
The plot twists continue as Jacob emerges back into his 1975 reality and begins to have discussions with old army buddies. Soon, it’s told to him that many of the surviving members of his unit are experiencing the same hallucinations. These are the side effects of a top-secret government experiment where the soldiers were injected with a serum that was supposed to make them more aggressive and stronger.
Jacob’s Ladder continues with the revelation that this project was a huge failure and led to serious side effects. But as the film moves on, you’ll question whether or not Jacob is being given accurate information or if something else sinister is at hand.
Stream For Yourself Via Video On Demand
Jacob’s Ladder is a film with so many twists, turns, and plunges in and out of “reality” that there is rarely a dull moment in the action. The movie is well scripted and acted to perfection by Robbins. It’s a unique storyline with heavy spiritual and religious imagery and thematic devices that might point some audiences in the direction of how it will end, though it will certainly shock others with its twist ending.
Jacob’s Ladder co-stars Elizabeth Pena, Danny Aiello, Matt Craven, Jason Alexander, Ving Rhames, Lewis Black, and Macaulay Culkin.
Jacob’s Ladder is a beautiful departure from the horror slasher films of the era. You can see Jacob’s Ladder On Demand with Vudu, Google Play, AppleTV, and Prime.
News
The Rings Of Power: All 7 Clues The Stranger Is Gandalf In Season 2
Amazon Prime Video’s The Rings of Powercontinues to hint that The Stranger is Gandalf, with several new pieces added to the puzzle in season 2. Daniel Weyman plays The Stranger in The Rings of Power cast, a character who’s a bit of a…
Adar Killing Sauron Makes Much More Sense After The Rings Of Power’s Morgoth Reveal
A flashback in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, episode 1 saw Adar murder Sauron, and this makes a lot more sense after episode 6’s big Morgoth reveal. The Dark Lord Morgoth, who had been Sauron’s master,…
Pharazon’s Sauron Vision Is Hugely Exciting For The Rings Of Power Season 3
Pharazôn had an eerie vision when he touched the palantír in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, and what he saw was an exciting setup for Prime Video’s next installment. 2024’s episodes have been predominantly dedicated to…
Can Sauron Control Balrogs? What The Rings Of Power Season 2’s Moria Tease Really Means
Sauron pays a visit to Khazad-dûm in The Rings of Power season 2, episode 6, and there’s a worrisome tease that suggests the villain could use the Balrog against the Dwarves in future installments. The Rings of Power has been teasing the Balrog within Khazad-dûm’s mines…
The Rings Of Power Season 2 Is Directly Copying The Two Towers (& Not Trying To Hide It)
The Rings of Power is obviously going to have a lot in common with The Lord of the Rings, but season 2 is directly copying The Two Towers — and it isn’t even trying to hide it. The Rings of Power season 2 is approaching its final episodes, and…
Why Sauron’s Elven Form Looks Different From Other Elves In Rings Of Power Season 2 Detailed By LOTR Designer
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power designer Barrie Gower has explained how Sauron’s Elven form differs from the show’s other Elves. Abandoning his disguise as the mortal Halbrand, season 2 sees the future second Dark Lord of Middle-earth transform into…
End of content
No more pages to load