Jacob's Ladder (1990) (2024)

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1990

Directed by Adrian Lyne

Synopsis

The most frightening thing about Jacob Singer's nightmare is that he isn't dreaming.

After returning home from the Vietnam War, veteran Jacob Singer struggles to maintain his sanity. Plagued by hallucinations and flashbacks, Singer rapidly falls apart as the world and people around him morph and twist into disturbing images. His girlfriend, Jezzie, and ex-wife, Sarah, try to help, but to little avail. Even Singer's chiropractor friend, Louis, fails to reach him as he descends into madness.

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  • Cast
  • Crew
  • Details
  • Genres
  • Releases

Cast

Tim Robbins Elizabeth Peña Danny Aiello Matt Craven Pruitt Taylor Vince Jason Alexander Patricia Kalember Eriq La Salle Ving Rhames Brian Tarantina Anthony Alessandro Brent Hinkley S. Epatha Merkerson Suzanne Shepherd Doug Barron Jan Saint Kisha Skinner Dion Simmons Sam Coppola Patty Rosborough Evan O'Meara Kyle Gass Gloria Irizarry Lewis Black Raymond Anthony Thomas Christopher John Fields Jaime Perry Michael Tomlinson A.M. Marxuach Show All…

DirectorDirector

Adrian Lyne

ProducersProducers

Bruce Joel Rubin Alan Marshall

WriterWriter

Bruce Joel Rubin

CastingCasting

Billy Hopkins Heidi Levitt Risa Bramon Garcia

EditorEditor

Tom Rolf

CinematographyCinematography

Jeffrey L. Kimball

Assistant DirectorsAsst. Directors

Joseph P. Reidy Vebe Borge

Executive ProducersExec. Producers

Andrew G. Vajna Mario Kassar

Production DesignProduction Design

Brian Morris

Art DirectionArt Direction

W. Steven Graham Jeremy Conway

Set DecorationSet Decoration

Kathleen Dolan

StuntsStunts

Peewee Piemonte

ComposerComposer

Maurice Jarre

SongsSongs

Marvin Gaye James Brown Al Jolson LaBelle David Hykes

SoundSound

Richard Burrow Milton C. Burrow Neil Burrow Gordon Davidson Edward L. Sandlin Chester Slomka Scott Burrow Andy Nelson Tod A. Maitland Mike Getlin Steve Pederson Gary Shepherd Greg Orloff Mark Gordon

Costume DesignCostume Design

Ellen Mirojnick

MakeupMakeup

Russell Cate Richard Dean

Studio

Carolco Pictures

Country

USA

Language

English

Alternative Titles

Jacob's mardröm, La escalera de Jacob, Dante's Inferno, Jaakobin painajainen, Xypnima ston efialti, A Escada de Jacob, BZ - Viagem Alucinante, Dzejkobova lestvica, Лестница Иакова, Jacobova ljestvica uzasa, Jacob's Ladder - In der Gewalt des Jenseits, Dehşetin Nefesi, Allucinazione perversa, L'Échelle de Jacob, Jákob lajtorjája, Jakubův žebřík, Drabina Jakubowa, Стълбата на Яков, Trappen til helvede, Ξύπνημα στον Εφιάλτη, Jacobs inferno, חיים בצל הסיוט, 야곱의 사다리, ジェイコブス・ラダー, Scara lui Jacob, Alucinações do Passado, 時空攔截, Alucinaciones del pasado, 异世浮生, Драбина Якова, L'échelle de Jacob, Džeikobo kopėčios, ไม่ตาย ก็เหมือนตาย, L’escala de Jacob

Genres

Horror Mystery Drama

Themes

Horror, the undead and monster classics Intense violence and sexual transgression Humanity and the world around us Terrifying, haunted, and supernatural horror Surreal and thought-provoking visions of life and death Twisted dark psychological thriller Dreamlike, quirky, and surreal storytelling Creepy, chilling, and terrifying horror Show All…

Releases by Date

Sort by

  • Date
  • Country

Premiere

24 Oct 1990
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (3)USANew York City, NewYork

29 Oct 1990
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (4)USARHollywood,California

17 Jan 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (5)FranceAvoriaz FilmFestival

22 Nov 2003
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (6)USAInternational Buddhist FilmFestival

Theatrical limited

Theatrical

02 Nov 1990
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (8)USAR

30 Nov 1990
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (9)Spain18

14 Dec 1990
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (10)Spain18

16 Jan 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (11)France12

25 Jan 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (12)PortugalM/16

01 Feb 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (13)Netherlands16

08 Feb 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (14)ItalyT

06 Apr 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (15)Japan

12 Apr 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (16)Hungary16

18 Apr 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (17)Germany16

26 Apr 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (18)Sweden15

23 May 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (19)AustraliaM

28 May 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (20)PhilippinesR-18

31 May 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (21)Turkey18+

07 Jun 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (22)Brazil
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (23)Norway18

27 Sep 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (24)UK18

14 Oct 1991
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (25)Ireland18

31 Jan 1992
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (26)FinlandK-16

13 Mar 1993
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (27)South Korea18

Physical

14 Jul 1998
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (28)Canada
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (29)MexicoC
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (30)SingaporePG

25 Jan 2002
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (31)Greece

19 Feb 2008
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (32)Netherlands16

22 Sep 2008
  • Jacob's Ladder (1990) (33)United Arab Emirates

Releases by Country

Sort by

  • Date
  • Country
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (34)Australia
23 May 1991
  • TheatricalM
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (35)Brazil
07 Jun 1991
  • Theatrical
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (36)Canada
14 Jul 1998
  • PhysicalDVD
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (37)Czechia
15 Apr 1994
  • Theatrical limitedFilm clubsonly
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (38)Finland
31 Jan 1992
  • TheatricalK-16
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (39)France
16 Jan 1991
  • Theatrical12Visa CNC74741
17 Jan 1991
  • PremiereAvoriaz FilmFestival
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (40)Germany
18 Apr 1991
  • Theatrical16
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (41)Greece
25 Jan 2002
  • PhysicalDVD
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (42)Hungary
12 Apr 1991
  • Theatrical16
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (43)Ireland
14 Oct 1991
  • Theatrical18
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (44)Italy
08 Feb 1991
  • TheatricalT
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (45)Japan
06 Apr 1991
  • Theatrical
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (46)Mexico
14 Jul 1998
  • PhysicalCDVD
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (47)Netherlands
01 Feb 1991
  • Theatrical16
19 Feb 2008
  • Physical16DVD
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (48)Norway
07 Jun 1991
  • Theatrical18
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (49)Philippines
28 May 1991
  • TheatricalR-18Davao
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (50)Portugal
25 Jan 1991
  • TheatricalM/16
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (51)Singapore
14 Jul 1998
  • PhysicalPGDVD
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (52)South Korea
13 Mar 1993
  • Theatrical18
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (53)Spain
30 Nov 1990
  • Theatrical18Barcelona
14 Dec 1990
  • Theatrical18
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (54)Sweden
26 Apr 1991
  • Theatrical15
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (55)Turkey
31 May 1991
  • Theatrical18+
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (56)UK
27 Sep 1991
  • Theatrical18
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (57)USA
24 Oct 1990
  • PremiereNew York City, NewYork
29 Oct 1990
  • PremiereRHollywood,California
02 Nov 1990
  • TheatricalR
22 Nov 2003
  • PremiereInternational Buddhist FilmFestival
Jacob's Ladder (1990) (58)United Arab Emirates
22 Sep 2008
  • PhysicalDVD

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Popular reviews

More
  • Review by 🖤 ★★★★ 6

    walking into this I did NOT expect


    - learning tim robbins is 6’5”
    - potential origin of the mr postman vine
    - Macaulay Culkin
    - SILENT HILL INSPIRATION
    - twin peaks esque score
    - and George from Seinfeld

  • Review by russman ★★★★ 2

    I wouldn't want George Costanza as my lawyer

  • Review by DirkH ★★★★½ 21

    This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

    This is a horror film that manages to grab you both by its mysteriously creepy content and its harrowing visuals.

    In essence this film is, to me at least, an oppressive and bleak depiction of purgatory. Through a perfectly paced script, we are slowly drawn into Jacob's increasingly weird world, riddled with disturbing hallucinations and paranoia. We are never told explicitly why the things that happen, happen and I love it all the more for it. Up until the very end that is, where we are handed a possibility, one I interpret to be a religious one. Because we see Jacob dying, everything that we have been shown thus far is thrown into a completely different light.

    In the bible…

  • Review by COBRARocky ★★★★ 1

    Is it a war movie? A psychological horror? A religious horror story? A drama about PTSD? A legal drama? A conspiracy thriller? What the hell is going on? Is that a demon penis?

    It’s like the movie is a fever dream that you’re having, and it manages to operate brilliantly on that sickly dream logic yet it still makes perfect sense when you think about it later.

    It's also a masterpiece of restraint when it comes to its scares. The most effectively terrifying moment in the movie is a scene where Jacob hears a voice at his bedside, turns to see the source, and bursts into tears. We never see what it was that spoke to him, and while we…

  • Review by callum.s ★★★★ 7

    where the fuck was the ladder

  • Review by Chris Gilman ★★½ 2

    The scene where Tim Robbins suddenly holds up a polaroid photo of Macaulay Culkin, who was not in the movie at all prior to that point, and begins hysterically weeping, was my favorite part, out of context.

  • Review by JBird ★★★★ 4

    Jacob is stuck on the Ladder,
    In a role that keeps getting sadder.
    So he'll keep sulkin',
    Over kid Culkin,
    Slowly getting madder and madder.

  • Review by Ian West ★★★★ 1

    Jacob’s Laddercreeped me WAYYYY THE F OUT when I was a kid. I had recurring nightmares about this film and some of its imagery throughout the 90’s and I’d wake up screaming in a sweat drenched terror, yet I could never turn it off when I’d come across it on cable.

    I love 90’s psychological thrillers that veer into horror territory, and I’m so glad this has remained a cult classic over the years with a growing fan base and rather impressive influence on numerous films, television shows, video games, and music.
    Hopefully my suppressed nightmare stays that way.

    Cool beans, yo.

  • Review by noen ★★★★ 4

    of course Adrian Lyne directed this, it's like an insane fever dream and I loved it

  • Review by Sean Fennessey ★★★★ 4

    I love when a filmmaker leverages the clout and budget afforded in the aftermath of a surprise Oscar nomination. After Fatal Attraction, Adrian Lyne cashed out his golden ticket to make a phantasmagoric conspiracy thriller about a Vietnam veteran mailman with PTSD and maybe something worse. Profoundly dark, especially by late ‘80s standards. This is a source code for Se7en and The Devil’s Advocate and a lot of other Hollywood dalliances with Judeo-Christian concepts of demonic evil,with screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin’s overt references to Dante’s Inferno and a taste for an unsarcastic Cronenbergian body horror. War Is Hell, etc.

    Rubin’s script was allegedly one of Hollywood’s most admired and unproduceable of its era, and it shows. This is willfully uncommercial,…

  • Review by Symon ★★★★ 1

    I’ve never met a chiropractor who didn’t LOVE this movie..... just saying.

  • Review by Nick Mullen ★★★★★ 2

    My favorite horror movie. I watch it at least once a year. The last time it didn’t hit for me so I was worried it was ruined but I watched it again but this time with a soundbar and I think I’m just going deaf and that’s why I haven’t liked any of the movies I’ve watched in my bedroom rather than in the living room where the speakers are

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