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First reactions to The Witch director’s “sadistic” and “terrifying” new film The Lighthouse

May 21, 2019 by Samuel Brace

Robert Pattinson’s performance has been praised in first reactions to The Witch director’s “terrifying” new film The Lighthouse.

Robert Eggers, the director of the horror film The Witch, has received some glowing reactions from critics at Cannes to his new film The Lighthouse starring Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson.

The film tells the tale of two men tasked with monitoring a nautical station off the New England coast, with horrific and disturbing events following as a result. Read on for what critics are saying in their first reactions to the film, labeling it as “terrifying”, “phenomenal”, and a “gripping nightmare”.

Pattinson and Dafoe give career best performances in the insanely, wonderfully crafted THE LIGHTHOUSE. A madhouse amidst a wild ocean; an old Irish poem of desire & greed. My heart still racing like crazy. Soundscape, cinematography, editing, production, all ace. Wow. #Cannes2019

— — Niels 🇵🇸 (@NielsPutman) May 19, 2019

“Pattinson and Dafoe give career-best performances in the insanely, wonderfully crafted THE LIGHTHOUSE. A madhouse amidst a wild ocean; an old Irish poem of desire & greed. My heart still racing like crazy. Soundscape, cinematography, editing, production, all ace. Wow.”

I loved THE WITCH but THE LIGHTHOUSE is another level. The image-making is relentlessly striking, Pattinson & Dafoe are extraordinary. Eggers seems to believe that to make a period film, you must also resurrect the dreams, nightmares, language and, um, sea shanties of the time

— Jake Coyle (@jakecoyleAP) May 19, 2019

“I loved THE WITCH but THE LIGHTHOUSE is another level. The image-making is relentlessly striking, Pattinson & Dafoe are extraordinary. Eggers seems to believe that to make a period film, you must also resurrect the dreams, nightmares, language and, um, sea shanties of the time.”

The Lighthouse – Two men on a rock in the ocean slowly go mad. Absolutely phenomenal, visceral, intense, hilarious filmmaking. Every shot is masterful. Score is astounding. Willem Dafoe & Robert Pattinson are incredible, plumbing the depths of insanity. Perfection. #Cannes2019

— Alex B. (@firstshowing) May 19, 2019

Alex Billington from First Showing says: “The Lighthouse – Two men on a rock in the ocean slowly go mad. Absolutely phenomenal, visceral, intense, hilarious filmmaking. Every shot is masterful. Score is astounding. Willem Dafoe & Robert Pattinson are incredible, plumbing the depths of insanity. Perfection.”

Robert Eggers’s gripping nightmare The Lighthouse is the best thing in #Cannes2019 with sledgehammer performances from Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, like Steptoe and Son in hell #Cannes72 #Cannes

— Peter Bradshaw (@PeterBradshaw1) May 19, 2019

“Robert Eggers’s gripping nightmare The Lighthouse is the best thing in #Cannes2019 with sledgehammer performances from Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, like Steptoe and Son in hell.”

https://twitter.com/JosephDAWalsh/status/1130036280514027520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1130036280514027520&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fhorror%2F2019%2F05%2F20%2Fthe-lighthouse-movie-reactions-robert-pattinson-willem-dafoe%2F

“Avast! The Lighthouse has left me woozy with shaking sea legs. A swirling descent into madness, with two mezmirizing performances from Pattinson and Dafoe. By far the best film to screen at Cannes so far.”

THE LIGHTHOUSE rips: it’s terrifying, hilarious, nightmarish, and Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe shamble around in flannels and longjohns the whole time, yelling stuff like “GET TO WORK, SAYS I!!” “BARK YOU DOG!!” don’t let anyone spoil this for you #Cannes2019

— Evil Emma Stefansky (@stefabsky) May 19, 2019

“THE LIGHTHOUSE rips: it’s terrifying, hilarious, nightmarish, and Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe shamble around in flannels and longjohns the whole time, yelling stuff like ‘GET TO WORK, SAYS I!!’ ‘BARK YOU DOG!!’ don’t let anyone spoil this for you.”

THE LIGHTHOUSE – a sadistic sea shanty, a dark dive into the fathoms of madness anchored by exquisitely overboard performances by #WillemDafoe and #RobertPattinson.

Ups Eggers' WITCH in many ways, this bonkers film about inadvertent brotherhood soaks to the bone #cannes2019

— Jason Gorber (@filmfest_ca) May 19, 2019

“THE LIGHTHOUSE – a sadistic sea shanty, a dark dive into the fathoms of madness anchored by exquisitely overboard performances by #WillemDafoe and #RobertPattinson. Ups Eggers’ WITCH in many ways, this bonkers film about inadvertent brotherhood soaks to the bone.”

THE LIGHTHOUSE: I feel like I’ve read Moby Dick, sniffed glue then passed out with TCM on — in a good way! Each frame could hang, and Pattinson and Dafoe scrapping like the last two rats in a barrel had me howling. Inspired, demented filmmaking from Eggers. #Cannes2019

— Tom Page (@thomas_page) May 19, 2019

“THE LIGHTHOUSE: I feel like I’ve read Moby Dick, sniffed glue then passed out with TCM on — in a good way! Each frame could hang, and Pattinson and Dafoe scrapping like the last two rats in a barrel had me howling. Inspired, demented filmmaking from Eggers.”

Well, it certainly seems like there is a lot of love for The Lighthouse. This sounds like one horror film for fans to keep their eye on when it comes to cinemas.

Originally published May 21, 2019. Updated May 22, 2019.

Filed Under: Movies, News, Samuel Brace Tagged With: Robert Eggers, Robert Pattinson, The Lighthouse, Willem Dafoe

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