--- title: "The Lighthouse: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-lighthouse/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-lighthouse" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 17 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Lighthouse (2019): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 17 reviews: 15 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to The Lighthouse, with praise centred on Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson’s combative performances and Robert Eggers’ oppressive atmosphere. The black-and-white photography, cramped frame, period dialogue and abrasive soundscape draw repeated approval for making the keepers’ isolation feel suffocating. Many reviews also find considerable comedy in the pair’s bluster and competitive machismo. For its admirers, the humour makes the psychological horror more unsettling rather than softening it. Reservations centre on repetition, thin storytelling and whether the film has enough dramatic development to sustain its intensity. Even favourable reviews sometimes find it exhausting or overlong, while the broader response ranges from enthusiasm to marked dissatisfaction. The Guardian questions Pattinson’s performance and finds that the imagery overwhelms a coherent story. The New York Times praises both leads but sees too little beneath the style, making narrative substance the clearest point of disagreement. ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 5/5. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson are unforgettable adversaries in this eerie, unnerving two-hander. Eggers conjures an oppressive and unpredictable atmosphere with captivating chiaroscuro-rich cinematography that remains horribly effective to the last. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-vwmf25/the-lighthouse/) ## The i Paper — Demetrios Matheou Rating ★★★★★. 31 January 2020. Eggers delivers another deeply atmospheric concoction that creates mystery and unease through its boxy black-and-white frame, cacophonous soundscape and fruity period dialogue. The mismatched leads, especially Dafoe’s relish as the tyrannical old salt, make for a gripping, mirthful descent into madness. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-lighthouse-review-a-deeply-atmospheric-maniacal-horror-392528) ## The Telegraph Rating 5/5. 31 January 2020. Pattinson and Dafoe deliver astounding, career-highlight performances in this ferociously entertaining two-hander that lands with tremendous impact. It is an essential cinematic experience full of audacious energy and unforgettable imagery. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/lighthouse-review-film-will-make-head-soul-ring/) ## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2019. Pattinson and Dafoe mesmerize in Eggers' bleak, blisteringly funny descent into cabin-fever madness and psychological warfare. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2019-10-16/the-lighthouse-review-robert-pattinson-willem-dafoe) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 January 2020. Eggers proves The Witch was no fluke with an oppressively nightmarish two-hander that does for lighthouses what The Shining did for hotels. Dafoe and Pattinson dazzle in a claustrophobic, peerlessly atmospheric monochrome exercise in maritime madness. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-lighthouse-review/) ## RogerEbert.com — Matt Zoller Seitz Rating 3.5/4. 18 October 2019. The critic praises the film's intense performances and atmospheric dread but notes its repetitive descent into madness can feel exhausting. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-lighthouse-2019) ## Empire — John Nugent Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2020. Eggers’ dazzling, demented follow-up is a tall folk tale soaked in superstition, myth and striking imagery that explores masculinity, sexuality and shame through two actors at the top of their game. It is hypnotic, funny and unsettling in equal measure, if occasionally inaccessible. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-lighthouse/) ## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd Rating B+. 16 October 2019. The review frames the film as a pitch-black comedy of cabin fever and competitive machismo, highlighting the hoot-worthy performances by Pattinson and Dafoe in their war of wills. It finds the artisanal dread somewhat shtick-like with little room for escalation but calls it borderline brilliant as comedy. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-lighthouse-is-an-insanely-inspired-buddy-comedy-in-1839102366) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 October 2019. Eggers delivers a mad, crammed whirlpool of oddities with strong monologues and performances, though the second half tilts into overwrought parody. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/10/28/the-lighthouse-is-salted-with-madness) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 2 February 2020. The film conjures strong mood and atmosphere but sacrifices coherent storyline for technical exercises and overwrought imagery. Dafoe is credible but Pattinson struggles, with lewd humour undermining deeper meaning. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/feb/02/the-lighthouse-review-robert-pattinson-willem-dafoe-the-witch-robert-eggers) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 24 October 2019. The film is a visually striking but ultimately hollow exercise in style and male torment, with strong turns from its leads undermined by thin narrative. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/movies/the-lighthouse-review.html) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton 31 January 2020. The film is a pressure-cooker two-hander in which two mismatched lighthouse keepers drive each other mad in isolation. It is praised as a meticulously staged, stylistically bold piece of grand guignol with extraordinary performances from Dafoe and Pattinson. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-lighthouse-review-a-dark-tale-of-men-madness-and-twisted-fantasies-a4349831.html) ## Screen Daily 19 May 2019. Festival review. Robert Eggers follows up The Witch with a tense, claustrophobic psychological thriller about two 19th-century lighthouse keepers. It provides a marvellous chamber-drama platform for Pattinson and Dafoe, with starkly compelling expressionist black-and-white photography. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-lighthouse-cannes-review/5139661.article) ## Sight and Sound — Samuel Wigley 30 January 2020. The critic finds more texture than substance in this salty tale of two lighthouse keepers descending into cabin fever. He praises the salty dialogue, performances by Dafoe and Pattinson, and enveloping craft and atmosphere but notes the narrative sails a readily predictable course. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/lighthouse-review-willem-dafoe-robert-pattinson-square-weatherbeaten-two-hander) ## Slant Magazine — Sam C. Mac 22 May 2019. Festival review. The critic commends Eggers for loosening veracity to allow absurdism and humor to emerge in this grotesque, hilarious genre pastiche, with strong performances from Dafoe and Pattinson driving the one-upmanship and psychological unraveling. It notes the self-aware pastiche succeeds without smugness or full parody, marking a breakthrough. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-lighthouse-review-robert-eggers/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 19 May 2019. Festival review. The critic praises the gripping performances by Dafoe and Pattinson along with the meticulous period detail and bracing originality of Eggers' claustrophobic second feature. It notes the film is a tad too drawn out for a single-setting two-hander but demands to be seen for its immersive world and transfixing descent into madness. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/lighthouse-review-cannes-2019-1212078/) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★☆. 30 January 2020. Dafoe and Pattinson dazzle in this stylish, unhinged horror about 19th-century lighthouse keepers, delivering mesmerising and sympathetic performances amid dreamlike symbolism and classical nods. It is disturbing yet rewarding and worth seeking out. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-lighthouse-review-dafoe-and-pattinson-dazzle-in-the-darkness-f8gkbcw35) ## Vulture 18 October 2019. Festival review. The piece highlights the film's even trippier elements compared to The Witch, focusing on Pattinson and Dafoe's descent into madness amid exhaustive period detail and unsettling imagery in a square aspect ratio. It emphasizes the weird, unsettling, and often hilarious moments like seagull violence and hallucinatory sequences. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/the-lighthouse-might-be-even-trippier-than-the-witch.html) ## /Film — Jason Gorber Rating 9/10. 21 May 2019. Festival review. The critic finds the film an acerbic, haunting tale of maritime madness and mayhem that is muddy, murky, melancholic, yet eminently hilarious and entertaining. Dafoe and Pattinson form a dream pair delivering gravitas and goofiness in a perverse, preposterous, brilliant work. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/566559/the-lighthouse-review/) ## NME — Elizabeth Aubrey Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2019. Describes it as an extraordinary and unsettling film that ranks among the most gripping horrors of recent years, praising the towering performances, dense literary script, and immersive blend of horror, dark comedy and psychological drama. Notes it re-writes the genre afresh. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/the-lighthouse-review-robert-pattinson-2556781) ## The Ringer — Manuela Lazic Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 May 2019. Festival review. The film is a wholly original masterwork that is both hilarious and creepy, blurring fable and reality in a way that illuminates the characters' fragility and terror. It singles out Eggers's inventive black-and-white filmmaking style and authentic period dialect for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2019/05/20/movies/the-lighthouse-review-robert-pattinson-willem-dafoe-robert-eggers) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2019. The critic praises the film's immersive black-and-white fever dream and the demented performances of Pattinson and Dafoe as two lighthouse keepers descending into madness. They single out the meticulous craft, period authenticity in dialogue, and the hypnotic, gaslighting effect on the audience. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-lighthouse-film-review-robert-pattinson-willem-dafoe-robert-eggers/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 October 2019. Pete Hammond lauds Eggers as a master of mood and psychological horror, highlighting the gorgeous black-and-white cinematography and the full-throttle performances by Pattinson and Dafoe in this twisted two-hander about isolation and madness. He singles out the minimalist character study and the way it builds to a boiling point with help from production design and score. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/video/the-lighthouse-review-robert-pattinson-willem-dafoe-robert-eggers/) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 January 2020. Highlights the unforgettable performances by Pattinson and Dafoe as the film's standout element in this two-hander about isolation and madness. Calls it a unique, captivating experience with striking black-and-white visuals, though notes some slow pacing in the first half. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a30641344/the-lighthouse-review-robert-pattinson-willem-dafoe/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4 out of 5. 11 September 2019. The critic finds it a challenging but enthralling character study, praising the performances of Dafoe and Pattinson along with the gloomy atmosphere and visual style. Notes that it is more indulgent and ambiguous than Eggers' previous film The Witch and may not appeal to all audiences. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-lighthouse-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-lighthouse.md