--- title: "Under the Shadow: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/under-the-shadow/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/under-the-shadow" critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 23 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." --- # Under the Shadow (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 81 from 23 reviews: 20 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Rating A-. 23 January 2016. Festival review. Kohn calls the film a fresh and pointed horror movie, while noting that it eventually leans on familiar scares. He praises how its historical setting and social restrictions deepen the story’s supernatural terror. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/sundance-review-under-the-shadow-is-the-first-great-horror-movie-of-the-year-32431/) ## Los Angeles Times — Noel Murray Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 October 2016. Murray calls the film a gripping, terrifying thriller that also examines a changing society. He praises how the heroine’s anxieties and Tehran’s setting deepen the supernatural horror. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-under-shadow-review-20161001-snap-story.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2016. Festival review. Rooney praises the film as a gripping, assured horror thriller with potent political undertones. He singles out Narges Rashdi’s riveting performance and Anvari’s sustained, stylish tension-building. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/under-shadow-sundance-review-858884/) ## RogerEbert.com — Matt Zoller Seitz Rating 3.5/4. 6 October 2016. Seitz gives the film a positive review, finding its horror effective and its setting essential to the tension. He especially praises how the supernatural threat works alongside the characters’ fear amid the Iran–Iraq War. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/under-the-shadow-2016) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 26 September 2016. Newman calls it an outstanding slow-burn horror film and a quality ghost story. He praises its potent scares, strong performances and unusual Tehran setting. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shadow-2-review/) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film a gratifying, deeply unsettling horror story. They single out Rashidi’s commanding performance and the way wartime realities make the terror feel natural. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/under-the-shadow) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 4/4/3. 29 September 2016. The review calls the film a mightily impressive debut, though it finds the plot formulaic and its feminist subtext too bluntly presented. It praises the lead performances and Anvari’s skill in creating an oppressive atmosphere within the apartment block. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/under-the-shadow) ## Radio Times — Victoria Luxford Rating 4/5. The review finds the film a refined, unnerving psychological horror that prioritizes drama over jump scares. It praises the way the story’s psychological depth and social oppression complement its creepiness. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-n46u67/under-the-shadow/) ## The Guardian — Nigel M Smith Rating 4/5. 5 February 2016. Festival review. Smith praises the film as both a feminist critique and an effective horror, calling it a standout. He singles out its precise scares and magnificently intense climax. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/05/under-the-shadow-review-feminist-horror-film-sundance-film-festival) ## Time Out — Cath Clarke Rating 4/5. 26 September 2016. The review calls it a smart, terrifying horror film and a candidate for the year’s best. It singles out its feminist perspective and scares for praise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/under-the-shadow) ## Variety — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2016. Festival review. Chang finds the film a tense, atmospheric horror story with a potent feminist core. He particularly praises Narges Rashidi’s performance and the inventive camera work that intensifies the apartment’s mounting terrors. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/under-the-shadow-review-sundance-1201686919/) ## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd Rating B. 5 October 2016. Dowd finds the film’s blend of Iranian social drama and haunted-house horror exciting, though not especially frightening. He praises Narges Rashidi’s performance and the film’s pointed use of supernatural imagery to reflect cultural repression. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/under-the-shadow-is-a-babadook-for-war-torn-iran-1798189047) ## Slant Magazine — Elise Nakhnikian Rating 3/4. 16 March 2016. Nakhnikian finds the horror emotionally direct and effective in expressing women’s precarious position in 1980s Iran. She praises the chador scene that nearly suffocates Shideh as especially vivid and moving. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/under-the-shadow/) ## Screen Daily — Wendy Ide, Senior international critic Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2016. Festival review. The page identifies this as a Sundance review, but its verdict is unavailable. The accessible text does not reveal what the critic praised or criticized. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/under-the-shadow-sundance-review/5098912.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 2016. The page content is unavailable, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No praise or complaint can be verified from the available text. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/07/movies/under-the-shadow-review.html) ## Den of Geek — Sarah Dobbs Rating 5/5. 29 September 2016. Dobbs calls the film intelligent, terrifying, and unmissable. She praises its claustrophobic atmosphere, built through the war setting, sound design, and strong performances from the mother and daughter leads. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/under-the-shadow-review/) ## Consequence — Michael Roffman Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 October 2016. Festival review. Roffman calls the film a terrifying, purposeful ghost story and praises how its horror explores oppression, rebellion, and femininity. He singles out Narges Rashdi’s captivating performance and Anvari’s patient use of darkness and empty spaces. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/10/sundance-film-review-under-the-shadow/) ## HeyUGuys Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). The critic calls the film an assured, effective horror story, with only a couple of irritating jump scares. They praise Anvari’s patient direction and the growing sense of unease. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/under-the-shadow-review/) ## /Film — Angie Han Rating 8.0/10. 25 January 2016. Festival review. Han praises the film as an effective, lingering horror tragedy, comparing its dread to The Babadook. She singles out its slow-building tension and the way the djinn embodies the everyday terrors of war and social oppression. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/542305/under-the-shadow-review/) ## NME Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The review finds the film’s blend of supernatural and wartime terror effective and its humanity universal. It praises the restrained glimpses of horror and the well-drawn characters. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-various-artists-16579-885275) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B. 25 January 2016. Festival review. Goldberg finds the film thoughtful and distinctive, with its horror rooted in women’s vulnerability and the pressures of war. He praises its cultural and emotional subtext, though he finds the supernatural scares reliant on jump scares. [Read the review](https://collider.com/under-the-shadow-review-more-terrifying-than-monsters-sundance-2016/) ## Paste — Brogan Morris Rating 7.5/10. 3 October 2016. Morris finds the film a politically charged, feminist horror drama that turns wartime claustrophobia into supernatural unease. He praises Narges Rashidi’s convincing portrayal of depression and Anvari’s precise, sparingly deployed scares. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/under-the-shadow/under-the-shadow) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be established. No specific praise or complaint is available from the accessible text. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/shadow-finds-balance-introspective-terror-supernatural-intrigue-review-20161007/) --- © 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/under-the-shadow.md