Jacob's Ladder

[BioMechanic]

Released in 1990 and directed by Adrian Lyne, Jacob's Ladder stars Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Pena, and Danny Aiello. It also features great supporting acting from Macaulay Culkin (!!!), Eriq Lasalle, and Ving Rhames.



I don't want to say too much about the plot, because the ending is one of the best I've ever seen, but it deals with Jacob Singer, a postal worker who's terrified by visions of "demons" whom he believes are out to get him. He begins to question what is real, and seems to slip between several realities, doubting his own sanity while searching for answers. You slowly start to realize that there's a lot more to Jacob than is first appparent, and the same goes for everyone he comes into contact with.

An early scene in a subway served as direct influence for Silent Hill 3 - in fact the whole SH series has been influenced by it. But this is not a typical horror film, by any means. There's a lot more going on than cathartic thrills or gratuitous decapitations - all of it has meaning in a literal and symbolical sense.

Adrian Lyne conjured one of the most chilling and memorable visual interpretations of Hell you will ever see - in fact a lot of the imagery was influenced by artists like Dore (esp. his etchings of Dante's Inferno) and Goya. Maurice Jarre's score is minimalist but extremely effective at heightening the mood. Despite all the horrific visuals and general feeling of hopelessness, the film has a very distinct message that has influenced my personal view of life as a whole.

The DVD has some very worthwhile deleted scenes (a couple of which help explain significant plot points), a great director's commentary, and a behind-the-scenes feature - it can be found for cheap these days, too.

I think the film is one of the scariest ever made, and does a fantastic job portraying mental instability without being cheap. I wouldn't necessarily call it a horror film per se - it's more a psychological thriller with definite horror elements, and is far more intelligent than most examples of the genre. The more times I watch it, the more I notice.

[Dolemite]

Facinating and creepy movie, but the ending was ass, in my opinion. The Silent Hill games were inspired in a big way by this movie. I haven't seen it in years, and I've been meaning to rent it recently. Perhaps I won't hate the ending as much now, but as I recalled it just rendered the entire movie pointless. Otherwise, it was a great, freaky movie.

[Josh]

Pointless? It tied up the whole film and explained the terrible things he was seeing.

[BioMechanic]

You thought the ending was ass? How come?

Here's what I think:


The only thing that was "real" was the Vietnam reality. Everything else was made up by Jacob - which he could do because he was a smart guy (a Ph.D. in philosophy) - in an elaborate attempt to come to terms with the guilt and self-blame he felt for the accidental death of his son. Once he made his peace, he was able to let go. I'm sure his mortal injuries helped fuel his ghastly visions. Jezzie was the main symbol of evil, doubt, and temptation, and Louis was symbolic of Jacob's own conscience.

The main message I got was this: your worst enemy is yourself, and your subconscious & imagination can convince yourself of anything.....but in then end you alone decide your own fate, one way or another. Kind of anime-ish in a way, now that I think about it.

The whole "Vietnam conspiracy" reality was Jacob's attempt to make himself believe that he actually survived the war, and to help explain post-traumatic stress.

[Josh]

Yeah, thats pretty much it.

[Dolemite]

Like I said, it' s been years. I saw it when it first came out in theaters, so I was pretty young and stupid at the time. I probably didn't get all the symbolism and just saw it as...

...a dude having freaky visions as he lay dying on a bed in 'Nam. Nothing more.

I think I'd be able to recognize and appreciate the deeper meanings now, hence my desire to rent it.

[Despair]

I knew Bio, that you will eventually make Jacobs Ladder thread Great job.

Add me to the list of people who love JL. When I saw it for the first time, it freaked me out(as many here know, not many movies can do it to me), but it also made me think. It had great visuals, atmosphere, acting and was full of hidden symbolism and philosophy. Tim Robbins was great as Jacob, man tormented by his inner and outer demons, on the age of loosing himself in between real and imaginary worlds. And the ending revalation was indeed a great shocker. The style of this film later been used as the base for many other visual concepts in many films, and as Bio noted, Silent Hill series literaly borrows alot from this movie.

I agree that this isnt simply a horror film, but more of the mind fuck movie, if we can call it that. It combines scenes of relentless horror, bizzare visuals with a good dramatic story. Definately one of my most favorite films, and I'm glad that I finally got dvd for my collection, to replace the old tape I had.

[SearchManX]

I saw this when I was ten and I just remember that mainly the anticipation was what scared me the most. I was afraid that it would turn out to be like the Nightmare on Elm St. movies or whatever but it was more psychological. I was too young to get any of the symbolism in that movie though, and I may watch it again...

[BioMechanic]

I think that the film has aged very well.

Funny, as much as I love this film, and psychological horror in general, I've never been able to get into the Silent Hill series.

A small anecdote: The guy who wrote the screenplay (Bruce Joel Rubin, who also wrote Ghost BTW) got inspired by a nightmare he had in which he got attacked in a subway. It was a very vivid dream, which he described in detail to Adrian Lyne, who translated it to screen perfectly. Apparently Rubin can't watch the film's subway sequence.

Also, originally the story was filled with traditional religious imagery, but Lyne opted to make them less so because he was concerned it might alienate the audience. Good move.

Forgot to mention Jason Alexander as the asshole lawyer who tries to help the vets.

[Despair]

I need to rewatch it, and listen to the commentary. It sounds like it has alot of interesting facts and details.

I am surprised that you dont like Silent Hill games much, Bio.