Censor
Magnet Releasing | Release Date: June 11, 2021 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
7
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The Observer (UK)Mark KermodeAug 22, 2021
This thrilling, dizzying debut from Welsh writer-director Prano Bailey-Bond is a nostalgic treat for anyone old enough to remember the infamous “video nasties” scare of the early 80s. Yet beneath the retro surface lies a more universal tale about the power of horror to confront our deepest fears – a timeless celebration of the liberating nature of the dark side. Read full review
100
CineVueMartyn ConterioAug 19, 2021
An ambitious, clever, and inventive psychogenic fugue, Censor is rough around the edges and shot on a shoestring, sure, however Bailey-Bond has compelling and vital comments to make on art, media consumption, politics, and society. Read full review
91
Original-CinThom ErnstJun 17, 2021
Censor is an off-brand horror treat that walks the distance between artistic freedom and the scrutiny of morbid excess to which the title refers. Read full review
90
Film ThreatLorry KiktaJan 30, 2021
Welsh director Prano Bailey-Bond’s feature debut, Censor, is one of those horror movies that sticks with you well after the credits roll. That’s because it doesn’t follow the typical horror movie formula. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshJun 11, 2021
Censor is a bold artistic statement, inspired by the history of its own genre, though it’s not an uncritical assertion, posing complicated questions about media effects without offering easy answers. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubJason ShawhanJun 11, 2021
Censor’s meticulous, insidious structure sticks to the subconscious; this is an auspicious debut in modern genre cinema. Read full review
83
The PlaylistCharles BarfieldJan 30, 2021
Censor is an impressive, visually-stunning, deeply disturbing debut from Bailey-Bond and a showcase for Algar, who gives a truly spectacular performance. Read full review
80
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeAug 20, 2021
A clever concept carried out with great invention and some emotional honesty. Read full review
80
EmpireTerri WhiteAug 16, 2021
A psychedelic rabbit-hole-drop of a movie from one of the most exciting new directors working in horror today. Read full review
80
Time OutPhil de SemlyenFeb 2, 2021
Censor wears its genre influences on its sleeve – The Shining, Cronenberg, Carrie and Peter Strickland’s similarly themed Berberian Sound Studio – but it’s very much its own thing. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawJan 30, 2021
With production designer Paulina Rzeszowska and cinematographer Annika Summerson, Bailey-Bond creates something almost unbearably close and oppressive, like the bottom of a murky fish tank. It’s a very elegant and disquieting debut. Read full review
80
Screen DailyNikki BaughanJan 30, 2021
Debut director Prano Bailey-Bond crafts a stylish, effective horror that is both an homage to genre cinema of that period and a psychological dive into the combined traumas of grief and guilt. Read full review
75
ConsequenceJoe LipsettJan 30, 2021
Despite a striking production design and the strong performance by lead actress Niamh Algar, the narrative familiarity of the second half and restrained climax let the film down. Read full review
75
IndieWireEric KohnJan 30, 2021
The movie shows the mark of a filmmaker in full command of vintage horror’s most disturbing strengths — and well-equipped to resurrect them. Read full review
70
Screen RantMae AbdulbakiJun 26, 2021
Censor is chilling, an assured horror that blurs the line of reality for its protagonist as she delves into that which makes her most vulnerable. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinJan 30, 2021
Steeped in the gory look, grimy feel and transgressive spirit of the so-called "video nasties" from the 1980s, British meta-minded horror movie Censor offers an admirable pastiche, spiked with black humor. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerJun 10, 2021
As a simple story of a moralizer being brought down by their own bloody instincts, it works; but asides about the catharsis of gore, and the inner evil of humanity not needing horror movies to be seeded, imply the script wanted something deeper. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comSimon AbramsJun 11, 2021
So while Enid’s investigation never goes anywhere noteworthy, Censor still fosters an increasingly desperate, anxiety-inducing effect. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 1, 2021
The stern star and fascinating if limited peek into the world of ratings, even in a period piece set in a more conservative time, makes Censor a horror title well worth a look, “video nasties” included. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneDavid FearJun 14, 2021
The whole thing takes on a level of fractured fairy-tale storytelling that nods to both the Brothers Grimm and the father-figure Cronenberg. Read full review
60
SlashfilmChris EvangelistaJan 30, 2021
It works as a loving homage to the era of slap-dash, go-for-broke ’80s horror, but it ultimately adds nothing to the conversation. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyJan 30, 2021
The tone oscillates between earnestness and mischief, a little uneasily. There’s a trippy, funhouse aspect to it which yields a couple of splattery punchlines, but it could have gone further in this direction Read full review
60
VarietyJessica KiangJan 30, 2021
Censor is a stylish calling card for all involved, one that certainly demonstrates an impressive level of directorial control for a debut filmmaker. But that control does sometimes feel like constriction. Read full review
52
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzJun 15, 2021
The filmmaker assumes that aping the cheap aesthetics of the era are enough to establish style, and that making Enid a mystery amounts to layered characterization. It all leads to a climax that is nasty for all the wrong reasons. Read full review
50
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJun 10, 2021
A homage of sorts to the low-budget trash of the period — and a mordantly humorous jab at its excesses — Censor gazes on movie history with style and commitment, but little apparent purpose beyond simulation. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineMark HansonFeb 2, 2021
Censor unfortunately pulls back from its social interrogation just when it’s working up a head of steam. Read full review
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