Come Play
Focus Features | Release Date: October 30, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 21 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
11
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperOct 28, 2020
There’s a terrifically entertaining sequence late in the film that plays like an homage to a certain element of the original “Poltergeist,” and a thrilling and nerve-wracking extended final sequence that will put you on the edge of the proverbial seat. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyOct 28, 2020
The director doesn't rely on cheap jump scares or trick editing. Instead, he builds and sustains suspense throughout the well-paced thriller with controlled camera movement, malevolent lighting, unsettling music and jagged, staticky sound. Read full review
75
Original-CinJim SlotekOct 29, 2020
The horror film Come Play, the feature debut of writer/director Jacob Chase, is in many ways derivative. But it’s derivative of some pretty effective predecessors. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsOct 29, 2020
A pre-teen on the autism spectrum, lonely and isolated, becomes the online prey of an unwanted stranger, a monster from another realm. That’s Come Play in one sentence. The results unfold more like a collection of reference points to previous film than a film unto itself. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Barry HertzOct 28, 2020
Come Play’s themes, characters and story are too strong to lump the film in with the wave of sub-tier horror flooding the market this month. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Oct 28, 2020
Writer-director Jacob Chase, making his feature debut, expanded Come Play from an inventive short film. The result is involving, but a little pat as drama; you see the strings, even when it’s successfully pulling the ones attached to your heart. As a horror movie, though, it’s often diabolical fun: a PG-13 funhouse ride of peekaboo jolts. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshOct 29, 2020
The story is deceptively simple. However, built around a universal quandary of our tech-obsessed modern world, underpinned with a folkloric tale that appeals to our most primal child selves — yearning for acceptance and connection — it has a heavy metaphorical resonance. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzOct 28, 2020
Horror movies are notoriously tough to end well — how can the last act match the lead-up? But credit Chase with coming up with an ending that fits the mood of the rest of the film without selling out the audience emotionally. Read full review
63
Washington PostMichael O'SullivanOct 28, 2020
Despite the subtext of screen addiction, it is still essentially a by-the-book monster movie, despite some better-than-average jump scares and clever rendering of Larry, who for the most part can be seen only through the camera lens of a cellphone or tablet device. Read full review
50
Rolling StoneDavid FearNov 5, 2020
There are much worse things than semi-stylish, slightly generic horror films, especially those channeling the sort of moody children’s-lit work of authors like Maurice Sendak (an alt-title: Where the Wild Things Scar?) in the name of creepiness. There are also better movies to seek out in the name of mining childhood for nightmare fodder. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 1, 2020
So yes, there’s good stuff here, mostly in the earlier acts. But even mixed-bag horror flicks deserve to be seen on a big screen. We viewers and those who entertain us have a pact, after all. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliOct 30, 2020
After teasing the viewer with the possibility that this movie might be interested in doing more than offering jump-scares, claustrophobic point-of-view shots, and child-in-peril scenes, Come Play proceeds to provide those all-too-familiar sequences and more. Worse, because the lead character is autistic, it doubles down on the issues that can arise from communication difficulties. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoOct 30, 2020
With the exception of a few strong sequences in the scare department, it’s an inconsistent, flat film that is too often reliant on jump scares instead of atmosphere. Read full review
50
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiOct 29, 2020
For the most part, the film is second-rate horror, but watchable enough. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleBob StraussOct 28, 2020
The most shocking thing about Come Play, however, is that it has a pretty good ending after such a long, poorly paced slog through scary movie cliches. Read full review
50
VarietyCourtney HowardOct 28, 2020
Even though the kid is the hero we should clearly be rooting for, the filmmaker conjures equal amounts of empathy and compassion for the monster. That serves to add complexity to the characterizations, but balancing both sides muddles the poignancy of the climax. Read full review
50
Slant MagazinePat BrownOct 28, 2020
While it can be expected that high-concept horror movies will often be sewn together from the premises of recent genre successes, it’s much too easy to see the stitches in writer-director Jacob Chase’s Come Play. Read full review
42
IndieWireDavid EhrlichOct 29, 2020
Most of the movie is spent on overfamiliar ominousness that does little to advance the plot, which is all the more frustrating because Chase has clearly assembled the ingredients for a richer horror experience than the cheap gruel he ends up serving here. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerOct 28, 2020
Horror is built on moms wanting to protect their kids, and Come Play falls down because Sarah just never really seems to connect with Oliver. Read full review
40
IGNRosie KnightOct 28, 2020
The subpar tech-horror film Come Play is as boring as it is painfully outdated. Read full review
30
The New York TimesBen KenigsbergOct 29, 2020
Come Play feels secondhand in its overarching conceit, its scare tactics and even its sentimentality. Read full review
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